Ice Dessert Wines

Video Transcript

"Hi, I'm going to tell you about ice wine. Ice wine is one of the most coveted and elusive dessert wines on the face of the Earth. There's a good reason for that. The reason is that there is only a few places where the conditions in the vineyards are such, that you can make ice wine. In order to make ice wine you need to have a region that is warm enough to ripen the grapes during, spring, summer and fall and then cold enough to freeze the grapevines out in the vineyard in the middle of winter. But not so cold, as to let that freeze last more than a few weeks. Because if it does, it will kill the vines. What's known as winter kill. So, there is about five places where you can make ice wine. The traditional ice wine, in the oldest tradition comes from Germany and Austria. These wines are called Eisweins. The New World makes ice wine in New York State, Canada and the newest making region which is Washington State. All of these regions are just barely warm enough to ripen grapes and just barely cold enough to freeze them naturally on the vine during the winter. What happens in making ice wine, is we allow the grapes to freeze in the vineyard naturally via Mother Nature during winter. Then in the middle of the night, when the grapes are still frozen on the vine they are harvested and rushed to the winery while still frozen. The grapes are frozen and then they are squeezed while they are still frozen allowing just a slight, rich nectar of juice to be scrozen from them. You take that very rich nectar juice and you ferment it to about ten or eleven percent alcohol. You usually have about eighteen to twenty percent residual sugar leftover. You have one of the World's most amazing, expensive and delicious ice wines with lots and lots sugar and lots and lots of flavor. It's a real treat and worth the money."