Wine Enthusiast Magazine
SubscribeChampagne on Ice and Other ‘Reckless’ Beverage Choices
by Erika Strum
Recently I tried something delightfully unique: Moët & Chandon’s new “Ice Imperial” Champagne. Ice Imperial is a traditional Champagne (a blend of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay) with a bit of extra dosage. The extra sweetness lends itself well to being supremely chilled. As such, it is meant to be served over ice. It comes in a “party pack” with a set of plastic glasses. I have tasted it twice now and frankly, it’s delicious. Let’s pause here for a moment. One of the finest Champagne houses in the world is now telling us to serve their Champagne on the rocks, with plastic glasses. In recent years this practice would be taboo and scoffed at by many wine drinkers.
It got me thinking. If Moët can give us permission to enjoy Champagne on ice in a plastic glass, perhaps we should all lighten up on other wine etiquette. Sometimes I wish we didn’t tiptoe so gingerly through wine’s various rules. Basic tenets such as proper swirling, holding a wine glass at its base and drinking at a certain temperature exist for a reason. But sometimes we simply want to relax!
In honor of Independence day, I’m throwing all caution to the wind and admitting some of my bad habits. Here are three faux pas I am guilty of:
1) When dining out, too often the perfect wine pairing is so out-of-reach that I don’t even make an attempt. With multiple diners and courses, one wine simply cannot match them all. Often I order a bottle for the table before we order food, based completely on mood and appetite. Food and wine pairing regulations are frequently ignored at the restaurant.
2) If I’ve opened an everyday white at home and it has warmed up in the glass, I’m not above putting an ice cube in it.
3) Though I loathe the unfortunate situation of receiving a corked wine at a restaurant and feel the customer has the right to send it back, admittedly, I do it rarely. I have to be 150% confident in my accuracy to vocalize the problem to the server. All too often it spoils the tone of the meal when I’m met with a doubtful glance or an argument from the staff. I bet I’ve paid good money for bad wine on many occasions.
What kind of rules do you break? Fess up now!
This holiday weekend, I’m taking a tip from Moët & Chandon and passing on permission to throw all caution to the wind. Drink your Champagne on ice! Pair your burgers with Sauvignon Blanc if you want! Put an ice cube in your wine for all I care! We all deserve to enjoy ourselves. Lighten up and enjoy your independence!
Filed under: Opinions and Commentary
3 Comments
3 Responses to “Champagne on Ice and Other ‘Reckless’ Beverage Choices”
Please Wait
July 1st, 2011 at 12:57:05 PM
I find different people have different recognition thresholds for wine flaws…..mine for EA is acute…..my spouse needs very little TCA or Brett to recognize…..I also find people who one would think should recognize flaws…..wait staff, tasting room staff, even winemakers…don’t…..whether it’s a threshold or ignorance issue I’m usually not sure….(not enough data)….
but when I open a corked bottle….of our wine….it’s a teachable moment…many people do not know what “corked” smells like…..in the tasting room I put it aside, and when traffic is slow enough, I try share the corked wine with our guests…side by side with the same vintage, uncorked……almost everyone immediately senses the difference and appreciates the knowledge…and invariably buys wine……
If you suspect, or know a wine is flawed…….mention it….ask the staff ‘Would you try this, it seems off to me?”….it’s an open-ended question……from there, depending on their response and the overall context……..your future father-in law loves it…whatever else, be polite……but there are places I will never go back to…..
July 18th, 2011 at 9:53:13 AM
Loved your points, thanks for sharing.
For starters, I think we should do away with the word “rules”…Rules? Who´s rules? Not mine! :)
I just remind myself that we are talking about fermented grape juice and that´s what it´s about. The blood, sweat and tears (and terroir!) that goes into this beverage is what matters. What glass you drink it from, how your swirl it, etc may impact your overall enjoyment, but let´s face it, I think we´d all take an amazing wine in a plastic cup before a crap one in a crystal glass.
One thing I do that gets a raised eyebrow as a “rule breaker” is ask restaurants to chill my red wines. They come to the table straight from their storage (in the hot kitchen or dining room!) and shows up at 75 degrees. Need to be chilled, but do get the occasional, “this is red wine, you´re only supposed to chill whites” Pfft!
Drink on.
July 25th, 2011 at 2:31:02 PM
If you say it’s good… it must be! I can’t imagine pouring champagne over ice, but it’s worth a shot, and plastic glasses make it a party! I’m so down for this!