Canadian Ice Wine – From the Icy World of Canada

Icewine is made from the juices of naturally frozen grapes. Canada is the largest producer of icewine in the world with the most famous wineries in the Niagara Peninsula. Niagara Peninsula is one of the best places to grow wine grapes for icewine because it has warm summers with the temperature of 43 degrees and extremely cold winters with a temperature of -10ºC. The region has the ideal climate for growing icewine grapes. The best icewines are produced from the frozen grapes handpicked from the vine on cold Canadian nights.

Making of Canadian Icewine

The frozen grapes are handpicked from the vines in the icewine harvesting season when the temperature in the region is below -10 to -13 degrees Celcius. These frozen grapes are pressed and juice is extracted from them. The natural defrosting results in dehydration of the fruit which concentrate the sugars, acids, and extracts in the fruit. This gives intense flavor to the icewine and makes it so unique and exotic from other regular wines. The juice extracted from the frozen grapes is fermented very slowly for several months. No artificial freezing is done in the making of pure best ice wine.

A very small portion of highly concentrated juice is extracted from the grapes it is about one-fifth the amount that you would get from the unfrozen grapes. So, the grapes needed to make one bottle of icewine are much more than you need to make regular wine. The price of the icewine is also therefore more the wine that is made from unfrozen grapes. Icewine has a balance of sweetness and acidity tasting profile which makes it so sensational and delicious.

The types of grapes used in production of Canadian icewine are Riesling Seyval Blanc, Vidal Blanc and Cabernet Franc. The wines made from different grapes have different flavors and this also renders a huge variety to the collection of icewines. Icewine is also used with brandy to make liquor and to make various cocktails. There are many icewine recipes and it is also paired with various cuisines. Canadian ice wine is best when served chilled.

If you are looking for the best ice wine then www.pellericewine.com is your one-stop destination. Here you can get the finest Vidal Ice wine, Riesling Icewine, Cabernet Franc Icewine and Oak aged vidal blanc icewine.

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Chilled Ice Wine-Vidal Ice wine

Ice wine or icewine in German is also called Eiswein, originated in Franconia, Germany in 1794. It is a kind of a dessert that is made from frozen grapes. These frozen grapes are picked from the vines during the ice wine harvest season. The thaw cycles concentrate the sugars and flavors of the grapes and from these frozen grapes chilled ice wine is made. The Niagara region of Ontario, Canada is known for producing the best ice wine in the world. Today, icewine is available in variety of flavors and used in making delicious desserts. It is loved by people across the dichotomy of age groups. Here is a list of some of the very popular icewines.

Vidal Ice wine:- This shimmery golden yellow wine has a mesmerizing aroma of lemon marmalade, caramelized oranges, peaches, pineapple and a touch of honey. The taste of this amazing Vidal ice wine carries a powerful flavor of honey, lemon, star fruit, quince and brown sugar and end with a crisp mouth feel. The highest quality Vidal Blanc Icewine makes an excellent combination with high fat or spicy foods.

Riesling Icewine:- This brilliant yellow golden icewine is made of 100% Riesling. It has a fresh and sweet aroma of lemon marmalade, layers of tangerine, ripe guava, notes of ripe peach marmalade, honey and white pepper. Its tasting profile can be classified as Honey barlett pear with a candied lemon peel on the finish. Chilled Riesling Icewine is served with pate or foie gras, blue veined cheeses and spicy Asian cuisine. Riesling is one of the most produced icewines in canada

Cabernet Franc Icewine:- This cherry red ice wine has a soothing aroma of red berries, complex notes of spice and sweetness of rhubarb. When you sip it you will experience a taste of luscious red berries, delicate, yet complex spice and rhubarb with a lingering finish reminiscent of fresh limes. It is served chilled at 8-10C with red fruit based desserts and dark chocolate.

Oak aged vidal blanc icewine:- This sparkling Golden Yellow icewine has a aroma of ripe peach jam, layers of sweet and fresh tropical fruit, honey and hints of white pepper. It is usually served chilled with fruit based desserts, crème caramel and soft cheeses. It carries the taste of fresh pineapple, apricot, floral honey, oranges and cardamom spice. Fresh lemon drops and spicy oak harmonize on the long finish.

If you are looking for the best ice wine then http://www.pellericewine.com is your one-stop destination.

Article Source :- Chilled Ice Wine-Vidal Ice wine

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Wines can be divided into families by characteristics

Families of wines:-

When conducting wine seminars and courses, first step to learning more about wine is to recognize the characteristics of a wine lover's favourite wines. Having a good knowledge of grape types and key producing wine areas as well as the wine style which they produce is certainly an asset. However, given the wide number of wine producing areas and type of grapes, plus various blends, it is not necessarily an easy task for all amateurs to know and remember all this information.

The table wine category includes all the wines which are not sparkling wines, fortified (like Ports) and deserts wines (like Icewine). These have their own categories and families. The following list are the families of wine styles for white table wines.

White

• Light and refreshing — Usually, in this family, these wines are light, refreshing and have a medium to high acidity level. They are dry wines, and often fruity without necessarily being exuberant. In general, these wines do not have an new oak influence. The wines include Muscadet, Sauvignon Blanc, Soave, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Chenin Blanc, Chablis, Vouvray, Gruner Vetliner, etc.

• Aromatic and exotic — This is the family of perfumy wines, wines offering tropical, floral and at times quite exuberant aromas. Usually these wines are can have a viscous and at times heavy mouth feel and for most of these, they have medium to low acidity levels.

• Rich and round — The best wines representing this family would be a decent new world Chardonnay aged in new French oak barrels. These wines usually have medium acidity, are subject to oak influence, they tend to be a little heavy to drink on their own and most times are much better appreciated with richer culinary creations like seafood or white meat served with a rich sauce.

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Italian Wine Competition Captured by Canada

Canada's Inniskillin Wines has captured the top prize at the 17th Annual International Wine Competition at Vinitaly:

"The Premio Speciale Gran Vinitaly 2009". The special prize for top producer at the show is considered to be the
wine industry's "world cup". Vinitaly, held in Verona, is the largest and one
of the most prestigious annual wine competitions, attracting the global wine
elite.
Inniskillin qualifies based on its performance of scores. For Inniskillin to take the top award of the show highlights Inniskillin's
international reputation as a quality producer, and also has the wine world
shifting its attention to Canada.

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Different styles of dessert wines

1) Icewine

Although Canada is recognized worldwide with its production of great Icewines, we do not have a monopoly on this type. Some are also made in Germany (Eiswein), Austria and some eastern European countries.

However, it should be said that in Canada we have (usually) a climate which enables us to produce Icewine each year.

For this type of wine, the winemaker leaves the grapes on the vine for a longer period of time than normal (late vintage) and they wait until the temperature drops to about minus 8 to 13 degrees Centigrade for a few days. The frozen grapes are then picked by hand, often at night, then rushed to the winery to be crushed while still frozen.

What's left behind after the frozen water is separated out is a true nectar of fruit juice which produces a wine very concentrated in flavours and aromas.
Unfortunately, this risky and expensive process makes Icewine a luxury item.

2) Vintage (Spatlese)

This type of wine is made in many countries and with various types of grapes. The producers leave the grape on the vines for an extended period of maturation when the climate allows it. The result is a wine with good concentration -- not necessarily as complex as Icewine or as Sauternes -- but a very good alternative for the price.

Botrytis Cinerea (noble rot) - Edelfaule

Misty mornings and cool sunny afternoon create ideal conditions for botrytis cinerea, a special fungus, to develop. It is a mold which breaks the skin of the grape, letting water escape and the grape to shrivel.

Afterward the grape doesn't look very interesting but the flavours and sugars left behind are very concentrated, giving a very complex wine. The best examples are the Sauternes, but this phenomenon is also found in other area of the world like Germany (Trockenbeerenauslese), Austria (Ausbruch), Hungary (Tokay) and even Alsace (Selection de Grain Noble).

3) De Paille (straw wine) -

For these wines the grapes are dried in order to concentrate the sugar and flavours. This type of wine can also use late harvest grapes.

In the past the picked grapes were dried on beds made of straw and nowadays on special tables, racks or plastic baskets. These types of wines can be found in the Rhone Valley and the Juras in France.

Vin Santo, or Saint wine of Italy, is made from dried grapes and then aged in small oak barrels which allows a little oxidation during the aging process.

4) Jaune

A specialty from the Juras region of France is a type of wine that's not sweet and is not appreciated by all. This product is aged for at least six years and is affected by a flor (yeast veil), just like the wines of Sherry.

Moreover, the flavours and savours resemble a good dry sherry. This wine is hard to fit into a category since it's not a table wine, nor a dessert wine per se, nor is it a fortified wine.

5) Constantia

It seems that the majority of wine producing countries (at least in the past) had a certain recognition for some their dessert wines.

For more details visit http://www.pellericewine.com

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Ice Wine Festival is the sweet taste of winter

In the Grand River Valley, the Mill Creek is bubbling. The cold water flowing past the icy patches of rocks, the last remains of the winter chill. And a few miles away, they are celebrating the gift of that bone-chilling legacy -- ice wine.

Few places on the planet make ice wine as well as they do near Madison, Ohio. Beth Debevc is an ice wine expert. She and her husband own the Debonne' Vineyards Winery.

Saturday afternoon, the Debonne, Ferrante, Grand River Cellars, South River, Laurello and St. Joseph Vineyards will all be offering samples of the sweet ice wine production, starting at noon.

"Ice wine is in it's own category and is very sweet," said Beth. "But there are so many other flavors in that wine that comes from the freezing, the thawing, the freezing. It is amazing."

In the dining room, Carol DiSanto tried a sip and let the wine linger on her palette. "Oh my!" she said. "That is great."

The grapes for the ice wine were harvested in the snow last December. The temperature has to be right around 17 degrees when the pickers pluck the frozen berries from the vine. A ton of grapes will only yield about 20 to 25 gallons of ice wine.

Tony Debevc said, "I always tell beginners that this is dessert. I'm going to have you taste a dessert. And it's no different than having a chocolate cake or some really good Godiva."

Kerry Roberts and her husband Cecil savored their 2006 vintage. "It's rich, it's very, very rich," said Kerry.

Cecil smiled and said, "You could drink this and enjoy it as your dessert . It's very good."

"The amazing thing is that you could eat the fruit and the taste isn't there," added Beth Debevc. "It has to be that syrup from that extraction of that pot of gold that comes out of the fruit."

Looking at a bottle of his ice wine, Tony Debevc said, "This is something that gives our wineries in this region notoriety. It's never going to be a huge profit making product, but it is going to be a great publicity product."

Each vineyard charges $5 per person.

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Niagara Falls with Wine and food

Niagara’s world prominent falls is a focus of attraction for millions of tourists and many honeymooners, but what is less-renowned and exposed is the culinary inheritance and viticulture reward of this fertile region. The most excellent way to spend a weekend for an epicure is to be in the striking wine country, the remarkable sight of the falls, exceptional food and an impressive collection of wines.
Niagara Wine and Food characteristic was tackle the lack and to demonstrate its agricultural rewards. Firstly, the spacious site affords an excellent view of the “Falls”. Finely organised and planned events present sufficient diversity to interest everyone, even those who confess gourmand rather than gourmets.
Niagara produces a gift of appetizing fruits, such as strawberries, raspberries, apricots, peaches, apples, pears, gooseberries, cherries, and produce that titillates the appetite. They are juicy, have an tempting feel, juicy, and the taste beats imported commodities hands down; it is really as fresh as it appears.
But just not only does Niagara manufacture fruits and vegetables; cheese is a subject of small farms run by Italian settlers who still organize their cheese in an old and traditional way with no shortcuts. It’s always recommended to try their asiago and then it would be understood what it’s all about. Even if you are looking for quails or quail egg, be assured that you would never be disillusioned. They taste immense and even local chefs know how to make then even more tempting.
Certainly, we should not overlook Niagara wines. Contemporary wine history of this region is petite, yet it has astoundingly successful. Today Niagara wines contend constructively with the bets in the world. Even when it comes to ice-wine only one or two countries in the world can even endeavour to compete. Niagara Wine and Food Classic provide an occasion to scrutinize famous Canadian chefs on various media stage. They demonstrate their techniques and liberally share their clandestine.
This epicure event creates a centre of attention of thousands from across the country and visitors from different states, and attainment few shows can maintain. Always there is an occasion to expend a weekend of comfortable food and superb wines, with its affects both taste and texture, experience amity and relax while surveillance the world famous Niagara Falls.
For more information about peller ice wine please visit http://www.pellericewine.com

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