Should I warm wine in the microwave?

Question

Although warming wine in the microwave might seem like a "horrible" thing to do it clearly has some practical benefits.

So will the microwave change the aroma of the wine compared to the conventional way or is it fine to do this**.

_{** Maybe before the guests arrive}

I assume you intend to heat red wine to a comfortable temperature? I'd say its acceptable, if you use the lowest setting, do not heat the whole bottle, take extreme care not to overheat. From what I've heard, it should be more gentle than on a stove, but I think the deterioration is minimal if you stay at 34 celsius or so.. — Max, Apr 18 '12 at 10:33
Why would you want to warm wine in the first place? Even red wine is generally accepted to be at its best around 17-18ºC/60-65ºF. Unless you're making mulled wine as Nico suggests, I would simply let it warm in the glass. — ElendilTheTall, Apr 18 '12 at 11:08
warming wine is crazy, crazy I say. I spend a significant amount of time trying to cool it because IMHO warm red wine= big time heartburn — Doug, May 11 '12 at 05:25
@Doug, some people have wine cellars (I don't) and others put wine in the fridge. I live in Spain, and keeping the wine outside will destroy it within a month (in summer). — BaffledCook, May 11 '12 at 07:36
I bought an apple wine and a cinnamon wine- the apple wine was served warm-- I was told to drink some of it but also leave some which they then poured the Cinnamon wine into it, it tasted like warm apple pie-- AND THAT IS why I want to know how to warm wine-- so there are times that you do want warm wine — , Jun 27 '15 at 15:37

score 9 · Answer 1 · edited Nov 19 '12 at 16:40

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According to Spanish winemaker guru the Marqués de Griñón, you can safely warm a bottle of wine to serving temperature (12ºC-14ºC). Put the microwave at high for two seconds for every ºC you want to raise the temperature.

Also here

Edit: I looked up the reference in his book. It says to heat a bottle out of the fridge (where stored after opening) in the microwave for two minutes at low.

edited Nov 19 '12 at 16:40

J.A.I.L.

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answered Apr 18 '12 at 11:40

BaffledCook

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Does anybody even make a microwave big enough to hold a wine bottle? – Marti May 11 '12 at 02:41
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Use the diagonal, it should fit. – BaffledCook May 11 '12 at 07:33
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... and perhaps remove the turntable? – rdt2 Sep 15 '15 at 13:15

score 7 · Accepted Answer · answered Apr 18 '12 at 11:18

No, it won't change the aroma compared to conventional heating.

Generally, heating does change aroma. But it changes in the same way in conventional heating and in microwave heating (given that you heat to the same internal temperature, which can be very different time and power settings for different types of heating devices).

What microwaves change is texture. That's why the microwave is considered "a horrible thing" among chefs. You can't bake doughs or batters in it, and other things like vegetables can also suffer. Then there is the problem with uneven heating. None of these factors matter with liquids. You can warm milk, wine, whatever, in the microwave, without fearing a taste change.

You can most definitely bake in the microwave, see "Modernist Cuisine at Home". — RudyB, Nov 20 '12 at 12:02

score 1 · Answer 3 · answered Jun 20 '19 at 10:05

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I warm glasses of red in winter. About 5 to 8 seconds on high does the trick. I think it improves the drinking experience.

answered Jun 20 '19 at 10:05

Harley

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Should I warm wine in the microwave?

3 Answers3