Winemaker wants you to drop an ice cube into a glass of his wines

It's OK to drop a cube of ice into your glass of wine on a warm day, one leading winemaker says. 

But not all wines - just fresh, crisp white wines. 

 
"Some wine enthusiasts might scoff, some may question me, but once you try it this summer, I bet you'll be on board." says veteran winemaker David Lowe, formerly of the Hunter Valley and now based in Mudgee at Lowe Family Wines. 

"What am I referring to you? Popping a large ice cube in your glass of white wine this summer. 

"Now, I'm not claiming this is a new trick, and there's plenty of wine out there where if you add an ice cube to it, yes it will chill it, but in doing so it also compromises the structure, flavour and alcohol of the wine through dilution. 

"What I'm banging on about, after much experimentation, is that I have found two varieties that are not diminished when I put an ice cube or two in the glass: ansonica (also called inzolia) and vermentino, both from the 2023 vintage.

"The ice chills the wine, whilst keeping the same aroma and intensity of colour, and the taste is just as good, maybe even better. If you're a non- believer, I challenge you to grab a bottle."

Of course, it just so happens that Lowe makes an ansonica and a vermentino that he would very much like to sell to you. 

But it is also a reminder than wine snobbery can also be foolish and self-defeating. 

Vermentino and the grapes of wrath

The wine industry in Europe is full of rage right now.

In Italy there is outrage that other countries use the name Prosecco for their sparkling wines. And ongoing moves to prevent it. 

And in France there is anger that they can no longer use the grape name vermentino on their wine labels.

Which is is odd, because - as Jancis Robinson points out - the French have only relatively recently adopted the use of the name vermentino.

Rolle has traditionally been the southern French name for vermentino, Sardinia's flagship white grape variety.

The wine industry is, of course, awash with grape varieties that have different names in different countries. One man's grenache is another man's garnacha, and one woman's pinot noir is another's blauburgunder.

Either way, the producers in the Languedoc are very unhappy, with several speaking out to trade publication Drinks Business this week.

Jacques Bilhac, owner of Domaines d l’Aster in Pézenas, said a lot of producers in the Languedoc grow vermentino and use the name on labels.

“France makes similar volumes of vermentino as they do in Italy, and we have always called it vermentino - we have been promoting it for ages, and the consumer is starting to recognise it,” said producer Jean-Claude Mas.

The Italians apparently based their successful argument to the European Union on the fact that vermentino is part of existing Geographical Indicators (GI) in Italy, both of which are Sardinian: Vermentino di Gallura and Vermentino di Sardegna.

Vermenino is actually called favorita in Piedmont and some other parts of Italy - but that is another story for another day.