February 2008 - The Parklander Magazine

WINE REVIEWTHE RARE ICEWINEBy Bennett and Sheile BodensteinThere is one style of wine that experts and amateurs alike agree to be the rarest of the rare, Icewine.Icewine is a German invention, having first been made when an unexpected frost, in the winter of 1794, frozethe grapes on the vine before they could be harvested. Not willing to write the crop off as lost, the vintnerspicked the grapes and gently squeezed what juice they could get out of them before they thawed and rotted.The syrup was then fermented and what resulted was a sweet, unctuous desert wine of extraordinary depthand character, which they dubbed Eiswein, and thus a classic was born.The deep freeze required to produce an Icewine is an uncommonoccurrence in Germany and therefore these wines are both rare andexpensive. Despite the price and rarity, Icewine is among the mostsought after wines in the world.Enter Canada. While Canada has an embryonic wine-growingcommunity, one fact suddenly came to light: the climate andsoil of the Niagara Peninsula are perfect for growing wine grapesand making ice wine. There, the temperatures in early winterdrop quickly enough, and to a perfect level for the makingof Icewine.The leading producer of Icewine in Canada is Inniskillin. Theprocess for making the wine has been perfected over the years andbecause of their northern location allows for production ofIcewine almost every year. In late December or early January, adeep freeze envelops the Niagara Peninsula and temperatures dropto between 17 to 7 degrees Fahrenheit. In the dead of winterand in the dark of night, for maximum cold temperature, the naturallyfrozen grapes are handpicked with great care to preserve asmuch of the precious harvest as possible. At the end of all of thisis one of the most interesting and delectable wines made anywherein the world.Inniskillin 2006Riesling Icewine ($75/375 ml).This is a golden colored, full-bodied wine that is heavy with thearomas of orange blossoms, tangerines, nectarines and peaches.These aromas carry over into the flavor where they becomeintertwined with honey. It is the honey and nectarine flavors thatcarry over to the finish. This is an expansive and glorious wine thatis certain to please anyone who samples it.Inniskillin 2006Cabernet Franc Icewine ($95/375 ml).Ice wines are rare enough but one made from a red wine grape isalmost unheard of.The winemakers of Inniskillin took the challengeand what resulted was not only impressive but also extraordinary.The Inniskillin 2006 Cabernet Franc Icewine is a very aromaticwine, stressing the aromas of herbs, strawberry and candied apple.The flavors of cranberries, strawberries and apple are enhanced bythe wines crisp acidity. The finish is a cranberry loaded sensation.Never has there been such a wine: ‘nuf ’ said.Inniskillin 2006Vidal Icewine ($65/375 ml).The only word that can possibly describe this wine is huge. Andhuge it is, with layer upon layer of the aromas and flavors of ripefresh nectarines, papayas, lyches, tangerines and orange blossoms.These flavors remain well into the finish and for a long time afterthat. Whether expert or amateur, the qualities of this wine aremade obvious with the first sip. Quality cannot be denied and thiswine is pure quality. It is an expensive wine, but worth every pennyof its price.Inniskillin 2005Sparkling Icewine ($75/375 ml).This wine is unique. Because of the super high sugar concentrationof the frozen grapes, the fermenting to produce an Icewine isdifficult to say the least. Double or triple that difficulty and you havethe difficulty encountered to make a sparkling Icewine. Inniskillinvintners have succeeded. This wine has all of the qualities, flavorsand attributes of a premium Icewine but with the additional finesseand grandeur garnered by making it in sparkling form. It bespeaksthoughts of affection and respect that only a fine wine can, and inthis instance, a fine sparkling wine.Bennett and Sheila Bodenstein have written aboutfine wine for more than twenty years. E-mail them atbodenstein@theparklander.com.80 FEBRUARY 2008