Champagne On Ice
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.