wine and temperature
Keeping Drinks Cool in Hot Weather – REUSACUBE to the Rescue!
Background & Update:
I published a story last September that you can read below. These re-usable 2 inch “cubes” did the job of keeping your drink cool (perhaps maybe too cool – see chart below). After the article came out and I had several discussions with Chris and Andrew, owners of REUSACUBE. We discussed many items including offering a 1-inch cube. They about to introduced their 1-inch cubes available shortly. This has solved the problem of having a Sauvignon Blanc on patio with the 1-inch cubes able to fit inside a proper glass like Riedel stemware.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
It also solved a problem with Margarita’s without the ice melting and the drink being diluted and watered down. The Margarita stayed fresh and lively from the first sip to the last with the same cold identity and refreshment as intended.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
I will need to do some additional testing on exactly how many 1” cubes in a Sauvignon glass are needed to keep the temperature steady over 30 minutes. Same for a Margarita in the glassware above.
While my typical writing is on wines, wineries and wine/food pairings, occasionally, a product presents itself like keeping wine fresh, measuring devices, etc., and I will write it up provided it performs as stated.
This is the case with a product called REUSACUBE. Chris Tederous contacted me after reading a white wine story (https://californiawinesandwineries.com) asking if he could send me a box of REUSACUBEs. I stated my criteria, and he felt confident in the product performance to send it to me.
The Company:
The company was formed in early 2024 with Chris and his business partner Andrew Reilly. The impetus for the company was Chris’s wife, a white wine drinker putting ice cubes in her drink. He mentioned that it was diluting the flavor and aroma of the wine. He and Andrew began their quest to solve this problem. While several other companies had items, they constantly failed in keeping the drink (wine, soda, iced tea, etc.) cool or cold enough due to their smaller size. They developed a much larger reusable ice cube to help the ice melt slower and provide a longer lasting chill.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
They developed REUSACUBE using polyethylene (PE) which is a high-quality, BPA free food grade plastic. The liquid inside is standard distilled water should a freakish breakage occur. The current 2” square cubes are the first in a series in their portfolio offering. They are boxed in one color or assorted colors. They are available on Amazon and come four cubes to a box.
The Set-Up:
Now not from the “SHOW ME” state of Missouri but wanting to verify the claim by REUSACUBE I set forth a loosely constructed test.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
I took two identical utility wine glasses and poured a 5 ounce pour into each of them of Chardonnay. The Chardonnay came from the cellar which is kept at 55 degrees with +/- 1 degree. Many approaches could be taken, and I measured the wine from the cellar and its immediate temperature. I used two different temperature gauges that calibrated the same temperatures. Using one glass as the baseline and one glass with the REUSACUBE. The house temperature was 77 degrees, and the outside temperature was 97 the day of testing. Here are the results being measured every 10 minutes:
| Baseline (no ice) | REUSACUBE | |
| 3:43 PM | 54.9 | 54.9 |
| 3:53 PM | 63.1 | 47.2 |
| 4:03 PM | 64.4 | 43.5 |
| 4:13 PM | 66.1 | 42.9 |
Observations and Conclusions
*The REUSACUBE did in fact keep the wine cold and cooled it down from the stored temperature
*The wine glass used for this 5-ounce pour did not allow a complete submerging of the CUBE. This created a reduced ratio of REUSACUBE to liquid yet still chilled the wine.
*I was surprised how fast the wine warmed up in a standalone position without the CUBE, meaning no person was holding either the stem or the bowl of the glass!
*My thought before this experiment would be that the REUSACUBE upon each sip would fall in the glass and either chill my nose or upper lip. Fortunately, with the glasses used for this, that did not happen.
*On the second glass of wine, my wife and I ventured into the shade on this 97-degree day. We both inserted a new cube and after 30-40 minutes sipping the wine, the ice was only partially melted and kept the wine refreshingly chilled. My wife’s comment was simply this is a “game changer” for outdoor summer white wine being served outdoors or on a houseboat.
*With this being a stagnant test setup, a live one being a certain amount of wine would be consumed. This, however, would introduce too many variables on time depending on how everyone drank their wine. For someone consuming it slower or quicker, the temperature test would vary.
*Also, which glass purposed for the wine, the REUSACUBE submerging, and percentage of contact could also vary. For example, our Riedel Chardonnay glasses have more of a flat bottom, thus allowing more surface to wine contact (not shown).
*For those living in warmer temperature zones than California for example, Arizona, Texas, Florida, having the REUSACUBE in a YETI or similar product would keep wine cool for a long time.
Next Steps:
Having an extensive conversation with both Chris and Andrew, they have some very interesting ideas and creative strategies to advance the product. One product in development right now is a reduced size so as not to get the wine “too chilled” or being able to fit into a more styles of wine glasses. As we discussed on the phone, having your store-bought white wine chilled is great, but you would not want a $1,000 bottle of Montrachet poured into a glass to go through this temperature fluctuation. Additionally, every wine has an apex and optimum temperature to be served to capture the aromas and flavors as intended by the winemaker. Having the flexibility on their next product introduction will help.
My personal perspective is that for most people this is a summertime necessity and as my wife mentioned a “game changer” for white wine (specifically Chardonnay) on the patio!
Update: This will be a similar “game changer” for Sauvignon Blanc (narrower opening at the top of the glass), Margarita’s and perhaps even for Champagne! Stay tuned as I will be forced into more research!!
Sláinte,
Michael