microwaving wine

This may seem like a silly question, but does anyone know if microwaving wine ruins it (in some subtle way)?

Ok, some context. Often when we open a bottle of red wine but don't finish the bottle, we use a stopper and place the unfinished bottle in the fridge for another day (on the theory that the coldness slows its deterioration). Often I forget to remove it from the fridge until just before I want some, so I pour my glass and put it in the microwave for about 8-9 seconds to bring it to an appropriate temperature.

Anyone else do this? Does microwaving completely defeat the purpose of refrigerating the wine by ruining it in some other, if not obvious, way? I know I should probably do a test, but we have a hard enough time finishing one bottle that I can't ever bring myself to open up two...maybe in the name of science I'll try it.

I've done it for years and it works great. No problemo!

Be sure you have some liquid -- in a glass for example, maybe the wine, maybe water if the wine bottle is closed -- so that the microwave doesn't self destruct.

[I learned that lesson warming plates.]

Regards, Bob

I have done this on several occasions, and I've never noticed any detriment to the wine. Although you do have to be really careful w/ the timing so you don't heat it too much, and since the microwave doesn't heat uniformly you've got to mix/swirl it briefly.

I too have done this on many occasions. It doesn't harm the wine if you don't over-do it. It does seem to me, however, that it takes the wine a few minutes to "wake up" after it has been micro-waved, and a wine consumed right from the microwave will have less taste than it does ten minutes later. Maybe that is a viariable with certain wines, maybe it's a complete misperception on my part, but I generally nuke it, and wait a few minutes before drinking.

I think that it is also very important that you use a very low setting like defrost so it is more gradual.

I've been told that in some restaurants, the microwave is known as "the sommelier's friend"

Mark Lipton

It seems that a lot of people use the microwave so I'm prompted to ask this: do you microwave the wine in a wine glass (if crystal, do you worry about lead content?) or in another container, like a Pyrex measuring cup, then transfer it to a wine glass?

It seems that a lot of people use the microwave so I'm prompted to ask this: do you microwave the wine in a wine glass (if crystal, do you worry about lead content?) or in another container, like a Pyrex measuring cup, then transfer it to a wine glass?

When I've microwaved wine, it's been in an INAO glass because nothing else will stand upright in our microwave. I can't think of a reason to worry about microwaving lead crystal, unless you zap the bejeezus out of it.

Mark Lipton

It seems that a lot of people use the microwave so I'm prompted to ask this: do you microwave the wine in a wine glass (if crystal, do you worry about lead content?) or in another container, like a Pyrex measuring cup, then transfer it to a wine glass?

I now have a microwave that will accommodate most of my wine glasses upright, but previously I would pour it into a smaller glass first and then transfer.

Put the whole, unopened, bottle in if it has come out of a cold cellar and you forgot to bring it up to room temperature in time. If it has a metal capsule remove this first, although there are not too many of these around these days unless you have an old bottle. In that case maybe it is not such a good idea.

About 30 seconds on high get a full bottle up to drinking temperature nicely.

It seems that a lot of people use the microwave so I'm prompted to ask this: do you microwave the wine in a wine glass (if crystal, do you worry about lead content?) or in another container, like a Pyrex measuring cup, then transfer it to a wine glass?

I use cheap, all glass, stemless wine glasses when I microwave...Got them for a gift, and they're perfect for that application (and for when I don't feel like hand-washing my crystal stemware later and just want to use the dishwasher).

I'll try a test in the near (or maybe not so near ) future by opening two of the same wine one evening, refrigerating one and leaving the other out, and I'll report back if I can discern any differences or not.

Steve, you have many answers to your question. I OTOH am going to answer a question that you did not ask. And that is: What if I open a wine and won't finish it for a month? The answer is to freeze it! nothing important is lost and the wine is as good as the day you opened it. Robert Parker is a name much maligned on this forum, but he is the one who taught me this trick, and I've used it many many times. Have a bottle of Ken Wright pinot noir frozen as we type.

It is indeed a strange age in which we live...

This may seem like a silly question, but does anyone know if microwaving wine ruins it (in some subtle way)?

Ok, some context. Often when we open a bottle of red wine but don't finish the bottle, we use a stopper and place the unfinished bottle in the fridge for another day (on the theory that the coldness slows its deterioration). Often I forget to remove it from the fridge until just before I want some, so I pour my glass and put it in the microwave for about 8-9 seconds to bring it to an appropriate temperature.

Anyone else do this? Does microwaving completely defeat the purpose of refrigerating the wine by ruining it in some other, if not obvious, way? I know I should probably do a test, but we have a hard enough time finishing one bottle that I can't ever bring myself to open up two...maybe in the name of science I'll try it.

Steven,

read about this experiment: http://vinofictions.blogspot.com/2007/0 ... -wine.html

I've never microwaved wine. Instead, if I remove a too-chilled bottle from the fridge, I place the bottle in one of those tupperware 1/2 gallon pitchers, fill to the neck of the bottle with hot tap water and let it sit for a few minutes.

Jon, I use my normal O glasses to zap the wine. 5 to 10 seconds at a time on high to be sure not overheat it. I used to heat in bottle, but had less control and had to add wet paper towels so the machine wouldn't self destruct.

With such a short exposure time, I haven't worried about lead when I've used fancier glasses.

Put the whole, unopened, bottle in if it has come out of a cold cellar and you forgot to bring it up to room temperature in time. If it has a metal capsule remove this first, although there are not too many of these around these days unless you have an old bottle. In that case maybe it is not such a good idea.

About 30 seconds on high get a full bottle up to drinking temperature nicely.

Neil, If you have to remove the metal capsule first, how is this going to work with a screwcapped wine? Do you realise we haven't actually tried this out yet. We've only tried the m/w method on wines closed with corks.
Cheers,
S

Neil, If you have to remove the metal capsule first, how is this going to work with a screwcapped wine? Do you realise we haven't actually tried this out yet. We've only tried the m/w method on wines closed with corks.
Cheers,
S

Good point. It is about time we tried a screw capped bottle, in the name of science of course!