Many wine pros suggest that white wine and even sparkling wine should be served at slightly cooler than room temperature. Many wine drinkers, though, want their white wine cold. Eric and I are those types of drinkers. There are a variety of reasons why you might want to chill wine quickly. In this post share our tips on how to rapidly chill wine at home. This includes our reviews of the best single bottle wine chillers on the market.
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The Best Single Bottle Wine Cooler
We generally recommend Amazon for purchasing wine accessories for the home. It’s sort of one-stop shopping, with a wide variety of options.
Also, we try to recommend products that are part of Amazon Prime, which provides purchasers with free and often super-fast delivery. (Get 30 days of Prime free here.)
That said, we’ve also tried to include links directly to the manufacturer when possible. We are aware that not everyone shops on Amazon and want to make purchasing as easy as possible.
In this buying guide, I share full reviews of each of our recommended single wine cooler and rapid wine chiller options.
It will also include which of the items it might be best to purchase two or three, just to make life easier. If you are short on time and eager to drink cold wine quickly or at the optimal temperature, use this handy chart to get shopping! Cheers!
The Ideal Temperature For Wine Storage and Drinking
There are a few options for how to keep wine stored at an ideal temperature. Generally, this involves storing wine in a cellar or a wine refrigerator.
Some people keep their wine in a wooden or metal wine rack as well. There is a difference, though, between the ideal temperature to store wine and the ideal temperature for drinking.
When it comes to white wine, sparkling wine, and rose, many wine pros suggest drinking at slightly cooler than room temperature.
This allows you to fully appreciate the flavors and aromas of the wine. Even different varieties of wine should be served at different temperatures, for example, Chardonnay should be served warmer than Sauvignon Blanc.
Many wine drinkers, though, us included, like fully chilled wine – particularly in the summer. In the end, the ideal temperature for drinking wine comes from the preference of the wine drinker. In this buying guide, we provide options for how to chill wine for these purposes.
There are wine enthusiasts, though, who like to drink wine, both white and red, at the optimal temperature as determined by wine pros.
The problem here is twofold. First, how do you keep every bottle of wine to this temperature? Second, how do you know the exact right temperature? Also in this buying guide, we share recommendations for electric coolers that do all of this for you.
How To Chill Wine
There are a few ways to chill wine to your ideal drinking temperature, whether this is super cold or the “ideal” temperature. If you are like us, you might always have a few bottles in the fridge ready to be drunk.
But, they take up valuable space. Or, there might be those days when there is a “wine emergency” where you have no wine chilled.
Sometimes you want to drink a bottle of red wine and what you have on hand is actually too warm or too cold and just sort of tastes funny.
There are a variety of ways to chill wine quickly. Whether you need to chill a bottle of white, rose, or sparkling wine because of a “wine emergency” or you want to cool a bottle of red that became too warm, you might find yourself wanting to quickly chill a bottle of wine.
Home Wine Cooler Pro Tip
Although it’s fine to place a bottle of wine in the kitchen fridge for a day or two to chill, it’s not recommended for long-term storage.
Not only do the bottles take up space, but the odors of the refrigerator can seep in through the cork, which ruins the taste of the wine. It’s also a lot harder to actually regulate the temperature and humidity in a kitchen fridge because the door is constantly open.
Check out our other wine product posts:
Best Small Wine Fridge Reviews
Best Under Counter Wine Fridge And Cooler
Best Dual Zone Wine Fridge Reviews
Digital And Electric Wine Coolers And Rapid Wine Chillers
I remember the first time I walked into Whole Foods in Washington, DC, and saw an electric single bottle wine chiller. WOW, I thought it was the coolest thing ever. You could pick up a bottle of white wine off the shelf, which was stored at room temperature.
I could place it inside the electric wine bottle chiller, chill the bottle in minutes, bring it home, and enjoy it. I can’t believe that you can actually have this technology at home!
Here, we recommend some of the best digital instant wine coolers. Most of these electric wine coolers take a little longer to chill.
They work to get a bottle to the ideal temperature according to the wine pros. This means both chilling white wine and cooling down red wine to the optimal temp. They are all single-bottle wine coolers, so are smaller and more functional than a wine fridge.
COPPER COOLER RAPID BEVERAGE WINE CHILLER
The Cooper Cooler Rapid Beverage Chiller is a rapid bottle chiller that works for wine and other beverages. Here’s how it works.
After plugging it in, you add ice and cold water to the machine. The beverage rotates while being sprayed with ice water. There is an automatic touchpad with preset features including a bottle, can, and wine bottle.
The machine turns off automatically when done. It apparently works 40 times faster than chilling beverages in a freezer, but I can’t verify that “science.” The “extra chill” setting lowers the beverage temperature to 34 degrees. There are reports, though, that this rapid beverage cooler doesn’t always get the temps this low.
This electric drink cooler can chill cans in one minute and bottles of wine in six minutes. In a feat of technology, it can also warm baby bottles too by adding hot water instead of ice. There is a one-year warranty. One thing, it only works with 120v outlets, which is a normal American outlet. Other than that limitation, it works well as an instant wine chiller.
Our Pick For An Electric Wine Chiller Based On Value and Flexibility
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE COOPER CHILLER
WARING PRO DIGITAL WINE COOLER
Waring Pro has been a leader in kitchen appliances for over six decades. They are a trusted producer and have a good reputation for quality products. The Waring Pro PC100 Wine Chiller works in a similar way to the Brookstone.
The single bottle wine cooler has a library of 33 different wine varieties and can both cool and warm wine to the optimal temperature.
It has a blue, backlit LCD display with a lighted viewing window. The window really is just for curiosity as it doesn’t offer any real function. It’s just kind of cool.
Similar to the Brookstone model, this machine gets wines to the optimal temperature. It can take an hour or more, so it is not as much of a quick chiller. It does, however, work to maintain the bottle temperature as well.
WARING PRO WINE CHILLER AND WARMER
Here’s another one from Waring Pro in a more contemporary design. The Waring Pro Wine Chiller And Warmeris a handy tool to quickly and thoroughly cool a single bottle of wine to its ideal temperature.
From reds to wines to champagne, the Waring Pro can accommodate bottles up to 3 1/2″ inches in diameter.
The unit comes with 33 pre-programmed temperature settings eliminating all the guesswork on choosing the right temperature. A backlit LCD display clearly shows all the important information needed to perfectly chill a bottle of wine.
Waring Pro is one of the most respected names in houseware products with over 60 years of quality manufacturing experience.
Waring Pro Brushed Stainless Steel Wine Chiller And Warmer
Our Pick For An Electric Wine Cooler For Wine Lovers
Single Bottle Wine Cooler Sleeves
A single bottle wine cooler sleeve is something of a magical thing, in its simplicity and its effectiveness. It’s a gel-filled wine accessory that slides over a bottle of wine to quickly chill a single bottle.
We’ve owned wine chiller sleeves for years. We used them to both quickly chill a bottle as well as to keep a bottle cold while we drink it. For this reason, it is one of the best wine accessories you can buy for your home.
These gel-based jackets fit around a bottle of wine, almost like a sleeve. Just keep the sleeve in the freezer ready to use.
When ready, insert the bottle of wine and wait about 10 to 15 minutes for it to reduce the temperature dramatically. This is another time where I would recommend swirling the bottle once or twice (unless it is a bottle of sparkling wine) to speed up the process.
VACU VIN RAPID ICE WINE CHILLER
The Vacu Vin Instant Bottle Chiller is a little more than just a sleeve. It’s sort of a combination between a wine bucket and wine sleeve, but without ice.
The Vacu Vin chills wine in about five to 10 minutes and keeps it cold for up to two hours. There is an interior cooling element, which is essentially a gel-based cooling sleeve.
This is placed in the freezer and then placed into the wine bucket when ready to use. The sleeve must be kept in the fridge for at least six hours, or it can be kept in there just in case one of our so-called “wine emergencies.” The cooling element lies flat making it easy to store in the freezer.
The bucket is made of stainless steel and is contemporary in design. It will match any kitchen or dining room decor.
Vacu Vin Rapid Ice Wine Cooler
VINGLACÉ WINE BOTTLE INSULATOR
The Vinglace Portable Wine Cooler ensures you have refreshing and perfectly chilled wine where you go. Featuring a double-walled, stainless steel design, this elegant portable wine chiller fits both wine and champagne bottles. Available in a variety of colors, the Vinglace’s vacuum-sealed design keeps wine chilled for hours.
Its innovative design allows the wine to be directly poured from within the chiller. No need to remove the bottle for each pour. Made in America, the unit is lightweight, only 2 lbs, allowing it to be used at the beach, park, or backyard.
Vinglacé Wine Bottle Insulator
Cork to Table Wine Chiller Set
Made using high-quality stainless steel, the Cork to Table Wine Chiller Set is all you need to enjoy perfectly chilled wine. If you are heading to the beach, camping, or an outdoor concert, the Cork to Table Wine Chiller Set has everything you need.
The Cork to Table Wine Chiller Set features a wine chiller capable of fitting 750ml wine bottles. The set also comes with two 12 oz wine tumblers, a reusable ice pack, a wine opener, a wine pourer, and a zinc cork stopper.
One of the options we love is the variety of colors the Cork to Table Wine Chiller Set comes in. We opted for the silver, but the Cork to Table Wine Chiller Set comes in black, copper, and pink. Made from food-grade 304 stainless steel, the set is super easy to clean and highly durable.
HUSKI WINE CHILLER
When it comes to quickly and completely chilling wine, the Huski Wine Cooler And Iceless Wine Chillerdoes the job. An award-winning design, the cooler accommodates most standard wine bottles as well as some champagne bottles.
An adjustable height and Flexi-lock expandable design firmly keep bottles in place, making pouring worry-free.
The cooler is made of durable 18/8 stainless steel. An internal copper plating design improves thermal efficiency, keeping bottles cool for up to 6 hours.
The Huski is designed to remain dry preventing condensation on the hands and tabletops. It also comes in black, stainless steel, matte white, or rose.
Huski Wine Cooler | Premium Iceless Wine Chiller
VACU VIN WINE COOLER SLEEVE
The Vacu Vin Active Wine Cooler Sleeve is actually one of our top picks for the best wine chiller for a few reasons.
The set of two sleeves is easily stored in the freezer until needed. Once ready, it only takes about five to 10 minutes for the wine bottle to chill.
They are designed to fit standard-sized wine bottles. Larger bottles, like Champagne or sparkling wine bottles, might be a struggle. They can also be transported easily in a cooler for use at BBQs, picnics, or other outdoor events.
We like these wine bottle chillers because they don’t take up a lot of space in the freezer. They work quickly to chill wine.
We use them to keep wine cold while we drink the bottle too. Best of all, they are one of the best values found on our list. That’s why we’ve had one of these bottle chillers in our freezer for years.
Vacu Vin Active Wine Cooler Sleeve
Our Top Pick For Efficiency And Value!
VACU VIN RAPID WINE COOLER SET
Another option for wine sleeves from Vacu Vin is the Vacu Vin Rapid Ice Wine and Champagne Cooler Set. It uses the same technology as the other wine sleeves but includes one regular-sized sleeve and one oversized sleeve. The oversized sleeve is perfect for Champagne and sparkling wine bottles.
They are designed to be a little more elegant than practical like the other Vacu Vin sleeves. This not only makes them perfect as wine gifts but also can jazz up a wine bottle or Champagne bottle when entertaining.
Vacu Vin Rapid Ice Wine and Champagne Cooler Set
Wine Chiller Sticks – Individual Wine Chillers
The remainder of our recommendations focuses more on how to chill wine fast. The first options are wine chiller sticks or rapid chiller sticks.
These are devices that you place directly into a bottle to lower the temperature super quickly. This would be one time that I would recommend buying a set of two or three. They are not super expensive and if you often drink more than one bottle in a night, having more on hand would be useful.
QUICK WINE CHILLER STICKS
This Instant Wine Bottle Chiller by Newward is a 3-in-1 system. It includes a fast wine chiller, filter, and pourer all in one. The filter acts as an aerator to add a little extra oxygen to the wine, to improve the flavor and drinking experience.
Here’s how it works. Place the chiller stick into the fridge for at least two hours. Or, just keep the stick in the freezer to be ready when needed.
Just pour out a touch of wine from the bottle and insert the stick. Within 15 minutes, the wine is chilled and ready to drink and will stay cold at least an hour.
When done, rinse and dry the stick. Place it back in the freezer. This stick is made from food-grade stainless steel, so it doesn’t change the flavor of the wine.
They also sell a set that includes a corkscrew and stopper along with the wine bottle cooler here. Both options make great wine gifts too. Because it takes at least two hours to chill, this is why I would recommend having more than one chiller stick on hand.
VINENCO WINE CHILLER SET
The VINENCO Rapid Wine Chiller Stick takes things up a notch just a bit. This set includes a 3-in-1 wine chiller stick with a drip-free pourer as well as an aerator. it not only chills white wine but can also refresh red wine by aerating it and chilling it just a touch to get it to cellar temperature.
This rapid wine cooler works in the same way but also includes a foil cutter to help open the bottle as well as a wine stopper. It also includes a storage pouch to keep everything in one place in your drawer. VINENCO’s chiller stick only needs about an hour in the fridge and keeps the wine cold a little longer.
With both of these chiller sticks, I recommend swirling the bottle once or twice while it is chilling to move the wine around. This makes sure most of the wine in the bottle has contact with the stick.
CORKCICLE CLASSIC
Corkcicle is a homewares company that specializes in barware, hydration, and cooling products. Many of them are contemporary in design or are just plain cool.
The Corkcicle Air 4-in-1 Chiller, Aerator, Pourer, Stopper works in a similar fashion to the others. Their original version was made in coordination with the Museum of Modern History in New York City. This is their next-gen wine chiller.
The new Corkcicle Air includes a pour-through feature, that cools and aerates the wine as you pour it. It cools down reds and maintains chilled white wines for up to an hour. The stick needs to spend at least 90 minutes in the freezer to cool.
Then, it can chill a bottle of wine for as little as 15 minutes, although it takes a bit longer to get the wine colder. It’s made of BPA-Free plastic and non-toxic gel rather than stainless steel
Corkcicle Air 4-in-1 Chiller, Aerator, Pourer, Stopper
How To Keep Wine Cool
If you are not drinking uber-quick or drinking in a large group, white, rose, and sparkling wine can become warm. We were always fighting the heat when we lived in Spain.
Not only are we trying to keep wine chilled to drink but we like it to remain cold as we drink the bottle. Otherwise, we find ourselves drinking it too quickly.
This was always a struggle, and one we still have living in Ireland. A single bottle cooler that keeps wine chilled is perfect for this.
We don’t like keeping an open bottle in the refrigerator because that means repeat trips to the kitchen. I don’t like using a simple wine bucket with ice, which can leak and be messy.
Many wine drinkers face similar issues trying to figure out how to keep wine cool. Some of our recommendations today are meant to help solve this problem too. They can quickly cool a bottle, but also act as a wine bottle chiller that keeps the wine cool too.
How To Chill Wine Quickly
The problem many wine drinkers face when in need of a cold bottle is how to do it. Placing a bottle in the fridge takes too long. You shouldn’t place a bottle in the freezer for a variety of reasons. Mainly, the wine can become too cold.
The wine also won’t chill evenly because of the alcohol content. You could try creating an ice bath in a wine bucket, but this is not ideal either. It takes a good amount and time and effort to chill wine this way.
There are a variety of options for people how to chill wine fast at home. This includes portable wine chillers, electric wine chillers, wine chiller sticks, and other iceless wine chiller options.
These options range in price and many can last for years. It’s a great wine accessory investment. They can work at home, or at picnics, campsites, concerts, and BBQs.
An instant wine chiller is probably one of the best investments you can make in your home wine enjoyment. This will include single wine chillers, chillers to keep wine at the ideal temperature, and products to keep your wine cold while drinking too.
FAQs – TIPS FOR QUICKLY CHILLING WINE
In this post, we cover the primary ways to cool a bottle of wine, including electric wine chillers, single bottle wine chiller sticks, and wine sleeves.
It depends on the type of chiller used and how warm the bottle started. It can be as little as 15 minutes or an hour or more.
You can for short periods of time, but it is not ideal. The cork will expand and potentially shoot out. And, never put sparkling wine in the freezer because it will become unstable.
Most single bottle wine chillers are designed not to require ice to chill wine. They either don’t have the space for ice or are made from materials that stay cool for several hours. The narrow design of some single bottle wine chillers is intentional. The closer the wine bottle is to the chiller, the better and more quickly the wine will cool. The most common materials used for single bottle wine chillers include marble, stainless steel, and plastic.
It depends. Red wine doesn’t always need to be served at or near room temperature. In some cases, red wine can be improved by cooling it slightly. The key is not to over-chill a red wine.
Wine coolers are certainly worth buying. They protect wine by keeping them at its ideal temperature. They main a regular supply of ready-to-drink white and rose wine. If you are entertaining, they look great and keep you supplied with wine.
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The Best Single Bottle Wine Chillers
We’ve taken all of our experience of eating around the globe, at some of the top restaurants in the world as well as street food stalls and traditional cooking to cook better at home. We’ve done the same when it comes to drinking wine! If you like this post, feel free to pin it to your favorite Pinterest board.
I want to share our tips on how to drink better at home, and this is just the start. Check out all of our recommendations and buying guides here. Or, check out these posts:
Best Unbreakable Wine Glasses – Durable And Shatterproof
Best Stemless Wine Glasses For The Home – Reviews
Best Wine Travel Bags, Wine Suitcases, Luggage; How To Pack Wine