Is it Okay to Put Ice in Wine?
Want to put ice in your wine? It’s okay, go for it.
Yes, it’s okay.
The question of whether or not it’s “okay” to put ice cubes in a glass of wine has been around for as long as ice cubes and wine have existed. The answer to the question depends on who you’re asking.
Have I done it? Sure, under certain circumstances. Still, many wine purists are likely to give you a hard no.
This is likely because adding ice cubes to wine changes the flavor profile of the wine and dilutes it. If you’re doing a wine tasting or want to truly enjoy the wine in its pure form, then obviously adding ice to the mix is not something you’d want to do. No one would argue with that (and I follow WSET tasting protocols for all wine reviews on this site).
Adding a Little Ice to Wine Shouldn’t Be a Big Deal
But there are times when adding ice to wine is okay and shouldn’t be a question for debate.
Much of this is about breaking away from the snobbery that sometimes surrounds wine circles. I have added ice to wine when the wine was warm and there was no other way to chill it. Who wants to drink warm white wine? Sure, ice will change the flavor to some degree and it will dilute the wine as other ice melts. But it’s still an enjoyable drink and (depending on the wine) maybe you actually don’t mind diluting the wine a little.
I sometimes think of it like bourbon or whiskey. Sometimes I’ll drink whiskey neat (usually for premium pours that I want to enjoy in their bottled form), but other times I’ll go on the rocks, which intentionally provides some dilution and is quite acceptable in the spirits world (and the chill of the ice can also help to mute what may not be a great spirit to drink straight).
Ice cubes in a glass of red wine.
And it’s not just about ice in white wines or roses. Some red wines are actually meant to be enjoyed at cooler than room temperature. So go ahead and add an ice cube or two to bring any wine up to your desired temperature.
Did you know that there are sparkling wines being produced that intentionally meant to be enjoyed over ice?
Ice isn’t the Only Way to Cool Wine, but it Might be the Fastest
There are other ways to cool wine without diluting it with ice.
Whiskey stones are one way, but I’m personally not a fan of those products that tend to be heavy and clink around in your stemware. Another popular social media hack is to make ice cubes from the wine you’re drinking and use those in your glass. While it’s doable and sounds great, freezing the wine actually changes its molecular make-up, so it’s not exactly maintaining the pure state of the original wine (thereby negating the hack to some degree). Plus, it requires pre-planning at which point you may as well just super chill the wine.
No matter how you approach it, adding ice to wine really all comes down to breaking the historical norms that surround wine drinking.
As far as I’m concerned, you should feel free to enjoy any drink the way you want to. For the wine industry to continue to grow and prosper with new generations, it’s time to ease up on the “rules” for the casual consumers who prefer to enjoy a glass of wine any way they want to.
No one likes to be told they’re eating or drinking wrong.
Instead of thinking of wine with ice as an abomination of the original product, think of it as a new way to enjoy wine. A wine spritzer (also a diluted wine with ice) doesn’t have a stigma. So think of wine with ice as another wine drink variation you can enjoy if you wish.
by Mike Belobradic
Wine, Spirits and Beer Virtuoso
Grand One Lounge