Traditional way of making wine is quite known – harvests end in early autumn and wine is made of fresh grapes, but if you see grapes hanging from the vine during winter don’t be confused – it’s part of the process of making ice wine. These grapes are left to wait for the first frosts in order to freeze naturally. After being harvested, frozen grapes are immediately pressed to extract their sweet juice. Since most of the water is crystalized, the juice gets to keep concentrated sweetness, acidity and a specific fruity flavor. Here is a video on how ice wine is made.
The Taste of Ice Wine
Ice wine has appetizing, appealing and luxurious taste, rich with tropical fruit flavors. The relation between its sweetness and acidity is perfectly balanced which makes this wine an excellent dessert wine. You just have to serve it chilled and consume it with a dessert or as a dessert. Ice wine is often used by professional cocktail bartenders due to its distinct and fresh taste.
Where Ice Wine is Produced
Ice wine brands are pretty expensive because their production depends on unpredictable weather and vineyard pests. Some of the most popular and quality brands are produced in Canada, Germany, Austria, Oregon and Michigan. Of course, each country or region has its specificity, but the best climate for stable production of ice wine requires sunny days during summer and cold, but not snappy, winters.
Some of the best ice wine brands are:
1. Weingut Markus Huber 2012 Berg Riesling Eiswein
This Austrian ice wine tastes like honey with a shred of fruity, fresh flavor. It can be left to age for a couple of years.
2. 2007 Hunt County Vineyards Vidal Blanc Ice Wine
This wine has higher levels of acidity and sugar and can also age well.
3. Casa Larga 2008 Cabernet Franc Ice Wine
This is extremely fruity wine with taste that mixes sweet and dry red fruit flavors
4. Dr. Loosen 2012 Riesling Eiswein
This ice wine of honey and apple taste is produced in Germany and it has exceptionally fresh taste.
There are also wines produced by using cryogenic methods of freezing. Although this method enables the production of cleaner and less expensive product, since it allows more control over the sensitive process of making, these wines cannot be considered as ice wine. They carry different names such as “iced wine” or icebox wine”, but a true lover appreciates the value of the original and natural process of making sweet ice wine.
If you haven’t tried ice wine yet you’ve missed an exclusive and unique hedonistic experience.