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Nectar of the Gods

Icewine an accidental discovery that’s perfectly suited to B.C.

The hot dry weather that helped to fuel the forest fires in B.C.’s Interior this past summer also helped to produce top quality wine grapes in terms of ripeness and flavour concentration. Last week’s cold snap had Okanagan vineyards scrambling with an earlier than usual harvest of grapes destined to become Icewines. The heat of the summer and early cold this fall combined to make what will become a perfect balance of sugar and acidity in what will be a banner year for Icewine production.

I was fortunate to attend last week’s food and wine Cornucopia celebration. When there are over 80 international and regional wineries offering sips of their select vintages it is best to employ a strategy of tasting, particularly if you choose to swallow rather than spit. I have a particular fondness for dessert wines and since Icewines are usually outside my budget constraints – they usually run at around $50 for a half-sized bottle – I made my way around the newly renovated Telus Conference Centre to sample what many people call the nectar of the Gods.

Although Canada is the world’s leading producer of Icewine, it was first made, most likely by accident, in Germany. Around 1790, an early frost hit the vineyards in Franconia before harvest. Not wanting to waste all the grapes and lose out on wine for that year, the vintners harvested the frozen grapes and were relieved to see a thick syrup squeezed out by the press. The resulting wine was especially sweet and eiswein (Icewine) has been produced ever since.

Icewine is made by harvesting grapes late in the season after they have frozen on the vine. The late harvest usually ensures that the grapes have lost much of their water content through repeated frost and thaws, which concentrates the amount of sugar, acids and extracts in the berries. The frozen grapes are hand picked and, while still frozen and as hard as marbles, they are pressed. The water is pressed from the grapes as ice crystals leaving a highly concentrated juice that is very high in both acid and sugar. The juice is fermented slowly for several months and stops naturally.

The most common grapes used to make Icewine are Vidal and Riesling, although it can be made from other varietals as well. Vidal is a hybrid, usually used in a blend to make other wines but especially suited on its own in the production of Icewine. The skins are thick and tough, helping the grape’s resistance to mould and rot, especially through the wet months of autumn. Vidal grapes are fruity with good sugar content and good acidity. Riesling grapes, usually used for the production of dry, white wines, particularly in Germany and Alsace, produce particularly elegant Icewines.

The first Icewine in Canada was made by Walter Hainle in 1973, in Peachland, B.C. He produced the first commercially available Icewine in North America in 1978. His son, Tilman, went to Germany to qualify as a winemaker and, after returning to Canada, the family opened Hainle Vineyards in 1988 at 5355 Trepanier Bench Road in Peachland. Now owned by Walter and Shelley Huber, the vineyard continues to produce elegant dry white wines, red wines, late harvest wines and Icewines with the talents of winemakers Tilman Hainle and Jason Parks.

Since 1992 the vineyard has committed to organic viticulture and winemaking. Their wines reflect a covenant to quality, displaying true, powerfully flavoured wines that have been made with minimal technical equipment and without the use of elaborate mechanical or technical intervention.

Hainle vineyards has a number of different vintages of Icewines available. The oldest, also the most expensive real Icewine ever to hit the market, is a 1983 Riesling Icewine, released last winter, worth $245 a bottle.

Why is Icewine so expensive? Though the concept of pressing frozen grapes frosted with ice crystals may sound romantic in a Dr. Zhivago sort of way, the harvest is incredibly labour intensive. Harvesting is usually done at night time, when the temperatures are sure to remain low, and it is done entirely by hand.

Not only that but Icewine production in Canada follows strict production rules set out by the Vintner’s Quality Alliance (VQA). Temperatures are required to be -8C or lower during both the harvesting of the grapes as well as during the pressing. Winemakers in B.C. are required to notify the British Columbia Wine Institute four to six hours before harvest by phoning in to the "Coldline" which will verify and confirm the temperatures at which harvest began and pressing finished. The finished wines must also be submitted for panel analyses to confirm sugar and acid levels and that all manufacturing requirements were followed.

Harvest yield is also incredibly small – as low as 5 to 10 per cent. Ripe grapes hanging on the vines are a delightful treat to birds and bears alike so defending the berries from the animals also becomes part of the process.

Ensuring authenticity became a priority when a business man from Taiwan bought (at great expense) fake Icewine. It is not difficult to throw grapes into the freezer, add some grape concentrate, some sugar and a fake label and sell a half bottle for 50 bucks even if the wine has no quality or character. The VQA logo ensures that the product is real and has met or surpassed required standards.

Icewine is a dessert wine. Intensely sweet, it can be paired with desserts that are dairy based, such as creme caramel or ice cream, but it’s well highlighted alongside fruit which will bring out fruity echoes in the wine. Better still, they are best enjoyed on their own as dessert where their aromas of honey and caramel and flavours of apricot, litchi and orange will really shine. Even though they are pricey, a little goes a long way and a bottle can be shared among several people. They make a great gift as the bottles often have beautiful labels and long slender necks.

It may be gilding the lily, but there are even sparkling Icewines to be had, with tiny, elegant bubbles which make any evening enchanting.