Unpopular Opinion: Put Ice in Your Wine
For nearly two decades, I patrolled tables like a self-appointed wine bouncer, ready to slap an ice cube out of any unsuspecting hand. Early on, I absorbed the dire warnings about certain wine faux pas and swore—scouts honor—I’d never be caught committing such crimes myself. God forbid anyone think I didn’t know what I was doing. But now? So many years (and glasses) later, I simply don’t care.
Don’t get me wrong—I’m still a lunatic about proper temperatures. My internal clock is synced to bottle-chilling protocols: fridge, ice bucket, and, as a last-ditch act of desperation, the freezer (with a timer, because losing a bottle to time’s icy grip is a tragedy I’ve known all too well). But experience has taught me that while most things in wine areprecious, not everything is. And much like our wines, we need to chill.
So, when does an ice cube in wine make sense?
When the wine is cheap, uncomplicated, and not pretending to be special. Think: screw-cap Pinot Grigio in a clear bottle under $15.
When you’re making a spritz. That half-drunk bottle from last night? It’s either going in a pan for deglazing orgetting a new life with seltzer, a splash of citrus, and a wedge of lemon.
A light pink, simple rosé could have a cube or 2 (you’re not filling up a cup like an iced coffee, so a small amount goes a long way). Even more deep, textural darker rosés can certainly withstand a gentle iced touch.
When it’s summer, you’re impatient, and you just want a sip before your bottle reaches ideal chill in the freezer (timer set, obviously). Even for a $45 Chablis, I’ve been known to drop in a single cube—just to tame the warmth while I get busy in the kitchen.
I’ve often found a small amount of ice in a Fino or Manzanilla Sherry is quite nice. I always keep mine in the fridge, but since they also don’t last in my house more than a couple days, there is often a new friend to bring home. Drop a cube and plop the opened bottle into the fridge for later.
When red is the only option, and it’s just… not hitting right. A simple, fruity Grenache-based red at a backyard BBQ? A cube and a splash of seltzer might be the only way forward.
The rule of B: Boats, beach, backyards all make perfectly acceptable places for this type of thing.
Would I do this with a grand cru Burgundy? Obviously not. But for the right wine, the right moment, and the right attitude? Drop the cube. Enjoy your drink. Move on.
