Ice wine is a dessert variety made from frost-stricken grapes. Frozen berries contain more sugar and less liquid, so ice wine has a more concentrated taste and aroma than drinks from the same variety.
Grapes must be frozen still on the vine, before fermentation (fermentation). In addition, fruits with gray mold or other diseases are not suitable for ice wines, unlike, for example, Tokaj wines.
Ice wine production on a commercial basis is associated with serious risks, especially in a changing climate: frosts may not hit at all or the berries will spoil (overripe) earlier. In addition, as soon as the grapes freeze, they must be harvested immediately, otherwise the berries will thaw and become unsuitable for winemaking, so Ice Wine is made in relatively small quantities, and the cost per bottle is relatively high.
This is a kind of delicacy of the wine world. The main suppliers of the original ice wine are Canada and Germany.
Features
Ice wine is very fragrant and sweet, the sugar content can reach 320 g/l. The drink is not as strong as ordinary table wine, sometimes alcohol is not more than 6%, but often the strength is 8-10%.
History
Pliny the Elder mentioned ice wine in Roman chronicles of the early XNUMXst century, and similar evidence is found in ancient literature, for example, the poet Mark Valery Martial recommended not to pick berries before November, until they become hard and smooth from the cold.
However, then the style was either forgotten or did not deserve special mention, since the next appearance of icewein in German documents dates back only to 1794. By 1830, the production of ice wines in Germany had already become common, although not very common practice. There was no talk of industrial production yet – icewein was solely the result of a combination of circumstances, an unexpected and pleasant bonus to the main crop.
That all changed with the invention of the pneumatic press, which made winemaking less labor intensive and more efficient. In the middle of the XNUMXth century, other innovations were added to make work easier: electric lanterns for harvesting in winter twilight, automatic temperature sensors, etc. Around the same time, due to lower costs, Eiswein (German name) became available to the widest layers of wine lovers.
In Canada, ice wine appeared at the end of the 1989th century thanks to the influence of Germany. The popularity of local products was promoted by the victory of the Canadian brand Inniskillin’s at Vinexpo in XNUMX. This was the first, but by no means the last achievement – since then, Canadian ice wine has regularly won medals and awards at international competitions, including the most prestigious ones.
Technology of preparation
The main varieties used are Riesling, Vidal Blanc, Cabernet Franc. Some winemakers are experimenting with Seyval Blanc, Chardonnay, Kerner, Gewurztraminer, Pinot (Blanc and Noir), Merlot and others.
Only berries that are naturally frozen as a result of frost are suitable for making ice wine. In Germany, you can harvest when the temperature drops below -7 °C, in Canada – below -8 °C, and at the time of frost, the grapes should already be fully ripe.
Most winemakers leave some of the fruit on the vines after the regular harvest. Sometimes you have to wait for a cold snap for several months, and all this time to protect the fruits from rot, mold, birds and animals, which are also not averse to eating juicy berries.
As soon as frost hits, the grapes are harvested, crushed and sent under pressure. If the temperature drops below -20 ° C, the crop will be lost, as the fruits will turn into ice and will not give juice.
Some producers from Japan and Eastern European countries artificially freeze ripe berries without leaving them on the vines. Such wine cannot be called a real ice wine, in Austria, the USA, Germany and Canada this technology is prohibited.
Due to the high content of natural sugar, the fermentation of the juice takes longer than in conventional production, sometimes the whole process takes several months, and special yeasts are used that are resistant to high sugar concentrations. Icewine is often marketed in small 375 ml or 200 ml bottles.
How to drink icewine
Over the years, ice wine loses some of its aroma, freshness and acidity, so in most cases it is drunk young. On the other hand, some aged varieties of ice wine acquire noble tones of nuts, wood, the bouquet becomes even sweeter.
Ice Wine is served chilled to + 10-12 ° C in glasses for white or red wine, the drink goes well with desserts, especially sour ones, like lemon pie or sorbet, vanilla sweets, white chocolate, fruit cakes, soft cheeses. You can also serve foie gras and blue cheese with ice wine.