Wine question: wine with ice cubes, a hit or miss?
It’s warm and sunny outside, and you're in the mood for a refreshing drink! After making the most of the spring or summer sunshine, you decide to head to a terrace for a glass of wine in the shade. But how can you reduce the temperature of your wine? Adding ice cubes to wine, is this a done thing or a no-no? Read on to find out the answer to this moral dilemma during the summer months…
Adding water to your wine: watch out for this faux pas…
Let’s get straight to the heart of the matter: ice cubes lead to dilution. And this is never a good idea. When it melts, the ice cube you innocently slipped into your glass will water down your wine.
The result? You can say goodbye to the aromatic richness and flavors of your favorite cuvée, drowned in water. So leave the ice cubes out, and consider our alternative solutions instead!
Well-chilled Bordeaux wines: a great idea when the heat is on
To take the heat off, you can’t beat a wide range of chilled Bordeaux wines, whether dry or sweet whites, rosés, Crémants, or even reds! For red wines, it is best to choose a fruity cuvée with low tannins because chilling tends to emphasize the latter…
Once you have decided, all that’s left to do is to chill your bottle the right way. But never put it in the freezer last minute! Instead, place the bottle in the fridge a few hours before serving it. To stabilize the temperature after opening, ice cubes are indeed a good idea… but only in the ice bucket!
Twist your wine into a cocktail and add ice cubes: another excellent choice!
And here is another great option for a guaranteed burst of freshness! The idea is to preserve the character of the cuvée whilst emphasizing certain aromas or contrasting certain flavors. To do so, you can count on the following appetizing additions: spices, bitters, aromatic plants, tonics, fruits…
The result: original cocktails specially designed to add a few refreshing ice cubes. Has your mouth started to water? Discover recipes proposed by the Bordeaux Wine School’s laid-back workshop!
You are now ready to enjoy refreshing and delicious aperitifs! All that’s left to do is to choose the grape varieties: once again, we are on hand to help… And for other no-fuss tasting tips, join the Bordeaux Crew on our social media pages!
