While adding ice to a glass of wine is a heresy for serious wine buffs, major wine brands are breaking the rules with refreshing innovations that turn the classic drink into cocktail-style creations.
Specialists recommend serving red wine at around 15°C (depending on the variety) and drinking white wine at 11°C and 14°C, dropping to 7°C to 9°C for champagne. In other words, no wine should be drunk ice-cold, and with good reason, since cold kills the flavors of a wine -- no matter what kind -- and prevents its full bouquet of aromas being released in the mouth.
However, some major winemakers are shaking up the sector with wines that break the rules. With cocktails currently all the rage -- and the mojito proving particularly popular -- wine is no longer a drink to be enjoyed only in traditional ways.
Renowned Bordeaux wine brand Mouton Cadet unveiled its latest creation in a premiere at this year's Cannes Film Festival, serving a Sauvignon Blanc, with a yellow-tinged shade and characteristic broom flower flavors, as a long drink with a dash of cane sugar syrup and lime -- ingredients usually more at home in a mojito. This new way of enjoying wine looks set to be a stylish trend, with reputable French establishments like La Rascasse in Monaco, La Bastide de Venelles in Aix-en-Provence and Le Comptoir de l'Arc in Paris already adding this new mixed drink to their menus. Mouton Cadet was also serving up glasses of its fresh new tipple at the recent "Bordeaux Wine Festival," which brought wine lovers from all over the world to the French city.
Rose champagne on ice
Moet & Chandon is a pioneer in the field too, launching "Moet Ice Imperial" -- a champagne specially concocted to be served on ice -- back in 2010. This specific blend is made from 45 to 50% of Pinot Noir for its intense undertones and structure, with 30 to 40% of Pinot Meunier and 10 to 20% of Chardonnay for a refreshing, refined finish.
This year, Moët has added to its summer special with a rosé version, promising a refreshing champagne with red fruit flavors. It can be sampled all summer long on the terrace of the Plaza Athénée five-star hotel in Paris.
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