Ice Wine: It's Not Frozen!

Author: greycat344

Many wine newcomers assume that because "ice wine" has the word "ice" in it, that it is frozen. Some assume that you can stick a bottle of wine in the freezer for a while and call it ice wine. Both of these common misconceptions are far from the truth. In fact, ice wine is one of best kept secrets of fine wine collecting and enjoyment. Many wine enthusiasts don't even know what ice wine is! Some describe ice wine as the "nectar of the gods", a finely-tuned sweet concoction that must be enjoyed in tiny amounts. You will be surprised at how fairly simple it is to produce ice wine. It can be made with a simple adjustment in harvesting time.

Even the least-agriculturally knowledgeable person knows that frost is a bad thing for plants right? Wrong. Ice wine is actually made from grapes that have been frozen while still on the vine. The sugars and other dissolved solids within don't freeze, but the water does, so the result is a concentrated, very sweet wine. Ice wine even has a different viscosity than regular wine. It is thick and smooth, with the texture of honey. It is not sticky, as you might expect. Ice wine is a very unique specialty wine product that's making a bold statement in wine collecting.

Unlike the grapes from which other dessert wines are made, grapes affected by the fungus Botrytis cinerea or noble rot are not used in the creation of ice wine. Only healthy grapes stay viable until the most opportune time for ice wine harvest, which occurs much later in the year. This gives ice wine its characteristic sweetness balanced with high acidity. It also makes ice wine rarer and harder to harvest in large quantities. You will get many servings out of a single bottle, as you only drink 2 - 4 ounces at a time. This is a little less than half the average glass of ordinary wine. Any more than 4 ounces tends to be too rich for most people to enjoy!

Most ice wine grapes are frozen naturally, meaning that they are not harvested until the weather reaches -17 degrees Fahrenheit. As a result, harvesters must work in extremely cold conditions, often at night – if that is when the prescribed temperature is reached. To get around this and save time, some winemakers use mechanical freezing, or cryo-extraction, to freeze their grapes. These processes, coupled with an increased fermentation time due to the higher sugar levels, cause ice wine in general to be a bit more expensive than your average table wine. An average bottle can be anywhere from 40-50 mL, and cost about $40. More high quality ice wines are more than $100, and can easily reach several hundred dollars.

Like all the finer things in life, ice wine is best enjoyed in moderation. Its sweetness and price tend to have most wine enthusiasts imbibing just a little bit after dinner occasionally. Don't let its price fool you though, it is well worth it.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/wines-and-spirits-articles/ice-wine-its-not-frozen-4457672.html

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