Ice wines are made by a surprising number
of Oregon and Washington wineries. TRUE ice wines, those mind boggling
expensive bits of ambrosia are almost entirely produced in North America
by a few wineries in British Columbia. We offer both types.
Did you
know that the Northwest produces some of the most highly rated sweet
wines? Ice wines from British Columbia's Inniskillin and Jackson Triggs
wineries win top ratings internationally, the highest rating ever for
Chateau Ste Michelle was 97 points from Wine Spectator for a very limited
ice wine, and at lower price points, Oregon and Washington wineries
make world class "Ice
wine styled" wines,
ports, fruit based desert wines, and late harvest wines.
Ice Wines
A speciality
of regions that get really cold after harvest, ice wines are fabulous
ultra-sweet dessert wines. The
most famous regions for ice wine are Germany, Austria and Canada, and
British Columbia makes some of the world’s best.
Until recently, British Columbia's Ice Wines
were not available in the US. Now, we are thrilled to offer the BC
Ice Wines of Inniskillin and Jackson Triggs, and continue to offer
the ice wines of Chateau Ste Michelle, Covey Run, Kiona, and Andrew
Rich, all NW producers.
Washington
State produces a few Ice Wines, not usually as highly rated (or nearly
as expensive as BC Ice Wines) but
quite worthy, highly rated "stickies".
Oregon has Andrew Rich, whose Gewurztraminer
Ice Wine is a perennial highly rated, highly prized Ice Wine at a bargain
$22 price.
To
make a "true" Ice Wine, grapes are left on the vine long
after harvest and are picked by hand once temperatures reach a certain
level, usually about 17 degrees Fahrenheit
(-8 Celsius). Typically wineries will trudge through snow in the middle
of the night to pick the grapes when it’s cold enough. These marble-hard
grapes then are crushed. Since they’re frozen, just a few drops
of sweet juice comes out and ultimately fermented. Because it’s
so hard to make and just a little results from the harvested fruit, ice
wine tends to be very expensive and usually comes in half-bottles.
The best ice wines are those that retain natural
acidity in the face of late harvests and high sugars. This is why Riesling
is one of the finest varieties for ice wine. A few wineries also are
experimenting with red ice wines, using Pinot Noir, Merlot and Cabernet
Franc.
Frozen Grapes about to be Crushed for Ice Wine
A
little ice wine is made in Washington and Idaho. Some wineries make “ice wine” by picking late-harvest grapes,
then freezing them. The resulting wines are not nearly as good as the
real thing, and changes in the law in 2003 has forced wineries that
make such wines to label them as something other than ice wine. So
when you see “ice wine” on the label, you know you’re
getting a true ice wine.
Grapes on the Vine, Ready to Pick
Grapes are left on the vine well into the winter
months. The resulting freezing and thawing of the grapes dehydrates
the fruit, and concentrates the sugars, acids, and extracts in the
berries, thereby intensifying the flavours and adding complexity to
the wine made from it.
Genuine
icewine must follow VQA (Vintners Quality Alliance) regulations that
prohibit any artificial freezing of grapes. The grapes are painstakingly
picked by hand in their natural frozen state, ideally at temperatures
of -10 to -13 degrees C -- sometimes the picking must be done at night
to take advantage of the temperature. Yields are very low, often as
little as 5-10 percent of normal.
The frozen grapes are pressed in the extreme
cold. The water in the juice remains frozen as ice crystals, and only
a few drops of sweet concentrated juice is obtained. This juice is
then fermented very slowly for several months, stopping naturally.
The finished icewine is intensely sweet and flavorful
in the initial mouth sensation. The balance is achieved by the acidity,
which gives a clean, dry finish. The nose of icewine recalls lychee
nuts. The wine tastes of tropical fruits, with shadings of peach nectar
and mango.
Icewine
is winter's gift to the wine lover: one of the best-kept secrets of
the wine world that garners gold medals in virtually every competition
in which it is entered.
The greatest of international accolade for Canadian
Icewine was bestowed on Inniskillin 1989 Icewine at Vinexpo, Bordeaux,
in June 1991. This wine, judged by an international panel, was accorded
the fair's highest award, Le Grand Prix d'Honneur.
Wine Spectator 92 points: This unique wine is filled with rich flavors of honey, ripe fruit and melons. It has great depth and acidity with an elegant yet complex finish that lingers on and on. food a ...read more
The Harris Bridge Shortline Dessert Wine is delicately sweet with an aroma of lilac and honey. There's a hint of apricot and sweet must on the finish. ...read more
Andrew says: "Seduction in a bottle. Give in. You know you want to. Just give in."
"I hadn't tasted this wine much since it was bottled last spring, so when I brought a sip of it to my
...read more
Hold your hats on...
We named this 2:1 for the ratio of skins to juice - twice the extraction for this concentrated juice gives this wine an intensity. Rich berry, bold tannins and complexity that
...read more
From the winery: "Our Ice Wine is made by hand picking Riesling grapes from our Winery Hill Vineyard and pressing the clusters while still frozen. Because the water is frozen, the sugars, acids and fl ...read more
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Made by Ray Walsh, who was winemaker at King Estate from 1992 to 2005, this is a spectacular dessert wine, rich yet well balanced, with lovely fresh crisp acidity of ...read more
Beautiful amber color. Aromas of apricots, white raisins, acacia honey, lychee, rose, Turkish Delight, and roasted nuts explode out of the glass. Thick and viscous on the palate, the wine is very swee ...read more
Wine Spectator 90 points: "Very sweet and rich in texture, offering honey and wildflower aromas and flavors that persist nicely on the unctuous finish. Drink now through 2007. 500 cases made."(HS)
...read more
Sweet Sydney is a Zinfandel Icewine named for the winemaker's beautiful and, well, sweet daughter, Sydney. Freezing Zinfandel effectively removes water as ice crystals concentrating sugars, flavors a ...read more
HIGHLY RECOMMENDEDFrom the winery: "This wine is both intensely aromatic and varietally distinct, from an incredible Icewine vintage. Portraying aromas of herbs, eucalyptus, strawberry, baked r ...read more
The grape is "Vidal" and the flavors are exquisite. The nobility of this vintage shines with an alluring assortment of fresh nectarine, papaya, litchi, tangerine and orange blossoms. These exquisite f ...read more
Wine Spectator rating 93 points for 2002 vintage: "Racy and intense, this ice wine jolts the palate with its dried apricot, blood orange and mint aromas and flavors. It's very sweet, yet offset with ...read more
Wine Spectator rating 90 points: "Rich and thick, with a sweet/tart character, mango, guava and apricot flavors and a vibrant structure. An up-front style that's sure to please. Drink now thro ...read more
Wine Spectator rating 90 points: "Rich and thick, with a sweet/tart character, mango, guava and apricot flavors and a vibrant structure. An up-front style that's sure to please. Drink now through 200 ...read more
Harris Bridge Vineyard 2003 Pinot Noir Story Reserve Dessert Wine offers a hint of chocolate and pepper in the aroma. Blackberry and currant lead into a subtle sweetness on the palette. A touch of oak ...read more >>
Huge aroma of blackberry and oak, with rich velvety tannins and texture on the palate. Loads of plum and currant in a warm progresion onto the finish. ...read more
The dark cherry aroma hints at a liqueur, a delicate progression of warmth, bery and a hint of citrus on the finish. ...read more
Their best Dessert wine, with a "Story" attached to the top of each bottle. The nose leads with a heavy molasses aroma followed by hints of pear and apricot. It progresses across the toung with rich b ...read more >>
Oh my oh my. Just amazing. All the richness of ice wine, plus a wonderful sparkling spritz that seems to accentuate the flavors. Pure delight. Very very limited. Wine Spectator rating 89 ...read more
Barking Frog's Dulcis is made from frozen Syrah grapes picked when extremely ripe and loaded with sugar. Scents of passion fruit, kiwi, and tropical fruit are echoed in the sweet flavors of this v
...read more
60% Riesling, 32% Gewurztraminer and 8% Muscat. While Riesling supplies the weight of this wine with fresh pear, apricot and honey notes the Gewurztraminer and Muscat add spiciness and aromatics, r
...read more
REAL DEAL - L'Ecole makes a lovely late harvest semillon every year that sells out quickly. This time, the grapes froze on the vine, and the winery was able to make a real ice wine.
It's ver ...read more >>
The palate is extremely rich and powerful with intermingling flavors of kiwi, pineapple and papaya that seem to last forever. ...read more >>
Simply exquisite, a small bottle lessens the sticker shock, a wonderful size bottle for gift giving, for taste testing the marvel of nature that is British Columbia Ice Wine. The wines has rich tropic ...read more
Peter makes two dessert wines, named for his two daughters. It was suggested that he make a dessert wine named for his deightful wife, Nancy. Asked what he would call it, he quickly popped out "old ba ...read more >>
Wine Press NW says: "A delicious late-harvest wine with aromas of poached fruit and flavors of baked apples dripping with spicy honey. Hints of orange zest complete the wine. Won gold at the Dallas Mo ...read more
Eola Hills Vin d'Or dessert wine is a sweet, viscous "sticky" with intense peach and apple flavors. ...read more
Really special dessert wine made from Pinot gris-- Jim has quite the knack for making dessert wines. ...read more
Washington State's intense The rich autumn gold of the 2003 Chenin Blanc Ice Wine is the first indication of the intense concentration of the wine. Aromas of honeyed peach, melon, pear, apple and tro ...read more
Rich, unctuous, with great layers of sweet fruit and acidity to keep the wine refreshing. Made from frozen grapes in the style of an ice wine, this wine opens with the floral notes of the white narcis ...read more
An intense nose of dried apricot and spiced figs leads into an explosively flavorful palate of fresh, ripe succulent fruit. While lush in every way, it manages to avoid being at all cloying finishing ...read more
Our best deal in dessert wine- luscious. Highly recommended, from a tiny winery using old vine Pinot gris to make this delicious ice-wine-style sipper. ...read more >>
Aromas of honeysuckle, rose petals, crisp apples and tangerines. A sweet and thick coating on the palate aligns itself with good balanced acidity. Flavors of orange blossoms, honey, almonds, minerals ...read more
Intense, rich, just luscious for the very reasonable price. The 2005 vintage was harvested in late November when the grapes were intensely ripe and flavorful. The wine is unctuously rich and sensual, ...read more >>
Wine Spectator rating 88 points: "Sweet but balanced, with a welcome earthy, slightly bitter edge to the ripe pear, apricot and spice flavors. Drink now through 2006. 800 cases made." ...read more
To
make a "true" Ice Wine, grapes are left on the vine long
after harvest and are picked by hand once temperatures reach a certain
level, usually about 17 degrees Fahrenheit
Genuine
icewine must follow VQA (Vintners Quality Alliance) regulations that
prohibit any artificial freezing of grapes. The grapes are painstakingly
picked by hand in their natural frozen state, ideally at temperatures
of -10 to -13 degrees C -- sometimes the picking must be done at night
to take advantage of the temperature. Yields are very low, often as
little as 5-10 percent of normal.
Icewine
is winter's gift to the wine lover: one of the best-kept secrets of
the wine world that garners gold medals in virtually every competition
in which it is entered.
