When it comes to ice cream toppings, give me hot fudge, salted caramel, or even olive oil any day of the week. But red wine? Not my first choice.
It turns out that the internet seems to think it’s a match made in heaven. Red wine with ice cream has been going viral on social media, with people calling it “delicious” and the “new fall float.” Naturally, we at The Kitchn had to try it for ourselves — and the opinions were mixed. Let’s get into it.
To be clear, there was plenty of skepticism in the comments on Instagram. However, one person who worked at a winery commented, “If you do it … do it with port wine (Ruby or Tawny) heavy & fruit forward wine with strong berry notes. [It] thickens to an almost melted jammy texture when chilled.”
With that in mind, I decided to do some more digging on what red wine would pair best to give the trend its best shot. According to experts at Wine Enthusiast, “Serving wine or ice cream at an extremely cold temperature will diminish their flavors.” They also recommend choosing a sweeter wine, as the tannins in a dry wine would make it taste too bitter. So I headed to a local wine store where I consulted the staff, ended up choosing a Ruby Port wine from Portugal, and headed back to the office to put it to the test.
Credit: Alexandra Foster
Our Honest Review of Red Wine & Ice Cream
To make the viral dessert, all you need to do is scoop some vanilla ice cream in a wine glass (Häagen-Dazs was the winner of our taste test, so obviously I went with that), pour some red wine over top, and dig in.
Straight off the bat, it’s definitely pretty to look at, with the rich, deep plum color of the wine contrasting with the creamy vanilla ice cream. I took a spoonful and was hit with the tart, bitter, fruity notes of the port first, then got the sweetness and creaminess of the vanilla ice cream. Both items separately were delicious, but I personally felt like the two clashed and didn’t meld well together. Because I was on the fence, I roped in some colleagues to get their takes as well.
Brian, our executive director of people operations, also thought it was visually striking and said, “I’d serve it at a dinner party as a conversation starter.” However, he too agreed that it felt like they were competing with each other.
All hope was not lost, because multiple people in the office gave the trending dessert high praise. Ali, our associate groceries editor, was a fan: “I’m into it! I wish there was a bit less wine and it was reduced to a syrup, but it tastes yummy,” she said. Maya, our associate producer, also loved it and said it tasted familiar but “she couldn’t put her finger exactly on what.” She added, “It feels like a complete dessert and I like that it’s not too wine-heavy.” Ola, our culinary assistant, admittedly went in with low expectations, but was pleasantly surprised at how much she loved it and kept going back in for more spoonfuls. “It reminds me of sherbet, or something nostalgic. I’d totally have it again.”
Credit: Alexandra Foster
Tips for Serving Red Wine & Ice Cream Together
Choose a sweeter wine: The key to reducing the bitterness is choosing a red wine that’s sweet in nature, not dry, and doesn’t have loads of tannins. Port, like we tested, is great, but you could also try a sweet Pinot Noir.
Swap in another ice cream flavor: I’m curious to try this with a dark chocolate ice cream to see if the richer notes of the cocoa would better complement and blend nicely with the bitterness of the wine. You could also try a fruity ice cream, like my favorite Jeni’s Brambleberry Crisp, to bring forth those berry notes even more.
Would you try red wine and ice cream? Let us know in the comments.
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