Inniskillin Sparkling Ice Wine 375 ml

Inniskillin Sparkling Ice Wine - Oh my oh my. Just amazing.

My very favorite ice wine in the world is the Inniskillin Sparkling Riesling Ice Wine. It is ice wine at its best in a sparkling champagne style.

Aromas of honeysuckle and jasmine and flavors of fresh lime, apricot, grapefruit, peach blossoms and peach cobbler. Sweet and incredibly rich, but the sparkle and a skooch of tart citrus keep it refreshing. It's so hard to restrain myself and stop refilling the glass. Unforgettable. - Jean

Sublime aromatics of fresh lime, apricot, grapefruit and peach blossoms with a slight mineral edge. A racy interplay of sweet and tart offer up echoing flavors of lemon, lime and candied apricot. Truly a vibrant and refreshing experience! - the winery

From the winery: "Fine elegant bubbles with pure focused northern fruit aromas, of fresh apricot, nectarine and peach. These wonderfully enlightened flavours both enchant and delight your palate offering incredible length, finesse and balance."

VINIFICATION

The harvest occurs at the pinnacle of Canada's crisp winter. Exceptional grapes, naturally frozen on the vine, are delicately handpicked and carefully pressed throughout the night. Grapes, picked frozen solid from the vines, were manually loaded into the presses without de-stemming or crushing, and were pressed at an ambient temperature of -10?C or colder. This technique yields only a fraction of the normal yield (approximately 10 - 20%) as most of the natural water portion of the juice remains in the press in the form of ice crystals.

During the pressing the water in the grapes remains frozen as ice crystals, and is easily extracted from the juice. What remains are a few precious drops of silky sweet unadulterated liquid. Once guided through our arduous fermentation, the resulting wine can only be hailed as 'Nectar of the Gods'. This very unique sparkling wine has been crafted by using Icewine as a cuvee, and produced in the Charmat Method. During fermentation, the naturally occurring carbon dioxide is trapped in the stainless steel tank, and dissolves into the wine. Aromas of nectarines and apricots dominate the nose, with a hint of lychee nut in the background. On the palate, this wine shows a very delicate but lively effervescence, which is balanced beautifully by the generous natural acidity.

TASTING NOTES

Fine elegant bubbles with pure focused northern fruit aromas, of fresh apricot, nectarine and peach. These wonderfully enlightened flavours both enchant and delight your palate offering incredible length, finesse and balance.

Food Pairing Suggestions: Fruit based desserts, foie gras - pan seared or terrine, and spiced asian cuisine and a wide variety of cheeses. Longevity: Enjoy now through 2010. Serving Temperature: 5 - 9?C.

- Maria Moessner, Inniskillin Estate Sommelier