Is It Okay to Add Water to Your Wine?

Uncategorized / By

Sometimes people ask if it is okay to add water to wine.

To find out the answer please look at this article, In this article, you will learn about the reasons behind adding water to your wine and why you should not do it. This article will also tell you that water will ruin the taste of even the best wines.

This article includes:

  1. Adding water to wine to improve the taste of wine
  2. Adding water to wine to avoid a hangover

 

A story of wine and water

“Could you bring me some ice cubes?” said Aron, smiling at the waiter.

“Sure sir,” said the waiter, smiling back.

He then turned to Jill smiling at her too, feeling somehow embarrassed because he already knew that his habit of putting ice cubes in his glass of wine was a weird habit and a bit out-of-the-ordinary. But what could he do? He was a middle-aged man and he had always done this; and after all, ‘it is hard to teach an old dog new tricks’ and he was truly an embodiment of this saying; he always did that and didn’t consider it anybody’s business what he did with his glass of wine; if he wished, he would as well pour a little wine in a bucket full of ice and drink it and look everybody in the eye and smile. Although deep inside, he always felt embarrassed about what he did, and maybe that was why he had all these fantasies when it came to drinking wine. In fact, he did it because he always thought he hated the bitter taste of alcohol in wine, so he diluted it with water or some ice cubes and drank it. And he was going to do the same tonight on his first date with Jill too; if she wanted to hate him for that, so be it! Besides, she was probably going to become his wife someday and they were going to go through thick and thin together; so what sense did it make to hide any bad habits he had from his future wife? She had to know everything about him, even this!

Jill smiled back at him and to his surprise, her face didn’t show any sign of a change of attitude; instead, she made an affirming nod and smiled back at him, holding up her glass of wine. He felt relieved and he suddenly felt he liked this girl; she was different he thought; she could be the one he was looking for after all.

Jill was holding her glass up waiting for him and he was all on pins and needles, waiting for the ice to arrive. He was holding his glass up and staring at Jill with a stupid smile on his face. The waiter brought a small bucket, placed it on the table, bowed gently, and left. Aron’s eyes glittered when he saw the ice bucket and the tongs; he would never have drunk that wine if the ice hadn’t arrived and he wouldn’t know of any excuses to make for not drinking; that he never drank wine without ice? That he hated the taste of wine? Any excuse would have been lame. So he was now relieved and didn’t have to dig up some excuse from the deepest parts of his mind.

He reached for the tongs and dug them into the bucket and grabbed a big piece of ice. The tongs were coming out of the bucket when he felt a warm touch on his wrist. He looked at the soft fingers on his wrist and followed the limb up until his eyes met with Jill’s. She stared at him with her pretty eyes for a second and then gently shook her head. There was a mysterious smile on her face that looked exotic to him and made him listen to whatever those eyes commanded. He slowly let go of the tongs and put his hand on the table. Slowly stretching his hand, he clinked his glass with hers and then brought the glass’s rim to his lips with trembling fingers. He gave a small sip at the wine, and then a second. He felt the heat on his tongue and pondered over it for a few moments; the taste was not that bad after all!

 

Why would anyone want to add water to their wine, it beats me! I mean, people mix all sorts of things with their wine, namely certain vegetables, maybe some spice, and they even make cocktails using all sorts of ingredients and drinks; but water? Give me a break!

Let me explain; why do you drink wine? I mean, why do you drink wine and not another drink? Whatever the reason, it is a quality in this drink that has made you drink it, and whatever the quality, why would you change that at all? Who would exchange that pleasantly bitter taste of wine with a diluted weaker one?

 

  • Reasons for adding water to wine and why you shouldn’t do it

 

  1. Adding water to wine to improve the taste of wine

Well, as weird as it is, this habit does have some reasons, and the reasons are understandable but not rational. The first reason why some people add water to their wine is that they would like to change the bitter taste and weaken it a bit so that it feels lighter on their palate. However, such people must remember that it is the slightly bitter taste of the wine that makes it enjoyable; besides, the alcohol levels in wines are way lower than many other drinks and that’s why it is popular. If you can’t tolerate that small amount of bitterness, then why drink wine at all? Well, I’m joking. There is a better solution though. You might have heard that your wine-tasting skills develop over time. No wine connoisseur has become one overnight; they have mastered their taste gradually in an expanded duration of time. Well, why not you do the same? You can start with lighter types of wine and slowly expand your choice and try stronger wines. This way, you both train your palate and get used to the taste of wine at the same time.

Besides, if you really want to cleanse your palate after each sipping and get it ready for the next sip, why not have a glass of water beside your wine and sip at it in between wine-drinking sips? This way you don’t ruin the taste of wine and refresh your palate at the same time. This is what a lot of people do and it is way better than mixing water with your wine.

  1. Adding water to wine to avoid a hangover

There is another reason why people do this madness as well; I mean diluting wine with water. We all know that alcohol has a dehydrating effect and it is this effect that is believed to be the cause of the terrible feeling of a hangover a lot of people experience usually the morning after drinking. Some of those who add water to their wine in fact do it to avoid this dehydrating effect and the resulting hangover. Brilliant idea, right, but it won’t actually work that way. If you want to hydrate your body and so avoid the hangover, then why destroy the taste of wine and ruin the whole purpose? Having a glass of water beside your glass and drinking it in between sips would be a much better way and will do the trick. However, unless you have regular hangovers and you are sick of them, I wouldn’t agree with the existence of water, of any type, or for any reason, whether it be inside, outside, beside, or behind the wine!

And on top of all, I highly doubt it that the amount of alcohol in any type of wine would be enough to give you a hangover. Nik Pegasus wines, for instance, have around 14% alcohol, and most other types of wine also hover at this figure. There are only some strong wines which might reach an alcohol level like 18% and they only constitute a small percentage among all wines. Even so, even the strongest wines do not contain enough alcohol to give most of the people a hangover. What I can conclude is that mixing water is only an obsession justified by some acceptable reason. Moreover, considering the amount of alcohol in wine, a hangover would result only if you drink in large amounts; and if you really want to get drunk, why not other types of liquor? They serve the purpose better I guess. Wine is a classic drink, made to be enjoyed in a gradual process and is best enjoyed if drunk in moderation.

 

  • Bad news for those who dilute their wine to improve the taste

Putting aside those who drink water to avoid a so-called hangover, which I believe is only an excuse; there is some bad news for those who dilute their wine to improve the taste! And to put it in a nutshell, the bad news is: it does not! Adding water not only does not improve the taste of wine, it actually ruins it, and here are some reasons for it.

Wine is in nature a complex drink; its production involves a complicated process from the vineyard to the table. Its structure is comprised of several layers of tones, tastes, and aromas. Well, no wonder there are hundreds, if not thousands, of brands and types in the market. Besides, wine has evolved throughout time and features are constantly being added to it. Considering all this, the drink that has reached your table has evolved to become a complex one, with a layered structure; and what you do by diluting it is only decreasing its complexity. Water changes the structure of the wine and cuts down on its layered complexity. Here is when the paradox shows itself; part of the charm of wine, and a great part for that matter, comes from its structure and its layered tones, and by diluting it in the water you just take away its charm! So don’t add water to your wine!

 

  • Does water really weaken the strong taste of wine?

Among those who mix water in their wine, there are those who do it because the taste of wine is too powerful for them, and water, they think, makes the taste a bit weaker. However, and as explained above, what water is in fact doing is not weakening the taste of wine but ruining its complexity and taste. I should mention this fact again and again I guess; and that is wine contains a very moderate amount of alcohol compared to most other spirits and what you do by diluting it is just lowering its quality, that’s all. Besides, if the taste of wine is too powerful for you, why don’t you just try lighter varieties of wine? There are plenty of varieties that are light in nature. This way, you hit two birds with one stone; on one hand, you are still drinking wine and not a newly-created drink mixed with water; and on the other, you are training your palate to get used to the taste; and this will in turn prepare you for your future wine explorations. Do this and I assure you, you will enjoy this journey even more; the journey of wine exploration. Whatever you do, don’t add water to your wine!

 

  • Add water to other drinks, not wine!

Despite all the arguments everywhere against adding water to wine, in fact, there ARE other alcoholic drinks which people usually add water to in order to improve their taste. But of course, such drinks are the ones that contain alcohol levels above 40%, and adding water could literally enhance their taste. Besides, there are scientific facts behind this choice as well which justify such a choice. So by a simple comparison, you will see that wine has no place in such a list of drinks.

  • Don’t do what you don’t know about!

I conclude this article with a Persian Proverb that says “It is true that pregnant women sometimes eat mud! But you have no clue where, when, or how!” (And so don’t do it!).

Call Now Button