Ice Chiller for Wine or Champagne: A Tutorial

I shared how to make this wine chiller last year, but I thought it would be fun to share that post again in case you’re looking for something fun for your Christmas table or for your New Year’s eve celebration.  It’s easy to make…you’ll just need a couple of containers, water and cranberries.  Sliced lemons and limes would work, too.

Tutorial:  Make a wine chiller:

Last year I received a catalog in the mail and it showed this pic/ad. I was tempted to order it until I realized the silver bowl was plastic. I remembered I already had a silver bowl, so I decided to try and make the ice chiller with things I already had and save myself $29.00.

Make an Ice Chiller for Wine or Champagne

The Before:
The only items I had to purchase were a bottle of wine, cranberries and distilled water. You don’t have to use distilled water so you could save the expense of buying that, if you like. But I discovered when I made flower ice cubes HERE, distilled water will usually freeze pretty clear, and it’s only $1 for a gallon…more than enough for my ice chiller. If you would like your ice chiller more frosty looking like the one in the catalog, just use tap water.

Make an Ice Chiller for Wine or Champagne

I searched around the house and decided on this tin for my mold. (It measures 6 1/2 wide by 7 1/2 tall.) This worked fine except for two snags. 1. It leaked very slowly, so I had to add a little more water to it after about 45 minutes. It was such a slow leak in the freezer, the water froze as it leaked out, so I just broke it off and tossed it in the sink. I think that could be prevented by running a bead of hot glue around on the inside bottom where it meets the sides, prior to using it.

2. The other little snag is the indention near the top made my ice mold a little tricky to get out. A container that’s completely smooth at the top would work better. Just DON’T use glass. If you used glass, it would be very difficult to get your ice chiller out because you’ll need to run warm water over it and glass would most likely break.)

Make an Ice Chiller for Wine or Champagne

 

I found a plastic container to use in the center…it’s an old Tupperware container/pitcher. (Again, please do not use glass for this part either…same reason…it would break with the temperature change.) I placed the wine inside to make sure it was the right size for a bottle of wine. It was perfect. (It measures around 3 1/2 inches wide by 8 1/2 inches tall.)

Make an Ice Chiller for Wine or Champagne

 

I needed something heavy to go in the center container so it wouldn’t float. Clay cat litter almost worked, but wasn’t quite heavy enough. Next I tried pennies from a huge penny jar collection and that worked great. Sand, marbles or even pebbles/rocks would work fine, too.

Make an Ice Chiller for Wine or Champagne

 

I stuck the container (filled with pennies) into the cannister and poured distilled water all around, saving just enough room for 1 full bag of cranberries at the top. You can pour some of the water off or add more–whatever you need to do to get your cranberries right up to the top.

Make an Ice Chiller for Wine or Champagne

 

After it had frozen overnight, I took the lid off and poured out all the pennies. Next I refilled the center container with warm water, being careful to not get water on the ice inside. In this pic I had just dumped the pennies out into the big container you see on the left. I ran just a little warm water into the center container, it came right out.

I didn’t take any pics of me fighting the ice chiller out of the tin container.  It was loose toward the bottom but that blooming ridge at the top of my container got wedged with a cranberry. I kept running warm water on the outside of the container near the top and it finally let go.

Make an Ice Chiller for Wine or Champagne

 

After:
This is the only pic I have with the lamp off, and it shows the shape of the ice chiller best. It’s the shape of the small tin I had used. Note how much clearer distilled water freezes than tap water.

Make an Ice Chiller for Wine or Champagne

 

The rest of the pics are a bit harder to see due to the light reflecting inside the bowl, but I think you’ll get the idea.

DIY Wine or Champagne Chiller With Cranberries for Christmas or New Year's Party

Make an Ice Chiller for Wine or Champagne
Make an Ice Chiller for Wine or Champagne
Make an Ice Chiller for Wine or Champagne

 

Wouldn’t this be a fun way to serve your white wine for a dinner party, holiday party, or New Year’s Eve? I bet there are lots of other things that could be added besides cranberries. Lemons, limes or orange slices?  I’ll be keeping my eye out for a better container than the tin for making this in the future–but I am happy about saving $29.

DIY Wine or Champagne Chiller With Cranberries for Christmas or New Year's Party

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Comments

  1. Love it! I had bookmarked this last year to try, and then of course forgot about it this year. Thanks for the reminder. This'll look great on our drinks bar.

  2. I think it is a smashing container! And how clever to save $29. I've seen them before — the ice chillers — not the thing to make them in — in magazines I think and I always thought they were clever.

    DD lives in Minnesota and they often freeze similar but smaller things to put candles in to line walks. I think she said that they do all the freezing outside but that would be beautiful — a path lined with icy candles!

  3. Flair For Home says

    Hello!!!

    This is AWESOME!!!!! LOVE your pictures and, I have fresh cranberries right now that need to be used. Thank you SO much for posting this wonderful idea!

    Merry, Merry!!!!
    Beth

  4. Cottonwood Lane Primitives says

    I love this idea. I'm new to your blog and hadn't seen this before so thanks for repeating this tip! Merry Christmas. ~Roberta

  5. Wendy @HerBallistic Garden says

    You are so clever! Summertime could bring all new wine coolers with strawberries or blueberries or…anything right?! Fun! xo

  6. Yours looks fabulous and the perfect bowl to set it in. Merry Christmas. Lori

  7. ♥ Sonny ♥ says

    Love this idea Susan.

    Merry Christmas

  8. La Petite Gallery says

    Terrific, what a great idea.
    Merry Christmas..
    yvonne

  9. Susan (Between Naps on the Porch) says

    Wendy, that's a great idea! Love that!

  10. Susan (Between Naps on the Porch) says

    Martha, that sounds beautiful!

  11. Really Rainey says

    Hi Susan!
    I also make these for candles… they look so pretty! I love the idea for a wine chiller tho! Its beautiful!

    Rainey

  12. {Bellamere Cottage} says

    So pretty… I don't drink, but if I did, I'd whip this up!

    Merry Christmas!

    Spencer

  13. ~Tablescapes By Diane~ says

    Hi lovely lady.
    I also love this Idea for my wine seeing we all way's have wine at my dinner party's. Thanks so much I may put this on one of my Tablescapes.

    I hope you have a wonderful Merry Christmas with your family and a Happy New Year.
    XXOO Diane

  14. How cool is that?! Thanks for the how-to; I'll have to try this.

    Keri

  15. fiberdoodles says

    This is so pretty. Thank you for sharing. Merry Christmas!!

  16. I went out and bought cranberries just for this – love it!
    Stephanie @ All Artful

  17. DaCraftyLady says

    that is a great idea…wow and not too hard but oh so pretty on a table or a dinner for two…great idea…yours turned out just as nice as the one you saw for $29 …. 🙂

  18. DaCraftyLady says

    This may be a stupid question but how do you get your blog posts to have the "read more" under them and also the icons for Facebook and Twitter and the other icons? I like that you click to read more rather than having this long blog post…thanks …Debb

  19. Now THAT is what I call perseverance, and it looks fantastic. If I were you guest I would feel you really went the extra mile to make such a beautiful mold for the wine! Wonderful! Merry Christmas!

  20. So, so pretty and festive. Thanks for sharing!

  21. Susan (Between Naps on the Porch) says

    Debb, Visit this link and it explains all about that: http://bit.ly/tnhqPV

  22. DaCraftyLady says

    Thanks that worked great! 🙂 Could you also tell me how to get my FB and other icons to show at the end of the posts? Thanks agian

  23. Festive and frugal–you can't beat that. Thanks so much, Susan, for all your fun and sparkly holiday projects. It's been a real treat stopping by to see what you've been up to.

    Wishing everyone on the porch a very Merry Christmas!

  24. Another beautiful idea!

    I've followed your blog silently for two years and love it – feel you are part of my family! Thanks for this wonderful blog full of tips, ideas, tutorials, and tons of patience in helping us achieve many of your fantastic ideas.

    Merry Christmas and the Happiest New Year to you and your family 😉
    MaryEllen

  25. Michele/Ohio says

    I made a pretty ice mold years ago with little springs of everygreen and berries inside and it was so pretty.

    You know, that is the ONLY time I have ever done that, maybe I will make this, thanks for the post, Susan.

    You did a fabulous job, and yes to distilled water, most definately!

  26. rubber castors says

    Ice chiller good idea for the summer. It looks good on the table. I hope I can have that.

  27. Happy Christmas to you and your wonderful family!!!!

  28. Nann from At Nann's Table says

    Thanks for the fun tutorial. Years and years (and y e a r s ago…smile) I remember it was the rage to do it in a cardboard 1/2 gallon milk carton but it was never as pretty as what you have done. Love yours. This will be fun to do with another beverage bottle for our grandkids. I've got the cranberries so I'm all set. And Susan I am a brand new blogger and would love to have you come drop by. I've been linking up with you for both Monday and Thursdays and have been so delighted to be apart of it. Many (I mean for me its many- under 50) people have come to my site now because of the link up. Thankyou for doing it. Have a wonderful Christmas.

    Nann

  29. That was so cool…it just gives me shivers!!! Peace to You and Yours. franki

  30. Merry Christmas and Joyeux Noël from my house to yours.
    You can also add sprays of evergreen to the water. It looks amazing.

  31. Katherines Corner says

    Great idea, and it's pretty too!Merry Christmas my friend.I hope your holiday is as sweet as you are xo

  32. {oc cottage} says

    MERRY, MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU!!!!!

    m ^..^

  33. Renae Moore says

    Merry merry Christmas Susan! I hope 2012 brings our paths together again!
    Blessings…

  34. ❁Velma ~Down Our Country Road❁ says

    what a great idea! And the fact that you saved $29 makes it even greater 🙂
    Hope you had a very Merry Christmas.

  35. Thanks for the detailed tutorial, Susan!!!

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