It seems like a strange thing to do. Leave perfectly good grapes lingering on the vines weeks or months after all their cousins have been harvested and made into wine. To wait until sub-zero temperatures freeze the berries into small icy bullets, then collect them in the dead of night for that tiny, frozen grape to yield its precious liquid – a mere drop of sweet concentrated nectar upon pressing.
Despite more than 200 years of icewine (eiswein) production in Germany and Austria, over the past two decades it has become Canada’s calling card. Whether it is to the detriment of the fantastic white, rosé, sparkling and red wines we also produce is unsure, it may be more a case of icewine forging a path for the introduction of the rest of our bounty.
"It's not as simple as letting grapes hang on the vines until they are frozen and then extracting juice from them."
Author and wine expert John Schreiner is probably the foremost expert on the history of wine in British Columbia. In his latest book, The Wineries of British Columbia, Schreiner explains how in 1974, German born home-winemaker Walter Hainle was the first person in Canada to have made icewine from frozen grapes. And four years later, during the 1978 vintage, he and his son Tilman were the first Canadians to commercially produce a Riesling icewine from their Peachland vineyard.
A few years later, on the Niagara Peninsula in Ontario, Karl Kaiser was the first to make icewine (a Vidal) in 1984. The Austrian-born winemaker Kaiser and his business partner Donald Ziraldo had created Inniskillin a decade before and that first Inniskillin Vidal Icewine initiated an industry that has since become synonymous with Canadian wine production.
Vidal, more prevalent in Ontario, is a lushly aromatic and fruity grape that is naturally quite hardy but has less acidity than the more subtle but racy Riesling. Of course Vidal and Riesling are not the only grapes winemakers choose to make icewine from. A quick browse through wine shelves or visits to Canadian wine regions will prove that icewine can be made from virtually any variety of grape, red or white, including Chardonnay, Ehrenfelser, Gewürztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Sangiovese.
How It’s Made
It’s not as simple as letting grapes hang on the vines until they are frozen and then extracting juice from them. The grapes must stay frozen while pressing, limiting the process to the coldest part of the day – often the middle of the night and early morning. When the winter temperatures reach at least minus eight degrees Celsius, harvest can begin. Despite the wintery climate, is not easy to keep the temperature of the grapes consistently cold (as the grapes must remain naturally frozen), so they are most often pressed outside. The juice the frozen grape is forced to release is a mere fraction of what it would be if the grape were thawed. This is also related to the price of icewine. It takes a great many grapes to produce the precious liquid in each small bottle.
Of course there are certain criteria that must be met in order to be approved by Canada’s Appellation of Origin Classification, the Vintner’s Quality Alliance (VQA) and thereby present the VQA symbol on a label.
Some of those criteria are: ensuring the grapes are grown in a Canadian DVA (designated viticultural area) such as the Niagara Peninsula or the Okanagan Valley, that the alcohol in the wine is obtained only from naturally occurring sugars in the grapes and that the finished wine has a minimum of 35 degrees Brix, which is a measure of sugar in grapes and wine.
What to do with Your Icewine
Icewine has always had its place at the end of a meal, to sip on its own or pair with cheese. Of course, if you are one of a small group, you may have some left over. In that case you have the makings of a great brunch cocktail or aperitif. Splash one part icewine into a glass and top with two to three parts of sparkling wine (depending on how sweet you want it). Add icewine to salad dressings as a sweet component, or to a reducing fruit compote to pair with cheese. Apricot torte is a good companion, as many icewines have a stone fruit and apricot character. Icewine is also delicious with crème brûlée, fruit Pavlova or goat’s cheese cheesecake.
To serve, chill your icewine to between five to seven degrees Celsius and pour about two ounces into each glass. But don’t feel compelled to open that bottle of icewine as soon as you get it. Although it tastes young, vibrant and fresh now, you may enjoy how it matures after a few years in your cellar.
Try these Icewines available in BC Liquor Stores (as featured in TASTE winter 2010 issue):
The playful label for See Ya Later Ranch features a white dog with angel wings in celebration of “man’s best friend.” Behind this label is an elegant, aromatic icewine with spicy floral, orange, nectarine and apple flavours.
at minus 9 degrees Celsius, nature transforms grapes into spheres of concentrated nectar that produce intense fruit flavours in wines. this example is very rich in weight, body and texture with an underlying soft, balanced acidity. Flavours ofpeaches, nectarines and apricots combine with lively acidity tocomplement fruit desserts.
