It is probably true that the very first icewine was created by mistake when a distraught vintner whose grapes had frozen on the vine decided to go ahead and press them anyway. The renown that this remarkable dessert wine has brought to the wineries of Canada, on the other hand, is certainly no accident.
The secret to the luxuriously rich complexity of icewine resides in the calculated gamble of leaving the grapes on the vine until they are well frozen by at least three consecutive days of minimum -7 degree C. weather. Whatever shrivelled, brown fruit escapes the voracious appetites of the local birds is harvested, often by volunteers wanting only to be a part of the process, and crushed while still frozen. The sugar-rich juice grudgingly given up by these icy nuggets - one-fifth or less of the quantity pressed from normal grapes - is then clarified and slowly fermented over months into the golden elixir known as icewine.
The icewine I enjoyed courtesy of my parents at my recent birthday celebration - 38th, in case anyone is interested - was from the Niagara Region winery, Cave Spring Cellars, located in the vinicultural area known as the Beamsville Bench. Its intense and remarkably concentrated flavour and aroma revealed notes of tropical fruit, complex sugars and very light spiciness. While my general preference in after-dinner drinks leans towards strong, dry spirits like single malt whisky and cognac, even I had to admit that this wonderfully sweet wine was the perfect end to an ideal meal.
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