Wine Delivery in Wisconsin Winter Temps

I recently joined the new mailing list of a high-end producer (unnamed for now) and ordered a 3-pack of 2019 Las Piedras cab.

The wine was supposed to ship in Spring, but looks like due to a miscommunication, the wine shipped and will arrive either tomorrow or Thursday.

I normally love when wines are shipped earlier than expected, but in this case, temps are -15F tomorrow and at/near 0 the next two days in Wisconsin. I am quite worried the negative temps will compromise the wine.

Their Director of Hospitality I worked with to place the order assured me that since the wines were shipped Air and not Ground, and that because trucks stay inside the Hub at night, the wines should arrive unharmed. She asked that I do not refuse delivery and to still accept it.

I honestly don’t know to what extremes the wines will be subject to, and outside of the obvious frozen bottle, and what impacts the cold will have to the integrity of the wine.

I hadn’t planned on popping one of these for at least a couple years, so that leaves me in the position to open one early due to their mistake or cellar these and hope she is still there if/when I discover they are compromised.

If you were in my position, how would you handle the situation?

Likely corks will pop and it will be a mess. Had it happened a few times. If they shipped and it was set up for spring full refund.

Even if the corks don’t pop the wine will be ruined in this cold.

I think the bottles will most likely be fine; if they are damaged it should be obvious.

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They won’t be if they are sitting in a vehicle not in transit over night tonight. Coolest temps of the year.

It may not be ideal, but I don’t think you will have a real problem.

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Not sure how you can comment on this if you don’t live in this region. The two times I have had bottles destroyed were temps in this range. I had wine shipped when it was 10 degrees and it was fine. We are talking 20 below.

Even if the corks don’t pop it sounds like the wine is too expensive to just open a bottle to see if it is damaged. I would be contacting the winery.

The only harm will be if the seal is compromised by the cork being pushed out or the bottle breaks.

The packing method is a factor. If it comes in styro it is amazing how well the insulation works to save the wine in cold temps, especially if it is a relatively quick transit. If it is in cardboard packing only, a little more dicey. I would certainly look very carefully at the bottle when it arrives and if it looks damaged it is a legit return. I have had wine shipped in pretty cold conditions many times (I live in the land of record snowfall along the southern shores of Lake Erie) and 99% of the time it is just fine. Would much rather have the wine cold than too warm. Even a little cooking is difficult to detect unless the cork is blown, and it will diminish the wines life significantly.

I was curious about the statement as well. I’m curious as to how you know the wine is ruined John? I’m a I’m assuming this is based on experience but if not please explain. Thank you!

I suspect it would be fine

So if the bottle freezes and cork does not push out you are not worried? I have had that happed before and the wines were not good a few days later or a few years later compared to the same wine from an order that was better weather when shipped.

Yes experience Larry. I live in the same region as the op. If extreme heat is bad then extreme cold is not good either. When a bottle freezes this is not good and really not good when the corks push out.
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I would agree stryo is better but so few use it now.

But what if the cork does not push?

It will be obvious if the wine is damaged – the corks will have been pushed up (and maybe out). I’d accept the shipment. If the bottles have protruding corks, send pictures and demand a refund. If they don’t have protruding corks, the wine will be fine.

The first concern is why did they ship the wine? What winery if they said spring shipping decides to ship wine to Wisconsin during the coldest temps of the year. Adding insult to the Packers losing I guess.

This. Cold does no “harm” to a wine, though if it has not been cold stabilized, you might notice some tartrates precipitate out (white flecks floating around in white wine). In reds you would never notice that. Either way, it’s not damaged. The only possible harm, IMO, is if it actually does freeze, pushing the corks out. Then it’s obviously ruined (though I’ve had a couple instances where corks were partially pushed out, but no wine leaked; I just pushed them back in, and those bottles have been fine down the years).

Hey, chill filtering kills whisky/whiskey, why not wine? I had some Huet halves shipped over a weekend in styrofoam where temperatures suddenly dropped below zero. Corks we’re pushed out and tartrates were visible. I haven’t checked in though.

I don’t understand how the bottle could freeze without the cork pushing up. Or do you mean pushed all the way out, when you say “the cork does not push out” ???

When I lived in the Twin Cities, I had a couple of times stores shipped me wine in the middle of winter. Even partially frozen bottles had corks pushed up.

Then you are lucky.