Simon James travels north to discover the luscious freshness of Ice Wine

Karl Kaiser, the studious, Austrian-born chemist, and Donald Ziraldo, the young  Italian Canadian agriculture graduate founded Inniskillin Wines on 31st July 1975 and were granted the frst winery  license  in Ontario, Canada since prohibition. They believed  that Inniskillin was not so much bound by tradition as  inspired by  it. Their frst wines were made  in  the unglamorous setting of a converted packing shed at the Ziraldo family nursery, but despite everything, the wines were excellent!

Ziraldo and Kaiser received a great deal of attention  for  their quality  wines. The  Canadian  winter  of  1984  was  extremely harsh  but with  the  pain Kaiser made  his  frst  Ice Wine — a pivotal point for Inniskillin. In 1991 their 1989 Inniskillin Vidal won Grand Prix d’Honeur at Vinexpo  in Bordeaux. That caught  the  attention of Hugo  Johnson, Editor  of The World Atlas of Wine who wrote “Teir real break has been the discovery that IceWine comes naturally to them, the best of astounding luscious freshness.”

This was the turning point for Canadian Wine; it was now on the map. Although the region experiences some of the world’s harshest winters it sits on the 43rd parallel, a latitude that is actually south of Burgundy and Bordeaux. It’s also located just a 20 minute drive from Niagara Falls making it a popular tourist attraction.
Niagara’s mineral-rich soils are the result of melting glaciers that lef behind large and varied deposits of gravel, sand and clay. Te warming infuence of Lake Ontario and the Niagara River give the region temperatures during the fruit-ripening phase that are moderate and consistent. Wines from Niagara,
along with cooler climate regions are characteristically higher in acids and highly aromatic. Tese high acids result in wines with longer natural aging potential.

For someone to suggest to the average winemaker that he should leave his grapes on  the vine until they are  frozen and  then  to wait until  the second or third day to harvest, he would think they were crazy. But that is how ice wine is made and this torturous winemaking technique may never have been taken  seriously had  they not had  the unexpected  success at Vinexpo. The laws controlling ice-wine making are very strict. The vines must be credited Vintners Quality Alliance (VQA). Due to the long hang time on the vine the grapes develop  intense favours and aromas, and  the wines  they make are complex, rich and luscious on the palate, balanced with brilliant acidity.

The grapes are harvested at  the depth of Canada’s crisp winter;  the grapes must be naturally frozen and picked when the temperature drops to -10ºC. What makes the wine so precious is that only a few drops of precious nectar can be extracted from each bunch. Tis is a temperature reversal of the sun-dried wine making process of Amaronne in Italy.

Let’s Taste the Wine

Vidal
This is an aromatic and thick skinned grape that arrived from France in 1920’s and is one of the few strong enough to survive the Canadian winter. It’s a long and steady ripener with rich, full aromas and flavours balanced by a firm acidity.  Vidal Ice-wine is made in three distinct styles. Vidal Ice Wine is non-oaked and  boasts  of  luscious  tropical fruit flavours, ranging from mango to lychee to apricot. When aged in Canada these flavours are enhanced by creamy vanilla and caramel notes. Sparkling Ice-wine has delicious aromas of  apricot, pear, nectarine, citrus and ginger, smoothly polished in a dazzling and delicately effervescent finish.

Riesling
One of the world’s great “noble” varieties, this cool weather grape with high acidity is a natural for the making of ice-wine. In the glass the wine has a nice straw yellow colour. As an ice-wine there aren’t the petrol aromas on the nose that are usually typical of Riesling; rather that of ripe peach and other stone fruits. Then in the mouth we discover classic Riesling qualities of elegant citrus favours such as fresh lime and grapefruit, as well as ripe orchard fruit tones of apricot and peach. It is also characterized by a slight mineral edge. The level of residual sugar is much higher than we would fnd in a Chateau d’Yquem, the highest classifed Sauternes from Bordeaux, yet this is beautifully balanced but an equal level of acidity.

Cabernet Franc
It’s extremely difficult to make a red ice-wine and this wine is made in limited quantities. In the glass we discover a unique and brilliant red-coloured ice-wine. There’s an abundance of candied red berry aromas on the nose and the savoury essence of fresh strawberries and cream on the palate with a touch of raisin in the finish.

Serving properly chilled is the key to obtain the right acidity balance. Once a bottle has been opened it can be kept in the refrigerator for three weeks. A luxury premium wine that is outrageously expensive. A bottle goes a long way as one only needs to drink a small quantity to taste gold.