Although not as fashionable as it used to be, there’s no denying that sherry is delicious (if not cool). But, if you only enjoy it as an occasional treat, what is the best way to store it for the longer term?
Can You Freeze Sherry?
Yes, you can freeze sherry for up to 1 year. The best way to do this is to put it into an airtight container with as little excess space as possible before placing it at the edge of your freezer.
Do Does Sherry freeze well? Yes
Can you refreeze Sherry? Yes
How to Freeze Sherry
Freezing sherry is something that you might want to do since the drink can be so expensive, and wasting it would be a shame. To freeze sherry well, follow these steps:
- Select Container: Selecting a suitable container for freezing sherry can be a little on the tricky side. Essentially, there are two things that you want to bear in mind – you should have as little excess space as possible, and you should ensure the container has a tight-fitting lid.
- Decant the Sherry: Having the sherry in an airtight container can ensure that the sherry wonāt lose flavour. However, you must also make sure that you donāt spill anything along the rim of the container, where the seal is formed.
- Optionally Wrap the Container: If you’re concerned that the container isn’t entirely airtight, then consider wrapping it in a sheet of cling film to provide an extra layer of protection.
- Freeze: The sherry can be placed anywhere in your freezer, but we advise placing it right at the edges of your freezer, where it will form a protective barrier between frost at the edge of your freezer and the more delicate food in the freezer.
3 Tips for Freezing Sherry
Now you know how to freeze it, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing sherry to have the best results:
Avoid Excess Air and Space
The main thing that makes sherry lose its flavour while being frozen is the fact that oxygen will slowly remove aromatic compounds from the sherry. Ensuring that thereās as little air in the container as possible will ensure that this doesnāt happen.
Freeze With Herbs (No, Really!)
Itās become more and more common for people to infuse spirits with different herbs and spices. If you freeze sherry with some herbs in it, then as the sherry thaws, it will absorb the flavours from those herbs. If you’re happy to get experimental, give it a try and let us know how you get on!
Use an Ice Cube Tray
An ice cube tray can be convenient for ensuring that youāve got regular portions of sherry to cook with. Consider freezing sherry in an ice cube tray, then transferring those cubes to a freezer bag, and adding them to soup or stock one by one to give them a flavour boost.
How Long Can You Freeze Sherry?
You can freeze sherry for up to a year before freezer burn starts to damage the flavour of the sherry. Beyond this, the sherry will remain safe to use but might not be that flavoursome – at that point, you have to consider what the point of it is.
In some cases, the mouthfeel of the sherry can be impacted by freezing over a shorter timescale, so consider the sherry youāre freezing when you freeze it. It can take on a slightly drier feel.
Sealed sherry will keep for over a year but, once opened, it will only last for around a week or so in the fridge.
How Do You Defrost Sherry?
The best way to defrost sherry is to leave it on the counter for 3 to 4 hours. The sherry will come to room temperature over that time easily, and can then be drunk or cooked.
If you have frozen it into ice cubes solely for cooking, then these can actually be used from frozen.
Can You Refreeze Sherry?
Yes, you can.
To do this, you can follow the steps that we laid out above. We recommend changing the container that youāre using for the sherry if youāve used some. Itās always worth optimizing to ensure that you have as little excess air in there as possible.
Does Sherry Freeze Well?
Yes, sherry does freeze well. Over a very long period of time, you may notice the flavour grow less intense, but this will be hard to notice.
The flavour loss that can happen to sherry means that itās a great idea to freeze cooking sherry and less of a great idea to freeze drinking sherry – consider the use case of your sherry before freezing it.
Related FAQs
If youāve still got questions about freezing sherry or sherry in general, then these may help:
No, this is not a good idea. As the sherry freezes, it will expand a little which can result in the glass shattering. You’ll be left with potential glass shards and sherry making a complete mess of your freezer.
Yes, it will freeze in a home freezer. As it is a fortified wine, it has quite a high alcohol content. Most home freezers will be set just cold enough to freeze the sherry.
