Is chilling champagne in the freezer detrimental to its taste?

Question

I recently bought a Moet Imperial Brut for a special occasion and since it's the first time I have anything to do with something of that quality instead of a cheap sparkling wine, I'd like to do everything properly so I've been doing my research for some time now and while it's obvious that it should be chilled before serving, whether using the freezer for that purpose is actually bad for the champagne's taste or if it's just an urban myth isn't so clear to me.

Basically all the sources claim that the preferable way to chill champagne is a bucket filled 50/50 with cold water and ice and say that it takes 15-20 minutes to chill the bottle in this scenario - yet, the freezer method, which they say would take 10-15 minutes, is presented as a big faux pas because it kills carbonation and thus some taste values - which is a bit peculiar considering those timeframes are... well... the same. So how come the ice/water bath is great and freezer is an eternal sin?

Is that really the case? Does using the freezer diminish the taste of the beverage?

Answer 1

English is not my native language and I am not sure of the meaning of the word freezer. I believe it is the part of the fridge that goes under 0°C.

In France, according to my habits, the champagne usually goes in the fridge with the other beverages. We put it in the freezer only when we have unexpected guests and we need to cool the bottle quickly.

The problem if the bottle stays too long in the freezer is that the water in the champagne might freeze which will cause it to lost its carbonation.

On top of that if you drink it too cold you will miss some of its flavour (like for every beverages drink too cold)

Answer 2

I don't know if it somehow hurts the carbonation in a freezer, but I do believe that chilling in a bucket of water and ice is faster than chilling in the freezer. Heat transfer to air is much slower than to water. Depending on what sources you refer to the ice/water bucket should be 10 to 15 minutes where as a freezer might be 15 to 20 minutes. The problem with a freezer is that if its cold enough the champagne could conceivably freeze and break the bottle. A water bucket is guaranteed no to do this so its safer. Another technique is to add salt to the ice water bath. This is supposed to speed the cooling to less than 10 minutes.