Can You Freeze Sangria? (Quick Guide)

by Philip Thompson
28 June, 2023

There is no better way to celebrate the long summer nights and to add a little bit of staycation to your weekend than with a pitcher of Sangria.

The only downside is there always seems to be leftovers, so how can you avoid waste?

Can Sangria be frozen?

Listen to this post here:

Does Sangria Wine Freeze?

Sangria Freezing Temperature

Credit: Sueca Sangria

Yes, you absolutely can freeze Sangria and it’s a really smart way to preserve any leftovers.

Just like any other wine including such as Prosecco, or even mulled wine, Sangria will freeze between -9 and -6°C (15-21°F).

If you noticed that this is much colder than the freezing temperature for water, well spotted!

Alcoholic drinks take a little longer to freeze and require colder temperatures than water, it’s why so many of your favourite spirits can be stored in the freezer and remain in a liquid state.

Summary of the info in this post and you can find out more on it all below:

Topic	Information
Sangria Freezing Temperature	-9 to -6°C (15-21°F)
Time to Freeze Sangria	3-5 hours (depending on temperature)
Maximum Freezer Storage	Up to 3 months
Effects of Freezing on Sangria	May alter flavors; best used within 3 months
Reasons to Freeze Sangria	To prevent waste or for frozen cocktails
Methods to Defrost Sangria	Slow defrost in fridge or warm water
Refreezing Sangria	Not recommended
Tips for Freezing Leftover Sangria	Use freezer-safe containers, portionable quantities, seal containers properly

But how much longer does it take for Sangria to freeze?

How Long Does it Take for Sangria to Freeze?

Credit: Sueca Sangria

Once your Sangria has been cooled down to room temperature, Sangria takes about 3-5 hours to become frozen.*

* This depends on the starting temperature of Sangria and the temperature of the freezer being used to freeze the Sangria

Just like most liquids, sangria won’t freeze immediately, but that’s completely normal.

The process isn’t an immediate one and requires a little patience, but after an hour or so the effects of the freezer should start to be noticeable.

Once your Sangria has become frozen solid how long can it stay in the freezer for?

How Long Can you Freeze Sangria for?

Sangria can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Time moves quickly, so it's a smart idea to label your Sangria with the date it first entered the freezer and the date it needs to be used by. This will help to ensure that you don’t leave it too late to defrost your Sangria.

But if Sangria has an expiry date of 3 months once it has been placed in the freezer, does that mean that putting Sangria in the freezer will make it go bad?

Does Freezing Sangria Ruin It?

Just like all liquid, putting sangria in the freezer will help it to become very cold very quickly, to the point where it completely changes state into a solid.

But freezers not only change the state and temperature of our drinks, they can alter the flavours too.

Whilst the fruit and the fun of Sangria is best served over ice, applying very cold temperatures to Sangria’s ingredients may mute some of these holiday flavours.

And whilst it will still taste like Sangria, there’s no guarantee that once defrosted it will taste as good as it did the first time you made it.

Especially if you’ve left it in the freezer for more than the recommended 3 months.

So if that's the case, when should you put Sangria in the freezer?

When Should You Freeze Sangria?

Sangria is a cocktail designed to be made in large batches and sometimes it can be hard to know exactly how much Sangria you’re going to need.

This is where a freezer can come in handy, it’s a great way to preserve any leftovers you may have.

Freezing Sangria is great for two things:

It will help to prevent waste
It can also help you make frozen, Sangria cocktails. Your Sangria game just went up to a whole new level!

So if you’ve frozen your Sangria leftovers with the aim of using them later on, what is the best way to defrost your Sangria?

How Do You Defrost Sangria?

Defrosting Sangria

How can you defrost frozen Sangria?

Low and slow is the golden rule here.

Put it in the fridge - One obvious way to defrost your Sangria is to simply put it in a fridge and let time do its thing.

Use warm water - However, a much quicker method that’s just as safe is to place the frozen Sangria into a container of warm water and allow these warmer temperatures to quickly dissolve the Sangria back into liquid. Perfect for when time is not on your side.

But what if you end up with the same problem and you don’t use all of your defrosted Sangria?

Can you refreeze that Sangria that you’ve just defrosted?

Can You Refreeze Sangria?

It’s a no to this question we’re afraid.

Just like with your food, it's probably not a good idea to refreeze Sangria once it has been defrosted.

Not many things can handle being frozen multiple times and chances are the flavours of the Sangria will have been altered so much at this point it won’t be pleasant for yourself or your guests.

So what are the best ways to freeze leftover Sangria?

Best Methods to Freeze Sangria?

It’s easy to know how to serve Sangria, you just make sure there is lots of ice. But what about when you want to turn your Sangria into ice?

Here are some tips for how to freeze any leftovers you may have

Always decant Sangria into freezer safe containers and make sure there is room for the Sangria to expand once frozen.

Split the Sangria into portionable quantities so you only need to defrost the amount you need. Freezable pouches or bags are great here.

Use ice trays for smaller amounts of Sangria. You can add these to your next fresh pitcher of Sangria to avoid any unwanted dilution from melted ice.