Ice Cubes in Wine? One Man Fights Back…
by Mike Stolese
Last week, we published an Instagram reel from a sommelier giving her opinion on the best way to add ice cubes to your glass.
Let's just say the idea of ice in wine makes the wine purist in me twitch just a little bit.
I’m sure we’ve all had those moments when guests arrive and you’ve forgotten to chill the whites and rosés. Hey…could happen to anyone.
But how to handle it?
Well, one approach is to hit the ice bucket and drop in three or four cubes for the instant chill. Now, as a bit of a purist, it’s hard for me to go this route…believe it or not, ice melts, and you wind up with a watered-down version of what you started with. This does not do justice to the wine.
If you are inclined to put something in your glass, there are a few options that are better than diluting your wine with ice cubes.
One approach is to throw in a few frozen grapes. Yes…grapes added to your fermented grape juice work! Another idea would be to use either stainless steel or marble balls…easy to just freeze and add to your glass. There are also reusable plastic ice cubes. And if you’re prone to drinking the same wine on a regular basis, save a bit of leftover wine from your last bottle, you can fill an ice cube tray with it…it’s like adding ice cubes, but without diluting the wine.
Another idea is as simple as pouring a glass of wine and putting the glass in the freezer for four to five minutes. A single glass will chill much faster than a full bottle.
Thankfully, there are also many methods available to you to get that entire bottle of wine down to the correct temp.
One option is to wrap your bottle in wet paper towels and place horizontally in the freezer. Give it 20 to 25 minutes and you should be good to go.
Another classic method is the ice/ice water/salt soak. Basically, you add equal amounts of ice and water, along with three or four tablespoons of salt, to a bucket. This lowers the freezing point a bit quicker, and this method works a bit faster than the paper towel approach (about 15 minutes or so).
Along with the above ideas, there are a few specialty chilling products on the market. For example, there are stainless steel chilling rods which can be put into an open bottle. These aren’t as quick as some of the other techniques we’ve mentioned, maybe 30 to 45 minutes, but they are effective.
So this summer, with a bit of creativity, you can get that glass or bottle of wine down to the right temperature in no time…without messing with the quality of the wine.
Mike Stolese is the owner of Vermont Wine Merchants, a wholesale distribution company based in Burlington.
