Mentioning the word icewine in Niagara, a region touted as the greatest producer of the dessert wine in the world, illicits one of two reactions: slavering drool and mad ravings from tourists and consumers, who swarm the wineries throughout the year looking for half-bottles of the precious liquid; or rolling-eyes and grimaces on the faces of winemakers and growers, because of icewine’s stickiness both literally (in the winery, it’s a pain to work with) and figuratively.

Growers have indeed been in a bit of a panic around here with the unseasonably warm weather. In Canada, by legal definition, icewine can only be made from naturally frozen grapes. No cryogenics, no freezer storage, just good old Mother Nature giving us Canucks a dose of frosty weather. The grapes must be harvested at a minimum temperature of -8 °C (17 °F ) and be pressed frozen in order to be able to put the word ‘icewine’ on the label. Seeing that Ontario has been struggling to reach freezing temperatures all winter up until recently, concerns* about the icewine crops have been popping up since December. Looking at the long-term area forecast, growers should be okay to get the grapes off the vine, provided that they can recover from the ice storm that hit here recently.

As if to stave off the uneasy feelings, the Niagara Icewine Festival is upon us this week, from the 19th-28th, and showcases the romance and seduction of the peninsula’s hallmark wine style. Packed to the brim with gourmet galas, winemaker events, seminars, and much more, the festival is one of the annual highlights on the regional event calendar and a week not to be missed for icewine enthusiasts or curious adventurers. The Program of Events can be downloaded in PDF format by clicking here.

I highly recommend, no I insist, that if you’re within a comfortable travelling distance, that you attempt to make the trip to Niagara to check out our own version of ‘nectar of the gods’. Packaged vacation deals are being offered at hotels and bed & breakfasts, wineries are bustling with preparation, and with the warm weather, the curse of this year’s crop, previous year’s efforts can be enjoyed in comfort and reasonable warmth. A great value deal for those interested in hitting more wineries rather than less, pick up the Icewine Discovery Pass and take part in some of the events put on by the individual wineries. Be sure to come by Creekside Estate, where you may be lucky enough to catch me roasting chestnuts, the winery’s annual festival tradition, and pouring our newly released partially barrel-fermented 2005 Vidal. If you think you may make the trip, be sure to drop me a line by clicking the ‘Contact Us’ link in the right hand menu of Grape Juice, and let me know you’ll be in the area. There’s plenty of fun to be had, and plenty of pride on display by Ontario winemakers.

Way back in November, Kitchen Chick hosted Wine Blogging Wednesday #27: Icy Desserts, which challenged bloggers to get out there and try the glorious goo. Michelle and I, with the best of intentions as always, did an entire icewine tour of the Niagara region to taste some of the variety of icewine out there. We felt that the true diversity of Niagara ice was poorly represented (no fault of anyone’s really, it’s impossible to find anything but Inniskillin and Jackson-Triggs outside of Ontario) and we wanted to provide people with a more comprehensive tasting. We just never wrote it up in time for the deadline (surprised?), and so decided to pick out a few for January as a lead-in to the festival. Without further ado:

Mountain Road Wine Company - 1999 Vidal Icewine

Country: Canada
Region: VQA Niagara Peninsula
Producer: Mountain Road Wine Company
Blend: 100% Vidal
Alcohol: 11.2% (w/v)
Residual Sugar: Sweet

Price: $34.95(CDN) /375mL; $19.95 (CDN)/200mL
Visit the vineyard!

Tasting Note:

Multi-gold medal winning vidal icewine isn’t necessarily hard to come by on the peninsula, but here’s one from a smaller producer that really impressed on our last tour through. Bombarding both the nose and palate with sensuous apricot, honey and marmalade, the 1999 vintage from Mountain Road was a fine specimen of characteristic Vidal icewine. Kept clean with a zip of acidity the very lengthy honeyed citrus finish made the wine seem less of a burden than some.

Coyote’s Run Estate Winery - 2004 Riesling Icewine

Country: Canada
Region: VQA Niagara Peninsula
Producer: Coyote’s Run Estate Winery
Blend: 100% Riesling
Alcohol: 11.2% (w/v)
Residual Sugar: Sweet

Price: $49.95(CDN) /375mL
Visit the vineyard!

Tasting Note:

This winery is really growing on me, and on reviewers all over Canada, who have seen fit to start throwing some impressive awards at it. From their continued success with Pinot Noir, having been given the ‘Best of the Year’ award at the Canadian Wine Awards for the second straight year, to award-winning Cabernet Franc and Chardonnay, Coyote’s Run is a winery to watch.

There is absolutely no word for this wine other than astounding. It’s pretty much been given the thumbs up by every wine critic in the country, as well as provincial Cuvee gold and nation silver, and I’ll gladly chime in to the growing chorus. Riesling has to be my favourite varietal icewine because of the seductive interplay between sugar and acid that frankly leaves your taste buds both confused, and yearning for more. Coyote’s Run 2004 exemplifies that notion perfectly, with the typical icewine associations of honey and sweet citrus/marmalade on the nose, and a beautifully long, nippy citrus finish buffered by stone fruit and sweetness.

The best news? It’s available in provincial liquor stores across Ontario, and also, I believe, in Manitoba and Alberta. Very highly recommended.

Malivoire Wine Company - 2004 Gewurztraminer Icewine

Country: Canada
Region: VQA Niagara Peninsula
Producer: Coyote’s Run Estate Winery
Blend: 100% Gewurztraminer
Alcohol: 9.5% (w/v)
Residual Sugar: Sweet

Price: $38.00(CDN) /200mL
Visit the vineyard!

Tasting Note:

Didn’t I say we were going to bring some variety to the table? This was our splurge purchase in the summer and its still tucked away in our wine rack. The 2004 vintage is sold out, after all only 185 cases were made, and we’re too in love with it to drink it. No doubt the 2005, which should be out very shortly will be equally delectable, coming from an extremely consistent producer like Malivoire.

Michelle declared it “absolutely beautiful” in the middle of the tasting room and probably would have run off with it if the tasting room staff had turned their back. We hemmed and hawwed at the price to pleasure ratio before walking out with a precious little black bottle of our very own.

In one word, and one word only, this wine is Christmas. Warm, cozing, fuzzy feelings; ginger spice and grandma’s baking; sweet but balanced with citrus; something you share with your closest friends and family (only!). Never had another one like it. A must have.

A Panacea of Ice: Royal DeMaria

Self-proclaimed icewine specialists Royal DeMaria have the widest variety of icewine in the region, making everything from the typical vidal and riesling to sauvignon blanc, chenin blanc and muscat. They’re equally as diverse with their red offerings of Cabernet Franc, Baco Noir, Merlot, Pinot Noir, and more.

If you feel like dropping a little cash, you can blow up to $10,000 on one of their collectors edition wines, like a Meritage ice, or you can content yourself with staring at all the glitz in the trophy showcase; Royal DeMaria is the holder of seven world wine records at last count.

We found that Royal deMaria’s icewines were a little more delicate than most, with pale, water-like colours and consistencies that were contrary to some of their syrupy cousins. Intriguing, varied and free to taste even if you can’t afford to buy.

Cabernet Franc Icewine

The current fad in the region, if I can be so bold to call it that, is the proliferation of Cabernet Franc icewine . One of the first creators, Karl Kaiser of Inniskillin, admitted that this sweet, syrupy red delight was made mainly for the growing export market to Asia. Somehow it caught on locally as well, and before you could say ‘franc me!’, cab franc icewine was popping up all over the place. Viewed as an abomination by some, but a welcome change by others, franc and other red icewines can be a nice departure from glass after glass of honeyed marmalade (aka Vidal). Some noteworthy producers: Mountain Road’s 2000 Vintage, Royal de Maria 2001 & 2004 (completely different experiences), Birchwood Estates 2004, Malivoire 2004, and apparently Inniskillin and Hillebrand Estates, which I have not personally tried.

Key things to watch for while tasting cab franc ice are notes of strawberry or strawberry jam on the nose (if poorly done it can come across as confected cough syrup) and a kind of figgy, light molasses taste on the tongue. As with white icewines, small sipping portions are best. These sugary reds are just as liable to express their sweet alcoholic tendencies in the form of a headache.

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* If the weather doesn’t cooperate, a great deal of damage is done to the local economy all the way up the wine food chain, from the growers to the vintners. If a grower is lucky enough to save his crop (rot, disease, and fallen fruit all take their toll), they may be able to sell the grapes to a winery for the creation of what is called “Late Harvest� wines, but the juice is not as valuable (nor is the wine produced from it) and profits suffer tremendously. All the cost and effort on the part of the grower, not to mention nail-biting and lost sleep, to keep the grapes on the vine well into the winter, are not rewarded, and suddenly wineries find themselves drowning in less desirable product that may be difficult to sell. It’s a little early yet to be in full-fledged panic mode, however; icewine harvests in Ontario have been successful undertaken as late as March by some accounts, and the usual bitter chill of February just could swoop in to save the day.