While in Toronto, Canada I took opportunity to visit a few wineries in the Niagara-on-the-Lake region. The wineries that I visited specialize in Icewine. I discovered that there is more to Icewine than frozen grapes. For one, although Icewine was first produced in Canada in 1974, it is the largest producer of Icewine in the world, and it is said that although the Germans discovered Eiswein, the Canadians perfected it. To make matters concerning dessert wine, which is basically what Icewine is, more complicated, the vineyards of Sauternes, France produce a highly prized dessert wine that has nothing to DO with ice.
Production is what makes the difference. What makes Canadian Icewine different from Eiswein and Sauternes is that Canadian Icewine is not Botrytized. botrytis, also known as noble rot, is a fungus that attacks the grapes of Sauternes and the late harvested grapes of Germany. botrytis, also known as noble rot removes water from grapes, concentrating sugars, acids, and minerals, resulting in the intense flavors that are found in dessert wines. However, a problem exist in that the botrytis fungus inhibits the yeast process resulting in wines that are low in alcohol, and winemakers sometimes manipulate the process in order to increase alcohol levels to legal minimums. In Germany, where the Riesling grape is almost exclusively used, there are various stages where harvesting occurs which correspond with sugar concentration, but Botrytized grape stages occur in Auslese, Beerenauslese, and Trochenbeerenauslese. As previously mentioned, Sauternes produces some of the worlds finest dessert wines that has nothing to DO with grapes freezing on the vine. Mostly Semillon, and some Sauvignon Blanc are affected by botrytis in this region and very small yields are produced.
What sets Canadian Icewine apart from Eiswein and Sauternes is protocol. As Germany has its QmP (Qualitätswein mit Prädikat), and France its AOC (appellation d Origine Controlee), the VQA (Vintners Quality Alliance) sets the standard in quality assurance for Canadian wine. The VQA regulations stipulate that grapes are frozen naturally on the vine before fermentation, not affected by botrytis, without cyroextraction (mechanical freezing), and harvested at or below 17.6 degrees Fahrenheit. In order to be considered Icewine the must weight must be 35 Brix or more. must weight less than 35 Brix is considered late harvest. White grapes are not the only ones used for dessert wines. Cabernet Franc is also Late Harvested with great results. However, the wine that totally blew me away was a 2004 sparkling Vidal Icewine. It was very refreshing, crisp, and clean, with perfect acidity to balance the sweetness.
I recommend traveling to the Niagara Peninsula to discover the wines of our near northern neighbors. There are lots of wineries and BnB’s right across the border. My wife and I, along with my sister-in-law, and mother-in-law had a really nice time visiting the wineries and everyone we met was very cordial. However, if you DO go, I’d suggest doing your vineyard hopping during the week instead of the weekend. We did ours on the weekend as did most of the other tourist and the wineries were very crowded with visitors coming in and tours taking place. Nevertheless, the folks pouring wine had everything under control, and as far as I could see, there was a glass of wine in every hand, and smiles on every face. Discover Canada’s prized commodity, and get a little northern exposure.
Production is what makes the difference. What makes Canadian Icewine different from Eiswein and Sauternes is that Canadian Icewine is not Botrytized. botrytis, also known as noble rot, is a fungus that attacks the grapes of Sauternes and the late harvested grapes of Germany. botrytis, also known as noble rot removes water from grapes, concentrating sugars, acids, and minerals, resulting in the intense flavors that are found in dessert wines. However, a problem exist in that the botrytis fungus inhibits the yeast process resulting in wines that are low in alcohol, and winemakers sometimes manipulate the process in order to increase alcohol levels to legal minimums. In Germany, where the Riesling grape is almost exclusively used, there are various stages where harvesting occurs which correspond with sugar concentration, but Botrytized grape stages occur in Auslese, Beerenauslese, and Trochenbeerenauslese. As previously mentioned, Sauternes produces some of the worlds finest dessert wines that has nothing to DO with grapes freezing on the vine. Mostly Semillon, and some Sauvignon Blanc are affected by botrytis in this region and very small yields are produced.
What sets Canadian Icewine apart from Eiswein and Sauternes is protocol. As Germany has its QmP (Qualitätswein mit Prädikat), and France its AOC (appellation d Origine Controlee), the VQA (Vintners Quality Alliance) sets the standard in quality assurance for Canadian wine. The VQA regulations stipulate that grapes are frozen naturally on the vine before fermentation, not affected by botrytis, without cyroextraction (mechanical freezing), and harvested at or below 17.6 degrees Fahrenheit. In order to be considered Icewine the must weight must be 35 Brix or more. must weight less than 35 Brix is considered late harvest. White grapes are not the only ones used for dessert wines. Cabernet Franc is also Late Harvested with great results. However, the wine that totally blew me away was a 2004 sparkling Vidal Icewine. It was very refreshing, crisp, and clean, with perfect acidity to balance the sweetness.
I recommend traveling to the Niagara Peninsula to discover the wines of our near northern neighbors. There are lots of wineries and BnB’s right across the border. My wife and I, along with my sister-in-law, and mother-in-law had a really nice time visiting the wineries and everyone we met was very cordial. However, if you DO go, I’d suggest doing your vineyard hopping during the week instead of the weekend. We did ours on the weekend as did most of the other tourist and the wineries were very crowded with visitors coming in and tours taking place. Nevertheless, the folks pouring wine had everything under control, and as far as I could see, there was a glass of wine in every hand, and smiles on every face. Discover Canada’s prized commodity, and get a little northern exposure.