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Who says you can’t put ice in champagne? Not the French. Or more specifically, not several French champagne producers, who’ve introduced specially-formulated sparklers meant to be served on the rocks.

一种dding ice to a glass of wine, typically rosé, is called apiscine(pool), popular in the south of France, where a fewglaçonsare added to wine to beat the heat. But it’s not always limited to rosé; when inCorsica, people were plopping cubes of ice in glasses of red wine. “It’s too hot…” one person told me, as ice bobbed on the surface of her glass. Champagne isn’t necessarily sacred either. The head of the most prestigious champagne house once told me, “It’s better to add a cube of ice to a glass of champagne, if it’s not served cold enough, than to drink warm champagne.” As someone who’s been served a glass of champagne at a less-than-ideal temperature, I have to agree.

When it comes to wine, things (ormyths) get stuck in people’s heads; red wine with meat, white wine with fish, red wine with cheese, red wine with chocolate.It’s arguedthat there are no absolutes or rules when it comes to drinking wine. The only rule is to drink what you want. Adding a handful of ice cubes to a glass ofLa TâcheorChâteau Y’quemprobably isn’t the best way to experience those wines, since they weren’t made to be enjoyed being diluted. But champagne makers are now making sparkling wines that are specifically made for that exact purpose: to be served on the rocks.

Ice doesn’t just chill a drink. It also dilutes it. Which is why most cocktails are shaken or stirred with ice. (Please avoid thosewhiskey stones。像slate plates, they should have disappeared with theSky Mallcatalog.) Whiskey and whisky tasters often add a littlewaterto the glass, or ice, to dilute the alcohol, which they say allows one to appreciate the more subtle flavors of the whiskies, which the taste of the alcohol hides. When I was inScotland,将少量的冷水配上苏格兰威士忌,因此我们可以决定是否想要一点。

I’ve been intrigued byIce Impérialfor a while, a champagne meant to be served over ice, since a year or so ago when someone who works forMoet & Chandon告诉我这件事。当时它不容易获得。所以我让这个想法慢了一会儿,当我在La GrandeÉpicerie,我以44欧元的价格购买了一瓶,认为这可能有点难以捉摸。但是一周后,我在当地人看到了Supermarchéfor €39, so I guess it’s gone mainstream.

I also noticed a few other brands on the shelves at the Grand Épicerie, like Veuve Clicquot, who chimed in withRich。Similar to the bottle ofMoet & Chandon Ice ImpérialI bought, it says on the label of Rich that it’s not just for pouring over ice, but also can be used as a mixer. The idea is the same as bottles that a number of French spirit producers are making, such as cognacs, Armagnacs, and evenSauternes, that are specifically designed to be shaken and stirred with ice, for cocktails.

Pommery还用他们的版本称为宝蓝色的天空,以及veuve clicquot和Moet & Chandonalso make rosé versions of their “ice” champagnes. Spanish cava Freixenet has a more budget-, andice-friendly, bubbly, too.

So how was it?

Romain wasn’t sure what to make of it, but he’s open to trying new things (that’s how he discovered rye-dill Triscuits), and we took a few sips with, and without, ice, as it was meant to be enjoyed.

It was clear that due to the higher剂量(sugar), and grape blends, that this champagne is definitely better served on ice. The flavor is much more dynamic, it’s a little sweeter, and lacks the subtleties of traditional champagne. On its own, it’s rich. (As these champagnes are meant to be.) But a little too rich on its own.

I didn’t mind drinking this, although as we continued drinking the bottle, things got a little one-note. I missed the nuances you taste in champagne, and I think in the future, I’ll just stick with standard champagne (orcrémant), and maybe plunk an ice cube in it…if I feel like it.

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28 comments

    • Marius Cavasdan

    Totally agree. Cremants are a very good alternative to Champagne. Very good quality especially in Loire, Bourgogne, Alsace and at decent prices. Recently I discovered also the Cremant du Jura which I found very good, if you into a chardonnay mostly sparkling.

        • David
        万博manbetx

        是的,Crémants还不太闻名,因为还有其他起泡酒,但是好的克雷曼特很美味,是香槟的绝佳选择(并且更具预算友好的)替代品。虽然香槟也很好:)

        • Taste of France

        我已经将冰放入葡萄酒中,不仅是为了在炎热的夏日夜晚冷却葡萄酒,而且还要稀释它 - 在热量中饮用太强壮的东西是肯定的灾难途径。
        But champagne? Not sure. I’d rather get a good bottle of the traditional stuff.
        正如马里乌斯(Marius)所说,克雷曼特(Crémant)和布兰奎特(Blanquette)是良好的预算替代品。我们喜欢Limoux的产品。

          • 珍妮特

          Claude Monet used to decant his Champagne.

              • David
              万博manbetx

              真的吗?那做了什么?

                  • Kate H.

                  This is why the coupe glass exists. It was the fashion at the time to open it in advance of serving to let the bubbles out and serve it with less effervescence.

                      • David
                      万博manbetx

                      那很有意思。我永远不知道 - 谢谢!我知道,如今,饮用香槟的理想玻璃是标准的葡萄酒味玻璃,在罗曼(Romain)品尝香槟的照片中显示(sans glaçons)。双门轿跑车不受欢迎,支持长笛,但考虑到选择,我认为双门轿跑车更有趣。

                      I was going to add that flutes are also more fragile than coupes, but I drop and broke one of the coupe glasses shown in the post, when I was washing them later : (

                          • Marius Cavasdan

                          I also like to drink the sparkling wine, whether its champagne, cremant or cava, from a normal wine glass. Flutes really don’t help in getting the aromas of the wine.

                    • Geraldine

                    Oh yes, was taught to do this by my French friends the 25 years I lived in Buenos Aires. Now in BARCELONA, I put ice into my CAVA.

                      • Helen

                      我的父母在特殊场合为我们提供了孩子的葡萄酒,所以我已经喝了很多年,但我会承认,我喜欢当地的品酒佳肴,以全力以赴。我将在下一次庆祝活动中尝试香槟在冰上,因为通常会过热。

                          • David
                          万博manbetx

                          I was a guest at someone’s house for dinner and after dinner they served warm Sauternes. I wanted to ask for an ice cube because it really shines when chilled and when warm or at room temperature, it just tastes too sweet. But I didn’t.

                          • Monica

                          I had this about a year ago while living in Singapore! Time and place for it I feel, on the equator it definitely worked!

                              • Kathi Koegle

                              一种nother great post, D!

                              我真正要感谢您的是您在里昂的伯纳琴巧克力上的帖子。他们是天堂精美的精神!像您一样,我可能需要将行李箱与Kalouga酒吧排成一列。哈哈!

                              您是一位出色的作家,也是一个了不起的资源!

                                  • David
                                  万博manbetx

                                  Thanks so much! : )

                                  顺便说一句:我听说贝尔纳兴(Bernachon)在6日在巴黎开设一家商店。我希望在他们打开时发表关于它的帖子。

                                • Ellen A.

                                Thank you for bringing these variants to my attention. I’ll be careful not to buy them by accident.
                                当我看到您的评论时,我什么都没喝任何东西的好东西
                                “whiskey stones.” I laughed out loud at that one!

                                    • David
                                    万博manbetx

                                    我总是想知道,为什么有人要在他们的玻璃杯里岩石?我可以想象,当您的嘴唇触摸它们时,它们不会感到非常愉快,这就是为什么它们可能永远不会抓住的原因。

                                    • Bee Lawson

                                    You say this wine lacked the nuances of champagne … perhaps it is marketing ruse to flog units of something that is cheaper to make

                                      • Amyp

                                      Just last night I enjoyed rosé on ice! Glad I was not making a faux pas. Thank you for bringing me to Paris. :-)

                                        • Jill

                                        Ice in champagne. Must be an effect of global warming ;))

                                          • Susan

                                          谢谢大卫。我总是向你学习。我已经将冰块放在长相思中,但从未在香槟中。最有趣的。说得通。现在,当我获得香槟时,还不够冷时,我会接受您的建议并添加一个或两个冰块…。当主人给我一个讨厌的外观时,我会给你所有的荣誉!
                                          Love, love your books & your writing. Thank you.

                                              • David
                                              万博manbetx

                                              One friend in the wine business said a good way to chill a glass of champagne that’s not quite cold enough is to put an ice cube in it just for a few moments. But I drink pretty fast, so if the traditional champagne is on the warm side, I leave a single cube in.

                                              • Rachel

                                              I found it really interesting to hear your view on this – I’ve tried a few of the cheaper versions in HyperU and I find them all too sweet and one note, too!

                                                • Susan

                                                感谢您对这篇文章。我喜欢香槟冰冷,这就是我在家服务的方式。因此,通常在餐馆里不当冷却 - 尤其是如果玻璃杯供应。

                                                  • Susan R. Kelley

                                                  我们住在墨西哥,经常将冰放入我们的葡萄酒中。但是,它并不是不合理地扩张它。怀疑,当香槟登陆墨西哥市场时,我们仍然会活着。也许墨西哥酿酒厂会接受。有一些非常好的墨西哥葡萄酒价格合理。爱你的博客,大卫!

                                                    • Lorna

                                                    Wait! Am I the only flyer who misses Sky Mall? It was so fun to read!

                                                      • 卡罗琳Z

                                                      I enjoyed it too.

                                                          • Michele/pdxknitterati

                                                          Interesting! But I don’t think I’d pay 40 euros for champagne that needs ice in it; that seems like it could be more variable in result than I’d want.

                                                          • 艾玛

                                                          这里周围的天气不会冷却。我一定需要尝试!

                                                          一种

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