December 10, 2003
Ice Buckets and Chilling Wine
"My only regret in life is that I did not drink more Champagne."
-- John Maynard Keynes (1883-1946)
'Tis the season indeed! But don't let the holidays and festive times be the only reason to crack a bottle of bubbly! Waiting for those special occasions to happen is just plain dumb. Make it happen.
I should be embarrassed to admit to you that I'm still sitting on bottles of 1982 and 1984 Qupe and Au Bon Climat chardonnays, and 1983 Richard Longoria chardonnay. All the years I lived in Santa Barbara, I was saving these wines to drink on special occasions ...that obviously never happened.
Can I be that boring?
Life is such that you can't sit back and passively expect or assume that special occasions will happen. You have to make them happen. I have learned a lot from a co-worker, in her early 30s, who had a stroke when she was 26.
When customers ask her if they should age a bottle of wine, she looks at them and says "drink it tonight."
I guess we never know what tomorrow may bring.
A gift of an ice bucket-for wine or champagne-always makes an appropriate gift for yourself and others.
Some things to look for when you buy an ice bucket:
An ice bucket is always the best way to chill a bottle red (yes, on a hot day!), white, or sparkling. Never keep wine in the refrigerator for long periods of time-like for months. If it's in the refrigerator, and you end up not drinking it, it's worse for the wine to take it out. I have actually known a retailer who has done this to his customers. Your best bet is to always use an ice bucket, and chill it as you drink it.
- First, the inside diameter should be an absolute minimum of seven inches. Remember, champagne bottles are larger than normal wine bottles. You need room for the bottle, the ice and the water.
- Second, the depth of an ice bucket should be a minimum of nine inches. I have seen "so-called" ice buckets that will barely hold a bottle. The bucket has to accommodate plenty of ice and some water. Adding water makes the wine get colder quicker!
You might also want to consider attractive bar towels with an ice bucket. Bottles sitting in ice water are wet and need to be dried off when you pour.
Next week, I'll cover glassware, for both Champagne and still wine. Bon appetit.
Wine and food lover and Santa Maria Times Wine columnist, Bob Senn, lives in the Los Alamos Valley and owns the Los Olivos Wine & Spirits Emporium.
