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There are few things as polarizing as putting ice in your wine glass. But Martha Stewart has given a big win to the pro-ice side by revealing on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” via YouTube, that she puts ice in her white wine. Although she used to think it was wrong, she met vintners while traveling through France and Italy who assured her that it was perfectly fine.

Ultimately, how you like drinking your wine is something only you can decide. If you like ice in your glass of sauvignon blanc, who are we to tell you no? But like everything else in life, there are upsides and downsides to choosing ice. For one, just because Stewart and some European vintners say that it’s okay doesn’t mean that everyone is going to be on the same page. The stigma around ice cubes in wine isn’t as strong as it used to be but not everyone is ready to embrace the trend just yet. Be prepared for a raised eyebrow or two if you make a habit of it.

Iced wine is great for when you forget to chill your wine or just bought the bottle and want to serve it right away. Ice will get you a colder glass of rose, perfect for a hot summer day. The downside is that the ice will melt, eventually watering the wine down, which will negatively affect the flavor. If it happens in cocktails; it happens with wine.

At times, diluting your wine may indeed be a good idea. If you find yourself at an event where the available wines are too sugary for you, the addition of some ice might reduce the sweetness to a level that is more to your liking. The same strategy can be applied to wine that has been open for several days. Although stale wine won’t cause health issues, the taste won’t be optimal. A bit of ice in your glass could potentially extend the life of the bottle before it needs to be discarded.

The majority of individuals would rather chill their wine using a different method to avoid watering it down. Getting your wine to the correct temperature is a breeze if you plan in advance. If you’re aiming to chill your wine without using ice, there are other wine tricks you could experiment with. However, adding ice to your wine is no longer the major no-no it once was, and Martha Stewart is leading the way in encouraging her followers to step away from the conventional approach.

See the original article on Tasting Table.