Wine and ice cream: do they go together?

When temperatures are high, ice cream is one of the best ways to cool of and sweeten our palates. You could serve it as a dessert or a snack (or as a little treat at any time of day, why try and hide it?). It comes in so many delicious flavours. Who doesn’t love a delicious home-made ice cream? That’s why we want to give you new ideas for enjoying it and, of course, our ideas involve wine.  

It’s true that, when it comes to pairing wines with desserts, ice cream is probably one of the trickier options, or at least not one of the most popular one since it’s difficult to appreciate all the different notes in the wine when our mouths are cold. However, there are some tips that can help you find the perfect combination.

Red wine, white wine, rosé... Which should you go for? Like we said, to work out which wine would go best with ice cream, we need to know what kind of ice cream we’re talking about.  

We’ve got some examples for you below:  

Wine and chocolate have always been good friends. Cocoa boasts a unique set of aromas that goes perfectly with the notes and flavours of a good wine. As such, its ice cream counterpart is just as special for this pairing. 

Just like when it comes to pairing wine with solid chocolate, the kind of pairing depends on the kind of chocolate ice cream. In other words, the level of purity. 

• White chocolate ice cream: here, the most important thing is to bring out the creaminess of this type of chocolate. That’s why the best idea is to go for a smooth white wine, such as Chardonnay.  
• Dark chocolate ice cream: as we up the level of cocoa, we can start to play with more robust and intense wines. For dark chocolate ice creams, there’s nothing better than the light and pleasant bitterness of a Crianza wine. In this case, we recommend El Coto Crianza Garnacha, because its delicate notes (aromas of cherry, red fruit, mocha and cocoa) make for an exceptional contrast with your chocolatey scoop. You’ll be surprised! 

Remember, try and get a wine that is just as sweet as the chocolate you’re going to eat, or even more so. 

Coconut, mango, cherry, mint, red fruit, etc. The list goes on and on. Fruit ice creams are another popular choice for the summer. They're lighter, juicier and more refreshing, so it’s no surprise that they're such a hit.  

To go with this kind of ice cream, smooth wines are a sure-fire bet that can help to strike a balance between the flavours. In this respect, we would always go for a white grape. In face, if you think about it, almost all ice creams are based on one key ingredient: milk. That’s why, as a rule of thumb, it’s always easier to pair wines with a white wine or a rosé than with a red.  

For example, you could try out El Coto Semidulce, a surprisingly refreshing wine with notes of pineapple and citrus fruit, but with a hazy sweetness. Sparkling wines are also a good match for these ice creams. 

Even though they’re not technically an ice cream, sorbet is a very common option for summer meals and events. And it goes perfectly with wine!  

In this case, the best wine is a rosé, both because of its freshness and its smoothness. El Coto Rosado is a great example, made with Tempranillo and Grenache, which gives us a silky-smooth wine with flavours of fresh strawberries and caramel. This gives it the perfect vitality for your sorbet, striking a perfect balance between freshness and sweetness. What are you waiting for? Give it a try! 

It’s clear to see that ice cream can be made out of or be paired with almost anything. Even though we've mainly been focussing on pairing wine and ice cream, there’s another option that we need to mention. Did you know that some ice creams are made out of wine?  

In Spain, some artisan ice cream parlours have had a go at creating them, however they're still not so common and are normally only served at private events. Have you ever had the chance to try one? They're really quite amazing. 

In fact, back in 2014, an American company decided to launch a line of wine ice creams under the name WineCream. Through an arduous elaboration process alongside various chefs, they managed to create products that even stay true to the wine’s level of alcohol. Unfortunately for us, it’s only possible to get hold of them in Maryland and Washington DC.