A Little Ice is Nice

Ice wine seems like an appropriate topic for the subzero of late. The word ice just seems to make you feel colder, but a good ice wine, or “Eiswein” in German, will warm you up quickly, so don’t let the name fool you.

Ice wine is hot, and that does not mean temperature hot. They have become very popular but can be a little more expensive due to the process, necessary conditions, and complexity of making it. It is different than the normal winemaking process, and a key contributing factor as to whether or not it can be made at all is the weather. You cannot control the weather no matter how much we would like to do that right now. However, this is the perfect weather for making ice wine. It is made late in the growing season, usually from white grapes and, of course, in the coldest growing regions including Canada, New England, Germany, and most recently in the Finger Lakes in New York State, to name a few.

Some of the winemakers in these regions have taken on the laborious task and learned the intricacies of making ice wine. There are strict policing standards involved as well. Ice wine is produced exclusively from handpicked grapes that have frozen (hence the “ice” part) on the vine. When you add sugar and a little water, you have ice wine. If it were only that simple, there might be more of it. Grapes that reach the desired state are very few, and harvesting is labor intensive; that is if and when they can harvest. When they believe the conditions are right, an inspector is contacted, usually from the Vintners Quality Alliance (VQA), to come and measure the temperature in the vineyard, normally done at night. If it is not at least 17 degrees Fahrenheit or below, they cannot pick! If the conditions are right and they do start picking at night, they must stop when the sun comes up if the temperature goes above 17 degrees. So they have a very limited time frame to pick the right grapes at the right temperature. The crushing is also done at this time to capture the highest amount of concentrated sugars and achieve the maximum amount of flavor. Can you imagine how hard it must be to find people to do this? Many phones might be off the hook that night. Picking the shriveled bunches in the frigid mid-winter can be hell on pickers. It’s probably not the career of any of our dreams. But someone has do it, right?!

Why couldn’t they just pick at their convenience, throw them in a freezer, and crush whenever they want to? NOT! This would be considered faux ice wine of a much lesser quality, and it would not taste nearly as delightful. There are laws against labeling it an ice wine if it was not made properly and by VQA standards. When you look at an ice wine label, you will find the designation VQA that ensures a quality product, the harvest date, brix at harvest (percent of sugar content at harvest), and total residual sugar. Now you won’t be misled by ice wine wannabes.

This is all very interesting, but what do they taste like? Dessert! Frozen grapes that have dehydrated naturally on the vine have concentrated flavors, sugars, and acids in the juice. They are rich, deep, and highly aromatic. They are usually found in shades of gold or amber and are full-bodied with a fruity and sometimes nutty flavor that is wonderful with dessert or as dessert itself. You might also find a Cabernet France ice wine that is pale violet red with intense Bing cherry aroma that is actually very light.

What do you eat with these tasty sweeties? After trying a bottle or two, some of you may say, “Absolutely nothing!” But we all know you really should eat when you consume alcohol, so even something as simple as vanilla wafers or biscotti are nice matches with ice wine. Cheeses like rich cheddar or creamy brie are also especially pleasant. Some ice wines that already include a pineapple, apricot, peach, mango, or papaya flavor may pair best with a rich chocolate cake or a ripe fruit tart. Even a basic pound cake can compliment a sweet, delicate ice wine.

It is not hard to think about ice this time of year, so the next time you find yourself wandering down the wine aisles, remember the ice. It’s nice.

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