|
 Eiswein
By Kathy Kongelbak
The grapes for ice wines are picked during the
first frost of the winter season, while the water weight is
suspended within the grape sack in the form of ice crystals.
These crystals, along with the pomace, will be left behind in the
grape sack during the pressing process. (Using this method a winery
will lose 20 to 40 percent more juice than when making a typical
table wine.)
The removal of the water weight creates a greater concentration
of sugar, acid, and flavors in ice wine, and improved levels of
balance compared to most other styles of dessert wines. One of the
first things that you will notice when tasting an ice wine is that
it tends to have more of an earthiness then a Trockenbeerenauslese
or late-harvest wine. Also, the flavors in ice wines are similar to
that of a wine-cellar-cave wine, with powdery fruit and sugar scents
rathern than the typical honeyed-slate nose of Trockenbeerenauslese,
Beerenauslese or late-harvest wines.
Here are a just a few of my very favorite ice wines:
- Jackson Trigs 2000, Riesling Ice Wine
- Inniskillin 1999, Cabernet Franc Ice Wine
- Monchhof 2001 (a superb vintage), Riesling Ice Wine
- Miltz 1999, Riesling Ice Wine
- Paradise Ranch 2000, Chardonnay Ice Wine
I must admit that I have found very few ice wines that I do not
like! Much like pizza or chocolate, there are simply various levels
of how much I like, love or adore each one.
- Kathy
|
|
