Ice wine
From Free net encyclopedia
Ice wine (or icewine or Eiswein in German) is a type of dessert wine produced from grapes that have been frozen. The sugars and other dissolved solids do not freeze, but the water does, so the result is an unusually concentrated, often very sweet wine. The effect is comparable to the freeze distillation that was traditionally used to make applejack and similar beverages, but in the case of ice wines, the freezing happens before the fermentation, not afterwards. Unlike other dessert wines (such as Sauternes, Beerenauslese, or Trockenbeerenauslese), grapes for ice wine tend not to be affected by Botrytis cinerea or Noble Rot. This gives ice wine its characteristic of refreshing sweetness balanced by high acidity. When the grapes are free of Botrytis, they are said to have come in "clean." The most famous (and expensive) ice wines are German Eiswein, but ice wine is also made in Canada as well as in the United States, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Australia, and New Zealand in smaller quantity. Eiswein is part of the QmP category in the German wine classification. Ice wine production in Canada is regulated by the Vintners Quality Alliance. In contrast to most other wine producing regions, Canada has very consistent freezes in winter (though global warming has started to affect that), and has become the largest ice wine producer in the world. Pillitteri estate winery in Ontario, Canada recently claimed itself as the largest icewine producer in the world, overcoming the well known Inniskillin.
Natural ice wines require a hard freeze (by law in Canada a minimum of -8 °C/ 17 °F and in Germany a minimum of -7 °C/ 19 °F) to occur sometime after the grapes are ripe, which means that the grapes may hang on the vine for several months following normal harvest. If a freeze does not come quickly enough, the grapes may rot and the crop will be lost. If the freeze is too severe, no juice can be extracted. Birds, bear, deer, and other wild animals will eat more fruit the longer harvest is delayed and increased dropped fruit will also reduce yield the longer it hangs on the vine. Since the fruit must be pressed while still frozen, pickers often must work at night harvesting the grapes within a few hours, while cellar workers must work in unheated spaces.
Some winemakers use cryoextraction (that is, mechanical freezing) to simulate the effect of a frost and typically do not leave the grapes to hang for extended periods as is done with a natural ice wine. An example is Bonny Doon's Vin de Glaciere (icebox wine). In Germany and Canada the grapes must freeze naturally to be called ice wine.
The high sugar level in the must leads to a slower than normal fermentation. It may take months to complete the fermentation (compare to days or weeks for regular wines) and special strain of yeasts should be used. Because of the lower yield of grape musts and the difficulty of processing, ice wines are significantly more expensive than table wines. They are often sold in half-bottles (375 ml).
Typical grapes used for ice wine production are: Riesling, considered to be the most noble variety by Germans; Vidal Blanc, highly popular in British Columbia and Ontario; and, interestingly, the red grape Cabernet Franc. Many vinters, especially from the New World, are experimenting to make ice wine from other varieties; whites such as Seyval Blanc, Chardonnay, Kerner, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Blanc, Ehrenfelser or reds such as Merlot, Pinot Noir, or even Cabernet Sauvignon. One winery from Niagara on the Lake region in Ontario recently claimed itself to be the first winery in the world producing Shiraz (Syrah) icewine.
Ice wines from white varieties tend to be pale yellow or light gold in color when young and can maderise (acquiring deep amber-golden color) as they age. The red varieties tend to have a light burgundy or even pink color like that of rosé wines.
Some vinters in Canada take a step forward experimenting with sparkling ice wine. Sparkling icewines have consistency similar to other sparkling wines and high sugar level balanced with high acidity.
Even though it is normal for the sugar content in icewine to run from 180 g/L up to as high as 320 g/L (with mean in 220 g/L range), icewine is very refreshing (as opposed to be cloying) due to high acidity (titrable acidity in icewine usually always above 10 g/L). Icewine usually has a medium to full body, long lingering finish. The nose usually reminiscences of peach, honey, citrus, figs, caramel, green apple, etc depending on the varietal grape. Icewine usually has a lower alcohol content in comparison to regular table wine. Some Riesling icewines from Germany have alcohol content as low as 6%. Icewines produced in Canada regions usually have higher alcohol content, between 8-13%. In most years, icewines from Canada generally have higher brix degree (must weight) in the must compare to Germany - juice with insufficient Brix cannot be made into Icewine. This largely due to more consistent winter in the former area.
Connoisseurs argue whether ice wine improves with age or is meant to be drunk young. Those who support aging claim that ice wine's very high sugar level (which is often much higher than Sauternes) and high acidity preserve the content for many years after bottling. Those who disagree contend that as ice wine ages it loses its distinctive acidity, fruitiness, aroma, and freshness.