Because I HATE warm wine.
I met friends for a casual dinner this week, and was tickled to find some interesting wines on their short wine list. The restaurant is an upscale burger-and-salads sort of place, and we met there on a day when temperatures hovered around 80 degrees. We were all a bit warm, and when the Pinot arrived at our table, it was too. When I asked for an ice bucket, our young server informed me that "Pinot isn't supposed to be chilled".
Of course it's not. But neither should it be served at room temperature on a hot summer day! And when she arrived at our table with a chilled marble cooler instead of an ice bucket, I knew it wouldn't chill the wine in time to be enjoyed at the right temperature, which for a Pinot, is closer to 60 than 80. So then I resorted to the last resort - adding ice to our wine - a request that firmly positioned us as wine heathens in our young server's mind.
But I have to tell you, after spending decades of drinking wine, both for pleasure and professionally, I've come to the conclusion that drinking red wines above, say, 65 degrees makes it impossible to enjoy their finer subtleties. And besides, wine is about 85% - 88% water, so diluting it a bit is less of a sin than drinking it too warm. But unlike the photo shown here, I recommend one small cube at a time - just enough to lower the temperature to the desired level - about 40-50 for whites, 45-55 for Rose, and 55-65 for reds. The lighter the wine the cooler the ideal serving temperature.
So during these hot summer days, if you're tempted to add a small amount of ice to your glass, go fot it! And then tell any scoffers I said it was ok, and send them to this posting.
Cheers!