Hack Of The Day: How To Chill Wine In Five Minutes (Or Less)

Leave it to Dr. Vino, master of all that is wine, to post the perfect companion to a brutally hot summer night. Don't stick that bottle in the freezer "for a sec." You can and will forget it's there, and I'm not posting the photos of the time that happened to me. Here's a faster, safer and all-around smarter way to get that bottle of pinot grigio down to icy-cold.

Fill your chilling device (a pitcher works great) half with ice and half with water. Sprinkle in some salt, which helps the water reach a lower temperature than unsalted ice water, then dunk the bottle in. Five minutes later, it's nice and frosty...and not cracked and leaked and partially frozen over all the stuff in your freezer. But don't overchill it or you'll lose some of the best flavors. Five minutes — ten maximum — should suffice.

And while you're chilling your wine, take it a step further by floating frozen grapes in there. They won't affect the wine's flavor or water it down. Plus, there will be a snack at the bottom of the glass. What are we doing this weekend? Drinking cold wine.

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