Ice Wine - Nectar of the gods

One sip and I was hooked… no wonder they call it nectar of the gods!

This is an intense dessert wine that has been made from very ripe grapes that were frozen on the vine. The frozen water is removed during pressing, leaving a very sweet must. A modern technique called cryroextraction utilizes a freezer in place of mother nature.

It is made from late-season grapes that are allowed to freeze on the vine, then picked before they thaw and pressed while frozen. The grapes are about 80% water, while the remaining 20% is the concentrated juice that is used to make the wine. The ice is essential; the shards puncture the inside of the skin to release more flavor. The production process creates a unique wine that tantalizes the palate with fruity sensations such as apricot, peach and mango.

The difference between ice wine and other dessert wines is that ice wines show a much clearer fruit and varietal character. This is because other sweet wines are made from botrytis (”noble rot”) affected grapes, or with grapes that have been laid out and dried. Because ice wine grapes are healthy at harvest, a good amount of acidity remains, which gives the wine a raciness that other dessert wines generally have to a far lesser degree. While the liquids freeze, the sugars do not, resulting in a concentrated, very sweet wine.

Because there is so little liquid remaining, the juice from many more grapes are required to produce ice wine than traditional wine.

True ice wine is that made from grapes that are kept on the vine until the temperature sinks below 19.4 Fahrenheit. In the U.S., New Zealand and some other regions, winemakers have started producing simulated ice wine by tossing the grapes into a commercial freezer. These simulated ice wines are considered to be of lesser quality and will typically sell at half the price of ice wine made in the traditional way.

Both methods do employ the same basic idea: a grape is made up mostly of water, and since only the water will freeze at these low temperatures, the sweet grape nectar can be pressed from the grapes while the frozen water remains trapped in the skins.

Legend has it that ice wine, also known as Eiswein, was discovered by accident in Germany, near the city of Wurzburg, (Franconia wine region) in 1794 when an unexpected frost froze the grapes before they could be harvested. The vintners in the region attempted to salvage the crop by picking and pressing the frozen grapes and knew when they sampled the first pressing that they had something extraordinary, a surprisingly exquisite ice wine. The Wurzburg estate still produces ice wine.

Ice wine was not produced in North America until the early 1980’s Ten years later, Canadian wineries along Ontario’s Niagara Peninsula had mastered award-winning ice wines and soon producers in the United States with similar climates (Ohio, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania) began to produce grapes for ice wine. Sales of ice wine remain strong as the demand is increasing despite the poor economy. In recent years, Canada has surpassed Germany in ice wine production to become the world’s largest grower of ice wine grapes in the world. Interestingly, Asia is the largest exporter.

Riesling was the original ice wine grape but most ice wine today is made with the Vidal Blanc grape, its thick skin and hardiness allow the grape to remain on the vine longer and resist rot and animal predators. Sometimes a Cabernet Franc may be used, resulting in a rose colored wine.

Scheurebe grape has properties that make it a popular choice for use in crafting great ice wine. Traminer is another aromatic varietal that results in great ice wines. Master winemakers in Germany also make ice wine with the red grape Blaufränkisch, and the result is a magic rose-colored version with notes of exotic berries. An ice wine made from red grapes is very uncommon – freezing the grapes influences the aromas greatly, and this is especially true with red grapes.

In Austria, has the strictest wine laws in all of Europe, only ice wines created by Mother Nature are allowed to carry the proud name. Austria’s flagship grape, Grüner Veltliner, is said to be the truest ice wine of all. Grüner Veltliner is resistant to botrytis, so the end result has particularly clean and clear notes.

With its high acidity and sweetness, ice wine is crisp and refreshing. It has medium to full body and a long lingering finish. Ice wine is typically more expensive than table wine due to its difficult processing requirements. Its alcohol content varies from between 8% and 13%.

Although most popular ice wines are white and have the flavor essence of stone fruits (such as peaches) or tropical fruits (like mangoes), the red Cabernet Franc has what is described as a "strawberry characteristic."

The best ice wines strike a balance of sweetness, acidity and flavor -- all elements that blend to create an impeccable character. The acidity is important for balance, because if it's too sweet, it won't ferment properly, and the "flavor won't have a clean finish -- it's cloying," (CLOYING -Too sweet, without balancing acidity. When sweetness and acidity are in good balance the result is a natural, fresh sweetness like that of a good fruit juice, when it lacks balance it is has the artificial sweetness of a Life-Saver.)

How to Select Ice Wine
As with any other wine, buy what you like, although being knowledgeable about the product helps to ensure you are getting real ice wine.

When ice wine is made from artificially frozen grapes -- those not frozen on the vine it is not legally considered ice wine, and the bottle must be labeled "iced wine." Authentic ice wine must be produced using natural methods and cannot contain any additives.

Cost - $$$ Because seasonal grape yields usually produce a small amount of liquid -- about 10% per harvest -- ice wine can be pricey. Ice wine usually is sold in half bottles. Finding a bottle priced less than $30 is rare; a bottle in the $100 range is not unusual. That's why it's important to buy a quality ice wine that truly pleases the individual palate. Knowledgeable buyers read labels carefully and understand how harvest conditions and sweetness affect flavor.

Why is it so expensive? It is essential to harvest on the first freezing night of the year, because grapes left on the vine to go through a freeze-thaw-refreeze cycle can pick up unwanted flavors. Winemakers are often nervous wrecks by harvest time, as they will have spent night after night waking up repeatedly to check the temperature.

How can you be label-savvy? Ideally, ice wine grape harvests should occur when the temperature has dipped below freezing, and the grapes should be crushed immediately. The label cannot read "ice wine" unless this is the case.

Also, brix typically is noted on each bottle, so you should be able to choose a vintage that will appeal to your taste buds. Brix is the measure of ice wine sweetness in degrees of concentration. It usually ranges from 29% (less sweet) to 56% (an intense, honey-like sweetness).

Serve and enjoy
Because ice wine flavor can be intense enjoy it in 4-ounce servings, chilled -- not cold. I think it alone is a dessert but some people enjoy it with a mild fruit or cheese dessert or chocolate.

Finding ice wine is difficult but a good wine store can order them for you…. Expensive yes, but worth it, every last drop.