Posted by Sasha Grigorieva in beverages, wine on June 30, 2007 at 7:03 am
Canada Day is almost upon us and it is time to talk about Canada's unique contribution to the world wine picture.
I mean icewine of course, and especially Vidal icewine, to be precise. Icewine is basically an aromatic rich sweet wine, pressed from hand-picked grapes frozen on the vine at no less than -8 degrees C (this allows the supreme concentration of grape juice as the water freezes out and only flavourful liquid grape sugar remains). Although icewine was first created in Germany, it is in Canadian wine-making (mostly in Ontario) that icewine has become a regular mainstay and not an occasional lucky fluke as in Europe. There is more on icewine history and techniques here.
As for Vidal - like the Baco Noir I have recently been raving about - it is an often underestimated hybrid of one of the Old World’s most common and cheap plonky varietals; Trebbiano (or Ugni Blanc) and a French-American Rayon d’Or (“Golden Beam”). Vidal’s propensity to achieve both high-sugar and high-acidity levels when ripening even in the relatively cold Canadian climate makes it a perfect varietal for making icewine, the result being usually balanced, harmonious and not cloying at all, high sugar content notwithstanding. So it is no wonder that Vidal icewine seems to represent the majority of Canadian icewine production.
Riesling icewine is cool, Cabernet Franc icewine, raisiny. Still If I had to use only one word for describing Vidal icewine I would probably choose the word “lush”. Vidal icewine is mostly incredibly rich and fruity in flavour. Colio CEV Vidal icewine 2004 for example, tastes of ripe bananas, mango and vanilla, whereas Ancient Coast Vidal icewine 2003 releases a heady exotic bouquet of passion fruit, peaches and honey. I have yet to try a dry Vidal wine that will impress me but I have no lack of sweet Vidal icewine memories.
My current personal favourite is Lakeview Cellars Vidal icewine 2005 that I tasted at the SipOntario. For just under $20 (and icewine is usually way more expensive than that) one can get a charming medium-sweet wine that has a lovely split personality first displaying ripe melon in the bouquet, then making a rapid transition to apricots, and so on. It is maybe somewhat less full-bodied than other icewines, but it is certainly beautifully balanced (may be slightly helped by a little addition of Gewuerztraminer and Riesling, I have been told), when chilled - a perfect summer party dessert wine to go with noble blue cheeses (such as Australian Roaring Forties) or with some melon salad, peach cobbler, or apricot custard tarts.
Actually, I suspect that Canadian Vidal icewine in general can convert even the most abstemious people to its side. Good job - cheers, Canada!
