Gifts of the Season - Eight Reasons to Give Wine This Year

Inniskilin's Vidal 2004 - Treasure from the Snow

Icewine, from Canada and Germany, is winter's gift to wine lovers. Icewine is such a sought after jewel of a wine that many covet it, but few want to spend the money on themselves. Truly, this is a wonderful gift for the wine lover who has everything.

Inniskillin recommends that its icewines be served with neutral desserts such as pear tart, apple and peach based sauce desserts; strong cheeses and foie gras also bring out the sweet richness of the icewine. Any dessert that's overly sweet will overwhelm the icewine.

Another option for pure novelty, is Inniskillin's 2004 Oak-aged Vidal Icewine. Icewines, because they are known for their sweetness, are not generally aged in Oak, so this choice will certainly make for some conversation.

History and Process

Germany began the icewine industry in the mid-1700's but has since been somewhat overshadowed by Canada's icewines, since the process seems ideally suited to the Niagara peninsula and the Okanagan Valley's climatic conditions.

The grapes are netted and left on the vine into the winter months to freeze, which slightly dehydrates the drapes and concentrates the sugar and acids of the fruit - yielding a very complex and intense flavor. The grapes are then pressed while still so cold that the water in the juice is still frozen and only a fraction of the amount of that normal processing would yield. The juice is them fermented over several months. The nose of icewine has been described by many as simply mind-blowing - the wine has a tropical fruit quality, but a clean, dry finish.

From Inniskillin's site: "Genuine icewine must follow VQA (Vintners Quality Alliance) regulations that prohibit any artificial freezing of grapes. The grapes are painstakingly picked by hand in their natural frozen state, ideally at temperatures of -10 to -13 degrees C - sometimes the picking must be done at night to take advantage of the temperature. Yields are very low, often as little as 5-10 percent of normal."


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