Ice Wine-Canada’s World Class Wine
Canada has become the world’s leading supplier of ice wine.
What is ice wine and why is it so expensive?
Canada didn't invent ice wine. They only perfected it.
The Germans discovered ice wine (they call is eiswein) quite by accident in 1794 when a Franconian winemaker decided to press grapes that had been frozen on the vine. The result was so surprising and spectacular that the new type of wine quickly became one of Germany's most highly prized wines.
Germans have traditionally favored sweet wines and still continue to harvest in several stages, aimed at venting a spectrum of wines from a single source. Earlier harvests lead to dry (trocken) wines; successive harvests produce ever sweeter wines as the sugars continue to develop in the grapes. The final harvest, weather permitting, consists of hand picked shriveled grapes that have become subject to the noble rot (botrytis), much like what is done in the vineyards of Sauternes, France. The noble rot contributes a special flavor spectrum, highly desired, and is a necessary component of the wines of Sauternes, Bonnezeau, Quart de Chaumes, Tokaji, and Trockenbeeren Riesling.
Ice wine is completely different from late harvest botrytised wines. They retain the pure varietal flavors, much like unoaked Chardonnay. Grapes intended for ice wine are left on the vine until the temperature drops to around -9°C for two days. Ice forms on the skins of the grapes, whose juice can contain as much as 35% sugar, drawing out moisture. The grapes are pressed immediately, often in the middle of the night, to avoid melting the ice, which remains separate from the juice. When we speak of juice, we are looking for about one drop per grape. This highly concentrated juice is then fermented in the normal way to produce ice wine.
Once the exclusive product of Germany, ice wine is now produced regularly in Austria, Luxembourg, Oregon, Washington State, British Columbia, and Michigan. But the largest producer of ice wine today is Canada. The ice wines of the Niagara Peninsula stand out as second to none in the world. The most common grapes used in Canadian ice wine are Vidal and Riesling, but occasionally one sees Gewurztraminer, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc.
Although there are more than twenty wineries producing ice wine on the Niagara Peninsula, only one winery has significant distribution outside Canada. Catapulted to fame by winning the Grand Prix d'Honneur at Vinexpo in Bordeaux, France, in 1989, Inniskillin showed the world that great wine can be produced in Canada. Ice wine has been a specialty of Inniskillin ever since, and is the most widely distributed Canadian ice wine in the U. S.
Of special interest is Inniskillin's ice wine made from 100% Cabernet Franc grapes, reviewed below:
2004 Inniskillin Ice Wine Cabernet Franc Niagara Peninsula VQA; 10.5% alc., about US$65.
Warm ruby color. Concentrated flavors of cranberry, raisins, jammy fruit, and spice. Sweet, but not at all cloying. A perfect balance of sugar and acid leaves a refreshing taste in the mouth. A stunning and unique wine. Try it with candied nuts or a sharp Canadian Cheddar.
