Wine Wars: Should You Put Ice in Your Wine? Nomad’s Rebecca Yazbek Says Definitely

I've just finished a glass of wine at the end of a big week. It was made extra refreshing with the inclusion of a big fat ice cube from the freezer.

I know, blasphemy.

I’m immensely fond of putting ice in my wine. Yes, it does change the colour. And the flavour profile. And the texture of the wine. But – it’s my wine, and it gives me joy.

Personally, the colder my wine the better. I’d drink beer but it doesn’t do it for me, so chilled wine is my drink of choice over summer. Not only does adding a cube to my wine cool it down on a warm evening or hot afternoon, but it also means it lasts longer. (Plus, it’s harder to polish off a whole bottle, which makes it a little easier to juggle life’s demands the next morning.)

The French even have a cute-as-a-button term for this faux pas. When they ask for ice in their wine at bars they say, “la piscine de rosé”, which translates as “a pool of wine”, partly because rosé and ice is the drink of choice to sip beside a pool, and partly because you need a big glass to fit an ice cube in. According to French film legend Brigitte Bardot, the big glass made it look like a pool of wine and the name stuck.

It’s worth noting that adding chilled water to your wine is definitely not how the winemaker intended their hard work to be enjoyed. Some wines won’t be enhanced or even enjoyable with an ice cube. Definitely do not try this with your big bold Barossa shiraz or your Marg River cab sav. But field blends, vermentino, beaujolais, pinot noir, nero d'avola and arneis – absolutely.

The way I see it is your wine is for you to enjoy how you like it. And surely wine “rules” are becoming less relevant? My wine world has been flung open since I started caring less about what I should and shouldn’t do. (That is, with the exception of my one rule: don’t drink before noon.)

There are other wine “rules” I have abandoned, too. One of the most scintillating combinations I ever tried at famed Hobart restaurant Garagistes (rest in peace) close to a decade ago, was warm oysters paired with a seven-year aged apple cider reduction and a chilled Tassie pinot noir. Since then, I've happily enjoyed oysters with pinot, turbot with sangiovese and chablis with steak frites.

So next time you pop a cork or swivel that screw cap, add a globule of frozen water. You may get a smirk from your housemate or a raised eyebrow from your friends, but it’s more than likely you’ll find people are into it and willing to give it a go.

Ice in wine? I'm all for it. Is it the “correct” way to drink wine? Not on your life. But it's your drink, so bottoms up.

Rebecca Yazbek is the curator of this month’s Nomad x Broadsheet Wine box. Each month Broadsheet Wine releases a new box, curated by sommeliers, restaurateurs and personalities who love wine just as much as we do. Yazbek’s selection of six wines come from some of the smallest and most intriguing producers around Australia, and are the perfect mix to stretch out these last days of summer. The box is available to purchase via the Broadsheet Shop for $160. Or subscribe and save.

@nomad.au