Chill out! ~ Ice Wine vs Iced Wine

Frost Bitten ~ an Iced Riesling

So you’re standing in the aisle of your favorite wine emporium and you’re looking at a few bottles of ice wine. You come across something called ‘Ice Riesling” and you wonder, “what’s the difference?”

If you read my last post, you know that Ice wine is picked and pressed outside in sub- zero conditions to ensure consistency in both cold temps and sugar content. It faithfully adheres to a traditional method of wine making.

Iced wine, by comparison, is made from harvested grapes that are mechanically frozen after they are picked. Essentially, a wine broker or negociant can, via phone call or e-mail, hook up with a vineyard already growing and harvesting grapes, have them mechanically freeze some of the harvest and produce a variation of ice wine that is then bottled and sold.With iced wines, there’s no getting up at 3am, and venturing into the vineyards in a snowmobile suit to hand pick grapes until sunrise.

‘Frost Bitten’ Ice Riesling  is one such iced wine made this way.  Is it false advertising? Not necessarily. Most broker-based wines are careful to label accordingly. However, the distinction on ‘Frost Bitten’  is in small print on the back of the bottle: “Wine made from post-harvest frozen Riesling grapes.” On the website it’s described as, “A classic German-styled Trocken-Beernauslese- like dessert wine.” But how many lay people really know what that means?

That said, a wine broker is doing a service to many grape farmers who, due to the economic downturn, might not be able to sell all of their grapes in a particular year. It also gives them a way to sell off some of their product at a lower price point, under another name, while keeping their higher priced, name product intact. It is a win-win proposition and not necessarily a bad practice, I just think it’s important for the consumer to be aware of exactly what they’re getting in their glass. And I think it’s important to give the true ice wine makers their due: they get up awfully early, out in the cold to produce something rare for you to enjoy. And while the price point might seem extravagant, you usually get what you pay for.

I remember, some time ago, controversy between producers of Canadian ice wine and California vintners who wanted to  call their sweet, post-harvest frozen grape offering ‘Ice wine’. The Canadians and Germans (who originally created eiswein) took them to court to identify and protect  what could be classified as true ice wine. They also wanted to ensure that consumers weren’t buying something they thought was pure ice wine but was actually a variation. From this came some strict guidelines that were set in place and outlined by Wines of Canada.

In the name of science, and to appease my curiosity, I bought a bottle of Frost Bitten Ice Riesling to try after my Sunday night dinner. What I found was a light, sweet wine, similar in consistency to a thin late harvest. It had a nice pineapple bouquet and an robust raisin essence but it didn’t have the full, velvet-y mouthfeel of ice wine.  Overall, it was a refreshing, little dessert wine. When I paired it with some Belgian dark chocolate, it became less sweet but was still quite pleasant on the palate. I liked it, but it just didn’t taste as decadent and rich as an ice wine, and maybe that’s the point.

For some, it’s a probably like tomato and tomahto. It makes very little difference, except when you look at the price point: $12 per bottle for the iced variation, compared to $29 for ice wine. And I guess it all depends on what you like and what you want to pay for a dessert wine.

But I still think it’s good to keep in mind that part of what you’re paying for in the higher priced, true ice wine is the considerable time, effort and care it takes to produce it.

Cheers!

The Ice Wine Cometh…

The Sweet Escape: Ice Wine

It’s sweet and rare, and if you knocked back a whole bottle by yourself, you might need a trip to your local ER to check your blood glucose levels. It’s ice wine and it’s mighty fine.  It’s taken me a little while to put these next couple of posts together. For one thing, there’s so much information about it, for another, I wanted to get it right.  Producers of true ice wine work very hard to accomplish what they do and in some chilly, low temps. Shrinkage is a given. So here we go, into the land of ice wine and snow …

Ice. Wine. Baby.

Ice wine is a rich, dessert wine made from the juice of partially frozen grapes. They must remain on the vine and harvested when temperatures dip to between -8 and -12 degrees Celsius over three consecutive days. The sugar content of the grapes at this time will be at its most concentrated. The water inside the juice is minimal resulting in extreme concentration of flavor, sweetness, aromatics and viscosity.

Iced Vineyard [image via David Boily|AFP|Getty Images

Canada (primarily the Niagara region) and Germany are the leading producers of ice wine (with an increasing number of good producers in Western New York and Ohio)  and yet it is still quite rare; yielding 5-10% of a normal harvest. The brisk temperatures that we complain about when we scrape off our cars are ideal for ice wine, but it’s a delicate balance. The colder the temperatures become, the more the grapes freeze and it can become more difficult to extract the juice. Most ice wine is harvested in late December to mid January when the lower temperatures stay constant. Before the harvest, ice wine grapes must be netted for protection from birds and animals. Picking is generally done by hand and much of the time at night, when the low temperatures stay most consistent.  The crush is also done outside to keep the must at a constant, cold temperature. If any thaw occurs, the water content inside the grapes will increase, potentially spoiling the sugar concentration. It’s these factors that make ice wine a premium wine product and legitimize the price of $30.00+/ 375ml. Think about it: you’ve got to give it up to those who go out in the middle of the night to pick and press grapes for you to enjoy.

The best grapes for Icewine are those with thicker, more durable skins that will hold together during the freeze ~ thaw cycle common in cold weather. Grapes with higher acid, extremely high sugar yield the best. As with any wine, differing varieties produce different characteristics: Riesling has a green apple and honey vibe; Cabernet Franc produces a rich, berry, buttery character and Vidal, a good, hearty hybrid used commonly because of it’s durability gives a traditional raisin-y essence. Troutman Vineyards in Wooster, Ohio make an ice wine using Chambourcin, a rare, red varietal.

Grapes are 80-90% frozen to give the required concentration of sugar, which is measured by degrees Brix, typically 35 degrees. Brix is measured using hydrometer or refractometer. Both provide vital information about the amount of sugar that been dissolved and that will help the winemaker determine how much yeast to add, since yeast converts sugar into carbon dioxide and alcohol. The yeast used in ice wine must be one that can handle high sugar and not go too high in alcohol.  The yeast must be gradually acclimatized to increase the sugar environment. Fermentation can take 3-6 months and the percentage points in alcohol must progress slowly as this can increase spoilage if progressed too quickly.

After 3-6months, the ice wine needs to be filtered again, and very slowly or you get a fizzy wine. It’s a sticky process. Bottling is also slow so the wine doesn’t end up like fermented Hawaiian Punch.

Storage

Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc and Merlot are best when to drink when young. Gewurztraminer and Ehrenfelzer: 3-5 years maximum. Vidal and Riesling tend to be the most hearty and are best to cellar the longest at between 5-7 years. They make the best bet for long term cellaring because they are able to retain their acidity.

Like revenge and ice cream, ice wine is best served cold:

Ice wine should be served chilled but not frozen; extreme variations in temperature can compromise the quality of wine, so just chill in the fridge. The ideal temperature is around 12 degrees. As with most chilled wine, allow it to stand at  room temp for about 15 minutes to open up the bouquet.

Raise your glass

The glassware you choose is also important. I’ve made the mistake of serving it in liqueur glasses. I was wrong. So very wrong.  The common viewpoint among experts is that ice wine, like any other fine wine, should be served in glassware with a larger bowl (about 9 oz). All the better to sniff and swirl with. When you think about it, it makes sense. By swirling, you can better open up the intensity, bouquet and flavors of the ice wine. You also want to use a glass that has a stem, and hold by the stem or base to not heat your ice wine; it’s very delicate! While you might want it to stay cold as you sip, don’t you dare put ice in your ice wine. Considering what you’re paying for this rich nectar, you don’t want to water it down with melting ice. An option to keep it cold would be  whiskey stones. You can put in them the freezer, and they’ll keep your wine chilled but  won’t dilute it.

The best pairing for ice wine are chocolates, fresh fruit, and delicate, lighter cheeses. Yum.

After it’s been opened, ice wine can be re-corked and stored in the fridge for 3-5 days. But why would there be any left?? If, by chance, you’re looking for another way to use what remains, why not make an ice wine martini?

Ice Wine Martini:

10 large seedless grapes (2 halved grapes for garnish)

2oz Ice wine      (red gives a nice blush vibe to the ‘tini)

2oz Vodka                  (I use the Goose, but any will do)

ice       (yes, here you’re watering it down, so shoot me)

In your blender, puree 10 grapes with ice wine and vodka. Pour through a small strainer into the ice filled shaker. Shake it like you mean it! Strain again into a chilled martini glass and garnish with the grapes that you’ve dipped in lemon juice and sugar. Enjoy!

My Ice wine Martini

Next post, I’ll talk about the difference between Ice Wine and Iced Wines. And, yes, there is a difference between the two.

In the meantime bundle up, butter cup. We’ve got a little more ice on the horizon.

Cheers!

A Hot Kiss on a Cold Winter’s Night

The Hot Kiss: Chard and Dark Chocolate with Chipotle Pepper

I’m spending tonight on my own. It’s cold and blustery here in the Cleve, so I’m settling in with the leftover Enon Chard that I had in my fridge. I had bought some dark chocolate for my research on IceWine, and wondered what it would be like paired with the Chard. I thought if the spicy rice from the other night lit off some fireworks, maybe lightning could strike twice with a sweeter offering.

After the Chard loosened it’s chill (using the 15 minute rule), I took a little bite of the pepper-laced chocolate. As the heat began to swirl, I took a sip of the Chard. Lightning did strike again. And again. The chard took just a slight edge off the heat of the pepper, then sparkled into it’s own flavor; combining sweet and hot. Very nice.

I think tonight I will take my time, pair slowly, and enjoy the watching the snow fall delicately from the night sky.

Cheers!

Vegan and the Big O: Compare and Contrast

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I must say that I had a little trouble finding Vegan wines, ready to buy, here in the Cleve. While the wine stores I went to were happy to order it for me, I got myself into a conundrum for time; I wanted to post the comparison tasting soon after the initial post. So I took a little trip over to World Market Explorer on the West side, where I found a ’10 Pinot Noir from McManis Family Vineyards.

The Organic wine, an ’09 Bonterra Zinfandel, I found with no trouble at Heinen’s, my local supermarket.

According to the vegan beer, wine and liquor site, Barnivore, McManis is vegan friendly and uses only Diatomaceous earth and paper filtration.

Commenter Natural Ed had some great suggestions and I did take a road trip out the Whole Foods to try to find them. It felt a little like the Amazing Race for wine. Unfortunately, both stores didn’t have any of them in stock. I was pressed for time to order online, so I stayed with the McManis for the tasting. I had wanted to find two of the same varietal, but it was tricky enough to find a Vegan wine much less two Zins. I know that comparing Pinot and Zinfandel is a little like comparing apples to oranges, but I tried to keep an open mind about the quality of the wine itself. That said, I happen to like both Pinot Noir and Zin. For me, I didn’t taste any tangible difference between the organic and traditional; when they’re good, they’re good. And I’d expect the opposite is equally true.

DirtySpicyBerry 

We began with the Vegan Pinot Noir from McManis. The first impression was that it appeared a bit cloudy almost opaque in the glass. It had such a light bouquet that all of us had to get our noses far into our glasses to detect the light berry essence on the nose (which, for me, actually ended up on my nose). Shelly found a spicy, berry vibe that she thought was good. Cindy described a ‘dirty berry’ taste, while Terri found it to have a ‘Gurdy’ or astringent feel as it went down. I thought it tasted grippy, very earthy, young and thin. As a Pinot, I wasn’t expecting it to be as full as a Zin or Cab, and maybe I’ve been spoiled by Pinots from Oregon and Washington, but it did seem too simple and light for one hailing from California. I sipped more to see if it would evolve and gain some depth and it did, slightly, when I paired it with a little green pepper and tomato.

Smooth Operator

Yes, I know it’s a Sade song, but I think I accurately describes the Organic Zin from Bonterra. It was much richer in color (which is true of most Zins when compared to Pinot), with a full bouquet of rich berry that we could smell when I poured. It was a smooth and well-balanced with a flavor of deep blackberry, and a pepper kiss on the finish. Cindy described its quality as ‘full and creamy’ which it was. We agreed that it was very smooth with no bite; more complex by comparison. It was enjoyable on its own or paired with vegetables or crackers and hummus.

I know that our experiment had its flaws; comparing two different vintages and varietals being the most glaring. While we thought the McManis Vegan Pinot tasted young, the Zin had an extra year which could account for the complexity and richness.

The earthy overtones in the Vegan Pinot might be due to the fining process itself: could the earthy clay used to filter the wine, increase that quality in the taste?

My take away from this was that I was not put off Vegan wines at all; I’d like to try more.  I’d also like to test my hypothesis of clay fining’s influence on the final taste of vegan wine.

I enjoy trying new things and this study hall didn’t disappoint. It was a great night to experiment and to catch up with some great friends.

My next posts will be about the wonderful world of Icewine. With old man winter blowing into the Cleve tonight, it seems quite timely.

Cheers!

Thank you to Natural Ed for his great suggestions:

[From Whole Foods:

Pizzolato Prosecco made with Organically grown grapes & Vegan http://bit.ly/a0oSWW

Pizzolato Organic Italian Cabernet No Sulfites Added & Vegan http://bit.ly/a64esp

Biokult Austrian Grüner Veltliner – made with Organically grown grapes & farmed biodynamically http://bit.ly/a1e00e
Spartico Organic Spanish Tempranillo No Sulfites Added & Vegan http://bit.ly/cHbDz8

From Trader Joe’s:

ALBERO, Spanish Wines made with Organically grown grapes & Vegan http://bit.ly/eOQIFu

But I digress…

The Lovely Enon Chardonnay

Tonight, I had a lovely dinner of Monterey chicken, steamed, seasoned green beans, spicy rice. I paired it with a blind pick from my wine rack: an Enon Chardonnay from South Africa.

I haven’t had a Chardonnay since before summer ended but I wanted to tell you about this one. This happened to be my first sampling of South African Chards. It won’t be my last.  This was particularly fresh and kick-y, a light straw color with honey on the nose and very fruit forward on the palate. The oak-y, buttery undertones came alive when paired with the chicken and once the spicy rice came into play, it was like fireworks. It had a burst of light and then sparkled into a warm afterglow which was a real treat. Wait. That sounds like something else that has an afterglow. Maybe that’s why I liked it so much.

I’m going to give this one 4 out of 5 grapes.

Meanwhile, I’m getting the girls together for the Vegan ~ Organic wine tasting. I can’t wait to see what the verdict is!

Cheers!

Vegan Wines and the Big O

I used to assume that all wines were essentially Vegan. It’s of the earth, made of fermented grapes, and that’s about it. Or so I thought. And the big O to which I’m referring is Organic wine, not…Ohio.

Vegan and organic wines are often mistaken as interchangeable; because a wine is labelled organic doesn’t necessarily mean it’s vegan. Yet vegan wine is usually organic. Got it? You will.

A vegan wine is due to the process it goes through, specifically the fining or filtering process. During wine production, elements are introduced to clear the wine, ridding it of cloudiness, bitterness -  removing ‘off’ tastes and aromas. Fining agents tend to work like a magnet, collecting the unwanted constituents that settle to the bottom of the tank. The filtered, clear wine is filtered once again before it is bottled, so there are no traces of the fining agents that remain in the final product.

 Fining agents include:

• Egg Albumin
• Milk Proteins
• Edible Gelatin (from bone)
• Isinglass (from fish)

Since vegans do not consume anything with animal components, you can understand why this would go against the grain. In a truly vegan wine, the most common fining agent used is Bentonite Clay, a safe element that absorbs proteins in the wine causing that pesky, hazy cloudiness and bitterness.

Multiple Organic-isms

Organic wines are produced without the use of conventional pesticides, petroleum-based fertilizers (or sewage-sludge fertilizers…ew), bio-engineering or ionizing radiation. Organic vineyards have a government approved certifier to make sure that USDA organic standards are met.

Types of Organic wines:

• 100% ~ Organically grown with no added sulfites. NSA wines use only naturally occuring sulfites (from fermenting yeast that’s already present on the grapes). It can be considered an NSA wine if any added sulfites or total added sulfites don’t exceed 10ppm/bottle.
• Made from Organic grapes ~ (adhering to the above USDA standards). These wines may have additional sulfates.
• Biodynamically Farmed ~ This uses the vineyards natural resources to produce high-quality grapes without using pesticides, fungicides, herbacides, synthetic fertilizers or growth stimulants. Certified biodynamic vinyards meet and usually exceed standards of organic certified farming.
• Sustainable Farming ~ For a farm to be sustainable, it must maintian productivity while supporting the long-term health of the eco system. They do this in a vairety of ways including encouraging and attracting insects that are beneficial to the vineyard; they attack the nasty ones while maintaining integrity to the vines and ripening fruit.

I Love “Ewe”

Got Weeds? [Image via photographyblogger

 

That’s a really bad pun. Every time I write a bad pun, you should take a drink of wine. You’ll be through that bottle of vegan wine in no time.

A growing number of organic, biodynamic sustainable farmers are using sheep to groom their vineyards. In fact, there are those who specialize in training both sheep and goats to eat only the weeds at their hooves, leaving the grape leaves, vines and emerging fruit to flourish. It’s a delicate balance; if they’re not trained, they’ll eat everything in front of them. And they might be pretty ticked if you try to tell them any different.

I’ve never had organic wine, much less  vegan and I’m looking forward to seeing whether there is a discernible difference between organic, vegan and traditional.

In my next post, I’ll compare and contrast, but I am having a bit of a challenge finding a true vegan wine at my local wine store. I’ll keep looking because the best part about being the wine student is experimenting.

Cheers!

New Year ~ New Choices

We had a lovely New Year’s Eve and the Mumm’s did not disappoint. It proved to be a terrific sparkler all on its own and gained even more depth when I paired sips with chocolate and strawberries. It wasn’t a night of partying down; we kept things quiet, low key and very special. It was nice to have a few moments to reflect and just enjoy being together, especially after so much ‘busy’ through the holiday.

For last night’s New Year’s Day dinner, I slow roasted a Prime Rib that I respectfully rubbed down with oil, minced garlic, (embedding garlic cloves along the way with great care) pepper, and a little thyme.

What should I pair it with? In the past, I’ve always reached for a robust Cabernet, but New Year’s is all about change and trying something new. A recommendation I read about was Petit Syrah. This is not to be confused with Syrah or Shiraz, which, I did. Petit Syrah is from a small grape that produces a deep wine with hi tannins and good acidity. It’s the acidity that cuts the fatty richness of the beef. That was exactly what I was looking for, so into the ‘cellar’ I went. And out I came, empty handed. We had a plethora of Pinot, a cacophony of Cab and a peppering of others but no Petit.

Ready to open: the 08 d'Arenberg 'The Footbolt' Shiraz

I had to move to Plan B. I remembered an 08 d’Arenberg The Footbolt Shiraz that we’d bought some time ago. Shiraz can be hearty and robust, with soft tannins and subtle oak. We noticed the flavors of this vintage were of a lightly spiced blackberry. On the palate was  a hi mineral taste at first finish. It began to settle nicely into a hearty pepper- berry combination when paired with the warm richness of the beef and Yorkshire pudding.

The Footbolt Shiraz is from the McLaren Vale appellation. Prime growing season tends to be very dry, hot and sunny which is ideal for producing robust, flavorful grapes. Rainy winters provide good natural irrigation held in reserve for the next growing season.

I admit I was a little skeptical but this Shiraz proved to be every bit as robust as the hearty Cab. Sometimes it’s good, and quite tasty, to move outside your comfort zone.

Cheers!