Tasting Notes

2016 Vidal Ice Wine

Pear and brown sugar. Crisp mouthfeel with citrus notes. Perfectly balanced between sweetness and acidity. These Vidal grapes are sourced in Ohio. Grand River Valley AVA. Geneva On the Lake.


The vines are right next to Lake Erie, which provides the "Lake Effect"-- when wind blows off lake it is extremely cold, freezing grapes to optimum temperature.

2016 Vidal Ice Wine bottle

Technical Information

Appellation:

Ohio. Grand River Valley AVA. Genevra On the Lake.

Varietal: 

100% Vidal

Alc/Vol:

14.8%

Cases Produced: 

200 

Good to Know

Ice wine legally has to be harvested at 18 degrees or below at harvest. Because it is pressed while the grapes are still frozen, Essentially only pressing out the sugar, condensing the flavors, into a syrup. Pressing can take 12 hours or longer. There is a story that Germany began creating ice wine through a “happy accident”. Apparently, a German wine maker was going to harvest that night, went to the pub, had too much to drink, came back and found his grapes frozen-- but he decided to harvest anyway.
Canadians have taken a run with it. A single bottle can cost upwards of 250 dollars. Chinese have tried to mimic this process through a term called "cryoextraction."--- the process of freezing grapes mechanically.

Ice wine is an after dinner drink, often enjoyed with vanilla ice cream or white chocolate.