Why you should put ice in your wine on holiday – and even the French do it
US Brits know how to drink – we’ve practically made it into a national
pastime, but when it comes to wine etiquette there’s no doubt our
neighbours across the Channel know better.
Although it turns out that one of the ‘faux pas’ that the French have
always stuck their noses up at – sticking ice in your wine – is now
popular in the fancy Cote d’Azur.
In posh towns like St Tropez along the French Riviera, loved by A-Listers like Beyonce and Kate Moss, there’s a trend for adding ice cubes to both rosé wine and Champagne.
There’s even a name for it – ‘la piscine’ – which is French for swimming pool, because it refers to the larger volume of wine and water in the glass.
So if you order a ‘rose a la piscine’ or ‘la piscine de Champagne’, you will receive a goblet of wine, complete with ice cubes.
Centuries of French tradition ruled that people drink their wine neat and there are still purists who stick to that, such as Rafael Sanchez, wine and beverage director of the San Diego restaurant Addison.
He told Vogue that “the colour, texture and aroma of the wine is compromised by ice”.
But the tide is changing, as Francois Matton, head winemaker at
Chateau Minuty said to Vine Pair: “We can all agree that there’s
nothing worse than a warm glass of rosé.”
The exception to the French’s long-standing ice-in-wine rule came about as foreign beachgoers requested icy cold drinks in the hot mid-summer weather.
The French realised the uncouth Brits, Americans and others were onto something though, and started to copy.
‘La piscine’ is now so popular that Moet & Chandon have even released a Champagne that is specifically intended to be enjoyed on the rocks – Ice Imperial and Ice Imperial Rose.
Moet & Chandon’s Chef de Cave, Benoit Gouez said the drink ‘supports a higher dosage to anticipate dilution’.
While the French have half-thrown out the rule book when it comes to chilled wine, they still have some lines they won’t cross.
According to Benoit Gouez, if you’re planning on sticking ice in your wine, a bottle of a higher quality and concentration should be chosen to avoid over-diluting it.
Check how you’re cooking your Italian food though – as an expert has revealed the 3 ways Brits do it wrong.
And here’s the big mistake we Brits make when eating pizza, according to an Italian.