Q. I’m hosting a dinner party and forgot to take my wine out of the fridge in time! My guests are waiting for wine in the other room, but it’s too cold to drink. Is there a quick way to do this without it showing in the taste of the wine? I guess my question for you would be can you microwave wine? If you can microwave wine, is there a difference in microwaving them with all the different ones out there?
Can you microwave wine?
A. Drinking cold wine all depends on the type of wine. I’m assuming you’re talking about rich, red wine that is cold. This wine is not good when chilled; it tastes sour, bitter, and just not the same. We’ve all experienced something like this at some point in our life, so I will share this last minute drinking hack with you.
Yes, you can microwave wine. Microwaving wine is used to bring chilled wine to serving temperature. This is mostly used for red wines to bring it to room temperature. But it’s important to not overheat it.
Wine is kept in the fridge to make it last longer and slows down the oxidizing process it would go through faster if it was left out in room temperature. Wine can last weeks longer in the fridge than left on the counter.
Microwaving wine might seem foreign to many wine lovers. Those who are against microwaving wine are usually those who are very strict about their wine and are considered “aficionados” in wine tasting. Microwaving wine should not be a big issue because it doesn’t actually affect the taste as much as they think it would. The only part in microwaving a glass of wine for 10 seconds that is affected is the water particles. The alcohol content and taste are not affected at all in this time limit.
The type of wine will depend on how long you microwave it, or if you have to microwave it at all. Rich, bodied red wines should be served between 60 and 65 degrees, intricate white wines at 55 to 60 degrees, but light red wine should be served at cooler temperatures at 50 to 55 degrees. The wines that don’t need to be microwaved are rosès and smooth white wines. The best way to check the temperature of the wine before and after heating is to use a digital thermometer
It’s a well-kept secret, but the New York Times wrote an article about restaurants actually microwaving wine. Some restaurants actually microwave wine for customers when they say their red wine is too cold. Even the most fancy and most expensive restaurants have admitted to using this trick. They have other tricks too; including using warmed glasses from the dishwasher for wine, and plunging the bottle of wine in a bucket of warm water.
When microwaving wine, be sure to take all metal parts off the bottle, including seals around the neck of the bottle. Leaving the cork in the bottle is okay because there is not enough air between the bottle and the cork to cause any pressure for it to explode. If the bottle cannot fit in your microwave, heating it in a Pyrex glass measuring cup is recommended. This simple alternative makes sure there is even heating throughout the wine.
Pour the desired amount of wine into a Pyrex glass measuring cup. Heat for 10 to 15 seconds. Stir the wine and check to see if the wine is heated up enough. If you poured a large amount into the Pyrex and it is still not warm enough, put it in the microwave again for another 10 seconds. It should be good by then, if not keep doing 5-10 second intervals until you get the desired temperature you want.