Champagne on the rocks

Purists clutched their pearls at first but soon warmed to the idea of serving champagne over ice. There’s something charmingly low-key and laid-back about it. Besides, sometimes you just want that extra chill in your fizz, especially in hot weather.

Moët & Chandon (moet.com) was a pioneer of the trend. In 2011, the champagne house launched Moët Ice Impérial, a stronger style of bubbly designed to stand up to dilution. Emboldened, winemakers, sellers and drinkers quietly began slipping ice cubes into all sorts of wines – and to hell with the haters. In Mediterranean restaurants, it’s increasingly common to be offered ice for your wine when the temperature rises. The French even have a term for this watery, winy deliciousness: à la piscine, meaning “by the swimming pool”.

Wine experts seem remarkably laissez-faire about it. “If you want ice, have ice,” David Moore, owner of London’s Michelin-starred Pied à Terre restaurant, told The Independent last year with refreshing bluntness.

The newest frontier is pink champagne on ice, with Moët & Chandon once again leading the charge. The company is releasing Moët Ice Impérial Rosé – the world’s first rosé champagne intended to be served on the rocks – in Australia this month. It looks set to be the drink of the season – fresh, light, pretty, chic – and is sure to add sparkle to your Instagram feed all summer. Here’s to clinking the pink.