Wine Gems Are Key To A Perfectly Chilled Glass Of Rosé

Wine lovers have plenty of gadgets for improving the vino experience, from electric bottle openers to chill sticks, aerators, handblown glass bottle stoppers, and so much more. All have a goal of keeping that precious liquid in pristine condition, whether in or out of the bottle. All things considered, the temperature of wine in a glass may seem unimportant, but it's actually a primary concern for most wine imbibers. That goes double for white wine or rosé aficionados who almost always want wine to remain chilled as long as possible.

Enter some pretty little stone trinkets called wine gems, which in reality are way more than aesthetically pleasing bobbles in your glass. Similar to how decorative wine charms serve a practical purpose, wine gems likewise have an important role to play. They keep poured wine perfectly chilled without resorting to ice, which we all know will melt and ruin the glorious balance of flavor and complexity. That goes double for light, tender wines such as rosé.

Melted ice can dilute coveted rosé characteristics such as crispness and subtle floral or fruity notes, while also washing out the gentle, defining pink and red hues. If you happen to be sipping a sparkling rosé, Prosecco rosé, or any other type of bubbly, ice cubes can cause oxidation, very quickly flattening the bubbles as well as the flavors and aromas. Chilled wine gems bypass that. Like the more well-known whiskey stones, these cool little beauties comes straight from Mother Nature. 

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Wine Chilling The Natural Way

Wine gems work on several levels to chill your wine without diluting it, primarily due to composition. They're typically created from natural stones and minerals such as rose quartz and fluorite, which are durable and freeze well without absorbing moisture. That means there's nothing to dilute the wine in your glass, only natural chunks of solid chilled stone.

By the time they become wine gems for chilling drinks, these stones have been polished and typically formed into small round or square shapes. They're both attractive and practical, being heavy enough to resist bobbing around in your glass. More importantly, when frozen for about four hours, they'll keep poured wine chilled for as long as an hour. Three gems will be plenty for an average-sized wine glass, keeping the liquid cool without any extra weight damaging the glass.

It's true that crushed or cubed ice may keep your delicate rosé or bubbly cold for a longer amount of time. Like whiskey stones, frozen wine gems absorb heat from the surrounding liquid and begin to lose their chill. Though ice cubes do the same, the melting ice continues to cool the wine for a bit longer. As you know, it also dilutes the taste. Natural wine gems are environmentally friendly compared to some synthetic materials, and they'll naturally cool down, with potential for revealing subtle new flavors as temperatures change.

Read the original article on Tasting Table.