Putting Ice In Your Wine Is Martha Stewart-Approved

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.

Of course, there may be times when diluting your wine is the right move. If you're at a party and the only wines available are too sweet for your taste, adding some ice to dilute the flavor could bring the sweetness down to a more manageable level. The same goes for wine that's been opened for a few days. Old wine won't make you sick but the flavors aren't going to be as good. Putting some ice in your glass could make the bottle last a little longer before you need to throw it out entirely.

Most people would prefer to have their wine chilled some other way to avoid the dilution. Correctly chilling your wine is easy if you remember ahead of time. If you want to cool your wine down without ice, there are other wine hacks you could try. That said, putting ice in your wine isn't the cardinal sin it once was and Martha Stewart is paving the way for her fans to embrace this break from tradition.