If the French put ice in their wine, you can too

Ice in wine – three words that divide wine drinkers around the world into those who view it as sacrilege and those who love the extra chill a couple of cubes provide.

Of all the nationalities, you would think the French, with their extraordinarily rich wine heritage, would be the first to throw up their arms in sacre bleu-style Gallic alarm at the mere whisper of the possibility.

Even on the Cote d’Azur, wine gets the ice cube treatment.Credit: iStock

However, the reality couldn’t be more different in the south of France. So popular is putting ice in wine that a whole new drink has been invented: a piscine, or glass of wine served over a generous scoop of ice cubes.

As anyone who studied the language in high school will probably recall, “piscine” is French for swimming pool, and the drink is as refreshing as a dip on a hot summer’s day. It is also increasingly becoming a staple on bar and restaurant menus in Provence and the Cote d’Azur.

The light, fruity and uncomplicated nature of much of the rosé from the region has driven the habit, and a glass of the local drop pairs particularly well with a cube of ice.

When it comes to the custom, however, the only rules are the ones you set. As someone who leans towards white over rosé, I love a piscine de blanc (a white wine piscine) and am warming to a piscine of prosecco. Saying that, red wine is an ice frontier I’ve yet to cross (that doesn’t mean I don’t occasionally find a piscine de rouge on a menu).

The drink is usually presented in a round, bulbous glass, similar to the type used to serve an Aperol spritz. If it looks like it’s a more generous pour than a standard (10-12 centilitre) glass, that’s because it is: in some places, you can expect almost double the amount of wine. But, thankfully, not double the cost (although you will pay a few euros more). And, of course, as the ice melts, it dilutes the alcohol content.

If it all sounds too big a freeze for your tastes, you can just as easily ask for a glacon (an ice cube) in your verre (glass), or a small seau (bucket) of ice cubes to serve yourself — an option I prefer when I’m with friends and we’re sharing a carafe of house wine on a sun-drenched terrace in Nice.

Likewise, if we’ve ordered a cheaper bottle from the wine list. Despite having wholly embraced the habit, I still struggle to add ice to a posh sancerre or chablis, for instance. It feels like it would be a shame to water down the structure and aromas as the ice melts.

Perhaps the greatest sign of the custom being accepted as everyday drinking is the innovation of wines designed to be drunk on ice: none more surprising than those from the grand champagne houses that have released their versions of ice wine, such as Moet & Chandon Ice Imperial.

Travellers, take note, however: the piscine has yet to infiltrate most other regions of France.

“Quelle horreur!” exclaimed my Parisian friend when I asked if she put ice in her wine, although she added that you do see piscine de rosé on some menus in the capital in summer. Yet, here in the south, ice in wine is definitely transcending the seasons; just as rosé has become a year-round drink, adding ice is now evergreen, too.