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Grapes for ice wine, still frozen on the vine
Grapes for ice wine, still frozen on the vine

Ice wine (or icewine, as one word, or in German, Eiswein) is a type of dessert wine produced from grapes that have been frozen while still on the vine. The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. Dessert wines (or pudding wines BrE) are sweet Wines typically served with Dessert, such as Sauternes and Tokaji For the Tokyo University supercomputer see Gravity Pipe. GRAPE, or GRA phics P rogramming E nvironment is The sugars and other dissolved solids do not freeze, but the water does, allowing a more concentrated grape must to be pressed from the frozen grapes, resulting in a smaller amount of more concentrated, very sweet wine. Sugar is a class of edible Crystalline substances mainly Sucrose, Lactose, and Fructose. MUST may refer to Militära underrättelse- och säkerhetstjänsten, the Swedish Military Intelligence and Security Service Misr University With ice wines, the freezing happens before the fermentation, not afterwards. The process of fermentation in Wine is the Catalyst function that turns Grape juice into an Alcoholic beverage. Unlike the grapes from which other dessert wines, such as Sauternes, Tokaji, or Trockenbeerenauslese, are made, ice wine grapes should not be affected by Botrytis cinerea or noble rot. Sauternes is a French Dessert wine from the Sauternais region of the Graves section in Bordeaux. For Tokajský wine and the wine region in Slovakia see Tokaj (Slovakia Tokaji (of Tokaj is the name of the wines from the region of Tokaj-Hegyalja Trockenbeerenauslese (literal meaning "selected harvest of dried berries" is a German language Wine term for an intensely sweet Dessert wine Botrytis cinerea is a Fungus that affects many plant species although its most notable hosts may be Wine Grapes In Viticulture Noble rot (French pourriture noble; German Edelfäule) is the benevolent form of a grey Fungus, Botrytis cinerea, affecting Only healthy grapes keep in good shape until the opportunity arises for an ice wine harvest, which can occur the following calendar year. This gives ice wine its characteristic refreshing sweetness balanced by high acidity. When the grapes are free of Botrytis, they are said to come in "clean".

Due to the labour-intense and risky production process resulting in relatively small amounts of wine, ice wines are generally quite expensive.

Contents

Icewine producers

Vineyard in Ontario, Canada
Vineyard in Ontario, Canada
A bottle of Swedish icewine
A bottle of Swedish icewine

The most famous (and expensive) ice wines are German Eiswein[1] and Canadian Icewine (where the name is written as one word), but ice wine is also made in Australia, Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg New Zealand, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden and United States, at least in smaller quantity. Ontario (ɒnˈtɛrioʊ is a province located in the central part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest after Quebec German wine is primarily produced in the southwest of Germany, along River Rhine and its tributaries with the oldest plantations going back to the Roman Canadian wine is produced in Southern Ontario and southern British Columbia, and Nova Scotia. The Australian wine industry is the fourth-largest exporter in the world exporting over 400 million litres a year to a large international export market that includes "old world" Austrian wines are mostly dry White wines (often made from the Grüner Veltliner grape with some luscious Dessert wines made around the Neusiedler Croatia (Hrvatska ˈxȓvatska officially the Republic of Croatia ( Republika Hrvatska) is a southern Central European country at the crossroads between Many regions of the Czech Republic have large wine producing areas French wine is produced in several regions throughout France, on over 800000 Hectares (over 2 million Acres of Vineyards and in a typical Hungarian wine has a history dating back to at least Roman times and that history reflects the country's position between the Slavs and the Germanic peoples The Israeli wine industry has Wineries numbering in the hundreds and ranging in size from small boutique enterprises making a few thousand bottles per year to the largest producing Italian wine is Wine produced in Italy, a Country which is home to some of the oldest wine-producing regions in the world Luxembourg wine is primarily produced in the southeastern part of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, with vineyards overlooking Moselle River. New Zealand wine is largely produced in ten major wine growing regions spanning latitudes 36° to 45° South and extending 1600 km (1000 miles Slovenian wine is Wine from the Central European country of Slovenia. American wine has been produced for over 300 years Today Wine production is performed in all fifty states with California leading the way in wine production followed Eiswein is part of the Prädikatswein quality category in the German wine classification, and Icewine in Canada must follow VQA protocol to be labelled as such. German wine classification consists of several quality categories and is often the source of some confusion especially among non-German speaking wine consumers Vintners Quality Alliance, or VQA, is a regulatory and Appellation system which guarantees the high quality and authenticity of origin for Canadian wines The French language term Vin de glace is part of the wine classification in Luxembourg, but not in France, but is sometimes found on the rare bottles of ice wine produced in Alsace. Alsace wine or Alsatian wine (in French: Vin d'Alsace) is produced in the Alsace region in France and is primarily white

In contrast to most other wine-producing regions, Canada, particularly the Niagara Peninsula, consistently undergoes freezing in winter and has become the world's largest ice wine producer. The Niagara Peninsula is the portion of Ontario, Canada lying on the south shore of Lake Ontario. Icewine production in Canada is regulated by the Vintners Quality Alliance in the provinces of British Columbia and Ontario. Vintners Quality Alliance, or VQA, is a regulatory and Appellation system which guarantees the high quality and authenticity of origin for Canadian wines If sugar in the grapes measures less than 35 brix, then they cannot be made into icewine. Degrees Brix (symbol °Bx is a measurement of the dissolved Sugar -to-water mass ratio of a liquid These are often downgraded to a lower designation, such as Special Select Late Harvest or Select Late Harvest. Niagara-on-the-Lake's Inniskillin is traditionally considered the leading Icewine producer. It was the first Canadian winery to win a major international award with the prestigious Grand Prix d’Honneur at 1991 Vinexpo in France with their 1989 Icewine. This award put Canadian Icewines on the world stage. Many smaller New World wineries in the Niagara Region have made their presence known with high quality products that have won awards around the world. Henry of Pelham Family Estate Winery's 2004 Riesling Icewine was recently acknowledged by Jancis Robinson of the Financial Times (London) and the The Oxford Companion to Wine as one of Canada's 10 best wines. Jancis Mary Robinson OBE, MW (born in Cumbria on April 22 1950) is a British Wine Critic, journalist The Financial Times ( FT) is a British international business Newspaper. The Oxford Companion to Wine is a book in the series of Oxford Companions published by Oxford University Press. To add to the prestige factor, in November 2006, what has been claimed to be the most expensive bottle of ice wine to date was sold for 30,000 Canadian dollars[2] by Royal DeMaria, a small winery in Beamsville that specializes in making icewine. Lincoln is a town on Lake Ontario in the Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada.

Production

Natural ice wines require a hard freeze (by law in Canada a minimum of −8 °C (17 °F)[3] and in Germany a minimum of −7 °C (19 °F)) to occur sometime after the grapes are ripe, which means that the grapes may hang on the vine for several months following the normal harvest. For freezing as a method of food preservation see Frozen food. Ripening is a process in Fruits that causes them to become more Edible. A vine is any plant of Genus Vitis (the Grape plants or by extension any similar climbing or trailing plant If a freeze does not come quickly enough, the grapes may rot and the crop will be lost. If the freeze is too severe, no juice can be extracted. Vineland Winery in Ontario once broke their pneumatic press in the 1990s while pressing the frozen grapes because they were too hard (the temperature was close to −20 °C). The longer the harvest is delayed, the more fruit will be lost to wild animals and dropped fruit. Since the fruit must be pressed while it is still frozen, pickers often must work at night or very early in the morning, harvesting the grapes within a few hours, while cellar workers must work in unheated spaces.

In Austria, Germany, and Canada, the grapes must freeze naturally to be called ice wine. In other countries, some winemakers use cryoextraction (that is, mechanical freezing) to simulate the effect of a frost and typically do not leave the grapes to hang for extended periods as is done with natural ice wines. Cryoextraction is the process by which Grapes are frozen with refrigeration and pressed These non-traditional ice wines are sometimes referred to as "icebox wines". An example is Bonny Doon's Vin de Glacière.

The high sugar level in the must leads to a slower-than-normal fermentation. MUST may refer to Militära underrättelse- och säkerhetstjänsten, the Swedish Military Intelligence and Security Service Misr University It may take months to complete the fermentation (compared to days or weeks for regular wines) and special strains of yeasts should be used. Because of the lower yield of grape musts and the difficulty of processing, ice wines are significantly more expensive than table wines. In the United States table wine is used as a legal definition to differentiate standard Wine from stronger (higher alcohol content Fortified wine or They are often sold in half-bottle volume (375 ml) or the even smaller 200ml bottle. New World wineries in particular sometimes bottle 200 ml and 50 ml gift packages.

Requirements

The minimum must weight requirements for ice wine is as follows, in the measures used in the respective country:

Trade in ice wine

Of the Canadian production of Icewine, shipments to the US accounted for 8 million worth of wine in 2005.

Grape varieties

Red ice wines
Red ice wines

Typical grapes used for ice wine production are Riesling, considered to be the most noble variety by German winemakers; Vidal, highly popular in British Columbia and Ontario, Canada; and, interestingly, the red grape Cabernet Franc. Riesling is a white Grape variety which originates in the Rhine region of Germany. Vidal Blanc is an inter-specific hybrid variety of white Wine Grape, a cross of Ugni Blanc and Rayon d'Or (Seibel 4986 Cabernet Franc is one of the major varieties of red Wine Grape in Bordeaux Many vintners, especially from the New World, are experimenting with making ice wine from other varieties: whites such as Seyval Blanc, Chardonnay, Kerner, Gewürztraminer, Chenin Blanc, Pinot Blanc, and Ehrenfelser; or reds such as Merlot, Pinot Noir, and even Cabernet Sauvignon. Seyval Blanc (aka Seyve-villard 5276) is a hybrid Wine Grape variety used to make white wines Chardonnay is a green-skinned Grape variety used to make white Wine. Gewürztraminer (ɡəˈvʏrtstraˈminɚ guh-VURTS-trah-MEE-ner in English is an aromatic Wine Grape variety that performs best in cooler climates Chenin blanc, or Pineau de la Loire, is a variety of white Wine Grape from the Loire valley of France Pinot blanc is a white Wine Grape. It is a Genetic mutation of Pinot gris, which is itself a mutation of Pinot noir. Ehrenfelser is a white Wine Grape variety of German origin It was created by Dr Merlot ('MERL-oh' in British English mer-LOH in American English and standard French is a red Wine Grape that is used as both a blending grape and for Pinot noir ('pino nwar is a red Wine Grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's most widely recognized red Wine grape varieties. Pillitteri Estates Winery from the Niagara-on-the-Lake region of Ontario recently claimed to be the first winery in the world producing Shiraz (Syrah) ice wine. Syrah is a dark-skinned variety of Grape used in Wine. Syrah is grown in many countries and is primarily used to produce powerful Red wines which enjoy

Ice wines from white varieties tend to be pale yellow or light gold in color when they are young and can maderise (acquiring a deep amber-golden color) as they age. Maderisation (also maderization) is a process that involves the heating and Oxidisation of a wine The red varieties tend to have a light burgundy or even pink color like that of rosé wines.

Some vintners in Canada have taken a step forward in experimenting with sparkling ice wine. Sparkling ice wines have texture similar to other sparkling wines, such as champagne or Asti, but with fuller body, and a significantly higher sugar level balanced with high acidity. Champagne is a Sparkling wine produced by inducing the in-bottle Secondary fermentation of Wine to effect Carbonation.

Characteristics

Even though it is normal for residual sugar content in ice wine to run from 180 g/L up to as high as 320 g/L (with a mean in the 220 g/L range), ice wine is very refreshing (as opposed to cloying) due to high acidity. (The titratable acidity in ice wine is almost always above 10 g/L. ) Ice wine usually has a medium to full body, with a long lingering finish. The nose is usually reminiscent of peach, pear, dried apricot, honey, citrus, figs, caramel, green apple, etc. , depending on the varietal. The aroma of tropical and exotic fruits such as pineapple, mango, or lychee is quite common, especially on white varietals. The Lychee ( Litchi chinensis) also spelled Litchi (the US FDA spelling or Laichi and Lichu, Chinese: 荔枝

Ice wine usually has a slightly lower alcohol content than regular table wine. Some Riesling ice wines from Germany have an alcohol content as low as 6%. Ice wines produced in Canada usually have higher alcohol content, between eight and 13 percent. In most years, ice wines from Canada generally have higher brix degree (must weight) compared to those from Germany. Degrees Brix (symbol °Bx is a measurement of the dissolved Sugar -to-water mass ratio of a liquid Must weight is a measure of the amount of Sugar in Grape juice ( Must) and hence indicates the amount of Alcohol that could be produced This is largely due to the more consistent winters in Canada. Must with insufficient brix level cannot be made into ice wine, and is thus often sold as "special select late harvest" or "select late harvest" at a fraction of the price that true ice wine commands.

Connoisseurs argue about whether ice wine improves with age or is meant to be drunk young. Those who support aging claim that ice wine's very high sugar level (which is often much higher than that of Sauternes) and high acidity preserve the content for many years after bottling. Sauternes is a French Dessert wine from the Sauternais region of the Graves section in Bordeaux. Those who disagree contend that as ice wine ages it loses its distinctive acidity, fruitiness, aroma, and freshness.

References

  1. ^ Deutsches Weininstitut (German Wine Institute): Quality categories, accessed on April 6, 2008
  2. ^ OnAHigh.org September 15, 2006: Royal DeMaria: World's Most Expensive Ice Wine
  3. ^ a b Ontariograpes.com: Icewine, accessed on April 6, 2008
  4. ^ Deutsches Weininstitut (German Wine Institute): Must weights, accessed on April 6, 2008
  5. ^ Wines from Austria: Quality Designations in Detail, accessed on April 6, 2008
  6. ^ Wein-Plus Weinglossar: Mostgewicht, accessed on April 6, 2008
  7. ^ Institut Viti-Vinicole Grand Duché de Luxembourg: Spezialweine, accessed on April 6, 2008

See also

Canadian wine is produced in Southern Ontario and southern British Columbia, and Nova Scotia. German wine is primarily produced in the southwest of Germany, along River Rhine and its tributaries with the oldest plantations going back to the Roman

Dictionary

ice wine

-noun

  1. a sweet wine made from grapes that are harvested after the first frost
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