200ml 375ml 500ml Small Eiswein Icewine Glass Bottles with Stopper

What is ICEWINE / Eiswein ?  --- A Quick Guide

Ice wine is Icewine in English-speaking countries, and Eiswein in Germany and Austria . As the name suggests, it is a wine made from frozen grapes. Generally speaking, ice wine refers to the sweet wine made from grapes that have been frozen hard when picked. Now ice wine is mainly produced in Germany, Austria and Canada. The origin of ice wine can be clearly identified as the German and Austrian region, but the specific country of origin has not been accurately verified. In the recorded texts, the Franconia vineyard in Germany is considered by many people to be the place of origin. It is said that as early as two hundred years ago, the Franconia vineyard suffered a sudden frost in 1794, and the grapes in pieces Frozen on the branches, in the end, in order to reduce losses, the desperate wine growers had to hold the mentality of giving it a try, carefully picked and pressed the frozen grapes, and fermented them according to the local traditional method to make wine . It brought a great surprise to the wine growers: a full-bodied wine with unique flavor came out dramatically.

In Germany, ice wine ( Eiswein ) belongs to the Qmb grade of wine quality classification, which is strictly controlled by relevant laws and regulations. The definition of ice wine in Germany emphasizes natural freezing. German law stipulates that the grapes for brewing ice wine must be kept on the branches and frozen for more than 6 hours under natural conditions below minus 8 degrees Celsius.

In Canada, the definition of ice wine by CVA (Canadian Vintners Association) is mainly based on the definition of ice wine ( icewine ) by VQA (Vine Merchants Quality Alliance): brewed from grapes that are naturally frozen on the vine below -8°C wine. When the grapes are frozen into a solid state, their sugar and flavor are concentrated. At this time, they are pressed, and a small amount of concentrated grape juice flows out. This grape juice is slowly fermented and bottled after a few months. During the entire pressing process, the outside world The temperature must be kept below -8°C.

Ice wine has very strict requirements on temperature, and proper harvest time is very important for ice wine. The ideal picking temperature should be -10°C to -13°C, because grapes can obtain the most ideal sugar content and flavor at this temperature. Also because of this, the production of ice wine is extremely demanding on the weather, and it can only be produced in a year with suitable weather, so the production of ice wine has always been very low.

After more than 200 years of experience accumulation and the development of human science and technology, the quality of ice wine is improving day by day, and it has gradually become the best among wines. Due to the weather, the real ice wine is often produced in German and Austrian wineries every few years or even ten years, and then the rise of Canada, because of its incomparable natural conditions, can be brewed almost every year For ice wine, the Niagara (Niagara) region in Ontario has become the most famous ice wine producing area in the world. In particular, at the International Wine and Spirits Expo ( VinExpo ) held in Bordeaux in June 1991, the 1989 Vidal Icewine (Vidal Icewine ) produced by the Canadian ice wine pioneer Yunling Ice Wine ( Inniskillin ) won the first prize. The highest award of the exhibition has won the attention of the world with its top quality. Re-attracting everyone's attention to this ancient wine variety has also brought great honor and development to the little-known Canadian wine industry. Today, Canada has become the world's largest ice wine producer, and ice wine has become the most representative wine in the Canadian wine industry.

Grape varieties for ice wine

To choose a pretty good ice wine, the first thing to look at is its grape variety. In Germany, the grape varieties used to make ice wine usually include Riesling, Scheurebe , Muskateller , Muller-Thurgau, Gewurztraminer , Otter Plus (Ortega). In Canada, ice wine grape varieties usually use Riesling, Vidal, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Gamay and Merlot. )wait.

Four types of grapes for ice wine:

– Riesling

It is the crown of ice wine grape varieties, it is rich in flowers and fruit aromas, elegant and delicate, and has inherently high acidity. But Riesling is difficult to grow. It needs a long, cold climate to develop its elegant flavor and maintain high acidity in the grapes. And this acidity can well balance the sweetness of the ice wine, making the ice wine full-bodied and multi-layered.

– Vidal

It is the most widely used variety of Canadian ice wine , with thick skin and strong aroma. It is a hybrid of Ugni -Blanc and Seyval Blanc. Although it originated from France, it has almost disappeared in France. , because of its strong cold resistance, it is widely planted in Canada and has become a symbolic grape variety in Canada. Vidal is very suitable for severe cold, but the aroma of the ice wine produced is not rich and delicate, and because it is difficult to maintain the acidity in the grapes, the taste is usually greasy.

– Gewurztraminer

Originating in the Italian state of Tyrol, it is known for its powerful fruit aromas, which are able to express the nuances of the soil and harvest. In Alsace (Alsace) is often used to brew high-quality late-harvest sweet white wine. In Germany, Austria and Canada, it is also used to brew ice wine, but because the ice wine produced by Gewürztraminer has plenty of sugar and fruity aroma, but often lacks enough acidity, it is not as used in the production of ice wine as Riesling and Vidal. widely.

– Scheurebe

It is often used to brew wines above the Auslese level. It is more adaptable to the freezing weather in Germany than Riesling . Large Riesling. In Germany, many ice wines are made from this variety of grapes. But neither the taste nor the delicate character can match the noble variety Riesling.

ice wine label

The wine label of Canadian imported ice wine:

1. The word VQA is marked under the mouth of the wine bottle. VQA (Vintegrity Quality Alliance) has well-regulated legal provisions and certification agencies for the grape varieties, grape plantations, grape sources, harvesting standards, production requirements and product quality certification of the certified ice wine. Only by following VQA is the real Therefore, when purchasing, try to choose Canadian ice wine with the word VQA, which will have a better guarantee for the quality.

2. The word ICEWINE must be recognized on the main wine label. Note that it is not a separate "ICE WINE". "ICE WINE" is generally produced by artificially freezing grapes, which will be different from naturally frozen grapes in terms of sugar content and flavor.

3. The main wine label generally has information such as the name of the producer, grape variety, year, capacity, alcohol content, and place of origin.

The wine label of imported ice wine from Germany:

1. The main wine label must have a quality management plan Qualitaetswein mit Praedikat ( QmP ) and Eiswein words. To ensure that what you buy is the high-quality ice wine Eiswein in the German QmP system , not other grades of wine.

2. The main wine label generally includes the winery name, year, grape variety, grape picking place, country of origin, winery filling instructions, alcohol content, government quality control code, winery address, wine region, and bottling capacity.

Tips:

Vintners Quality Alliance (VQA)

VQA (Vintners Quality Alliance) - Vintners Quality Alliance. It is the appellation of origin system for Canadian wine, which allows consumers to determine whether the grapes that make the wine come from Canada. Canada has two of the most important wine regions: Ontario and British Columbia. According to the division of VQA, there are three Designated Viticultural Areas (DVA) in Ontario and four Designated Viticultural Areas in British Columbia.

In Ontario, the VQA is an independent federation of wineries, grape growers, the LCBO, and academic, catering and research institutions. One of the most famous Canadian ice wine producers is the Niagara Peninsula .

The VQA has strict legal requirements for geographical and varietal names of wines.

v The wine must be made from classic European grape varieties such as Chardonnay , Pinot Grigio or Riesling, or elite hybrids;

v If a varietal designation is used, the wine must contain at least 85% of that varietal and the wine must exhibit the main characteristics of that varietal;

v All grape varieties must reach a specified minimum natural sugar content at the time of harvest . Different wines, including dessert wines and ice wines, as well as vineyard-named or chateau-bottled wines, have different sugar levels.

v Chateau bottled wine must be 100% made from grapes owned or controlled by the winery in the viticultural area.

v If a vineyard designation is used, the vineyard location must be within an approved growing area and all grapes must come from that vineyard 100%.

In addition, the wine must be judged by an independent expert panel, and only the wine that meets the standard can have the VQA designation. Such wines can have the VQA medallion printed on the bottle. In addition, wines with particularly excellent quality can also be awarded the VQA Gold Medal after being identified by the VQA tasting panel.

Grading system for German wines

In Germany, wine is divided into four grades as follows.

1. Tafelwein : Ordinary table wine, generally not marked with origin, is the most common table wine.

2. Landwein : Regional table wine, table wine that requires indicating the place of origin.

3. Qualitaetswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete : QbA for short , quality wine

4. Qualitaetswein mit Praedikat : QmP for short , special quality wine

The fourth QmP ( Qualitaetswein mit Praedikat ) is the most demanding grade. In this QmP ( Qualitaetswein mit Within the Praedikat grade, there are 6 different grades of products according to the maturity of the grapes, including the Eiswein we mentioned .

No.1 Kabinett : Collection. This grade is made from fully ripe grapes.

No.2 Spatlese : late harvest. As the name suggests, it is harvested later than the collection, usually about 10 days, so that the grapes contain higher sugar content.

No.3 Auslese : Featured. The harvesting time of this grade is later than that of the late harvest, and the grapes must be selected bunch by bunch when harvesting. A small number of grapes reaching this grade may be slightly infected with noble rot , with some noble rot mold on the surface .

No.4 Beerenauslese : BA for short. Grain selection, this is a liqueur made from noble rot grapes , because only those grapes that have undergone noble rot are selected when harvesting , and the grapes need to be selected one by one, so it has the name of grain selection.

No.5 Trockenbeerenauslese : TBA for short. Made from grapes with deep noble rot , the grapes lose about 95% of their moisture, and the resulting wine is also the sweetest.

No.6 Eiswein : ice wine. It is somewhat special in the QmP grade. It is brewed with "clean" grapes that have not been infected with noble rot , and requires hand-selected frozen grapes picked from the branches. German law requires its sugar content to be the same as that of BA. It is precisely because of such a system that the superior quality of German ice wine is guaranteed.

Types of ice wine

The main type of ice wine in Germany and Austria is the common ice wine, which is still wine (non-sparkling wine). It is made from frozen white grapes in the most traditional ice wine production method. Ice liquor is also dominant in Canada.

Since Canadian ice wine is not bound by tradition, the types of ice wine continue to increase as Canadian wineries forge ahead. Red ice wine made from red grapes has gradually emerged in Canada in recent years, but the quantity is not large. It is said that it was specially developed to cater to the consumer psychology of the Asian market's preference for red wine. Because red ice wine has a festive atmosphere, the market responded well. Red ice wine is mainly made of Cabernet Franc and Merlot varieties, with rose red juice, red berry aroma, sweet and sour taste.
Also under the rapid development of production technology, Yunling Icewine ( Inniskillin ) company launched Sparkling Icewine in the millennium . Aiming at the East Asian market, we have also developed oak aged icewine (oak aged icewine ), which combines the aroma of fruit and oak barrels, and is sweet and sweet!

Then there's the inventive Chocolate Icewine (chocolate spirit fermented with icewine) and the formidable Hot icewine ( Icewine distilled with chipotle peppers ).

Ice wine craft - a "resigned" gamble

Ice wine has its specific temperature conditions from picking to brewing. German law stipulates that the grapes for brewing ice wine must be kept on the branches and frozen for more than 6 hours under natural conditions below minus 8 degrees Celsius. Such grapes are usually not harvested until mid-to-late December or January of the following year. In order to ensure that the picking and pressing are completed at a temperature of about minus 8 degrees Celsius, the picking of grapes generally starts at 3 o'clock in the morning, and the picking is completed before the sun comes out. The picked grapes must be sent to the winery soon . , Pressing, keeping the water in a frozen state and squeezing out the more concentrated juice in the grapes. The squeezed juice is as viscous as honey, and slowly flows into small fermentation tanks for low-temperature fermentation. Due to the high sugar content and low temperature, this fermentation process is very slow, often as long as several months.

Producing ice wine in this traditional way is basically a "fate" gamble, because sudden cold weather does not happen every year, and the ripe grapes must always stay on the branch and keep it from being spoiled. Damaged and rotted, and in the autumn season, an autumn rain that may fall at any time or birds stealing food may make the good wishes of brewing ice wine come to naught. In addition, even if the cold snap comes as expected, a blizzard will waste all previous efforts during the hours or dozens of hours waiting for the best harvesting moment! Under such difficult conditions, even in years suitable for producing ice wine, the output is pitifully small. Many German wineries can only produce about 100 bottles of high-quality ice wine per hectare of land (generally, the output of high-quality wine is 6,000 bottles per hectare. Wine or so), it is really precious!

Due to the particularity of the ice wine brewing process and the characteristics of the grapes at low temperature, proper harvesting time is very important for ice wine . The ideal picking temperature should be -10°C to -13°C, because the lower the temperature of the grapes, the better the concentration of sugar and flavor, but if the temperature is too low, it will affect the pressing of the grape juice, so in this temperature range can be obtained Relatively optimal sugar content and flavor grape juice. When the winegrowers waited in the severe cold with anticipation, until the moment before sunrise, when the grapes were at their best, and quickly picked the concentrated frozen grapes by hand , the winegrowers were flushed with excitement, because they had seen themselves The best ice wine is sweet and fragrant, or sweet and sour, delicate and elegant. While harvesting, the temperature on site and the state of the grapes have almost determined the style and quality of this gift from God.

Sugar content changes with temperature

Temperature ℃-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14 Sugar% 293336394346495256

taste ice wine

The liquid of ice wine is topaz, golden yellow or deep amber, and has a strong and sweet taste. It is also suitable for drinking when young, generally with fresh fruit aroma, crisp and clean taste. Icewine that has been slightly aged tends to have better depth , complexity and fruit intensity. With continued aging, the naturally concentrated acidity presents a consistent and persistent balance, unique and harmonious. The main grape variety of fine ice wine is mostly Riesling. During the growth process, Riesling can better maintain the acidity, so as to balance the sweetness of the ice wine accordingly, making the wine full-bodied and balanced, so it has good potential. Icewine can be drunk alone or with fresh fruit, strong cheese, chocolate, foie gras and dried fruit. In western food, ice wine is the best match for dessert.

serving temperature of ice wine is generally 4~8℃. Place the ice wine in an ice bucket for fifteen minutes or in the refrigerator for two hours before drinking. After opening and drinking, if there is any leftover, you can seal the wine bottle and put it in the refrigerator. Generally, it is best to drink it within 3 to 5 days, because the ice wine will gradually oxidize after contact with the air, which will obviously affect the aroma and flavor of the ice wine . Taste. However, if you are not too particular, you can keep it for up to 1 to 2 weeks.

Fragrant and pleasant ice wine also has storage potential. Canada’s VQA-labeled ice wine can be enjoyed after purchase, and can also be stored for 5-8 years. Some better-quality ice wines even have the ability to age for 10 or even more than 20 years, while top ice wines often have a storage capacity of more than 50 years. Ability. The storage method of ice wine is the same as that of other wines. It is suitable for storage under the conditions of cool, constant temperature, dark, and shock-absorbing conditions. It must be refrigerated in tropical and subtropical countries.

bottle secret

Due to the small output of ice wine, the general bottle volume is 500ml, 375ml, 200ml or 50ml, but the most common is 375ml, which is only half the capacity of ordinary standard wine bottles, so relatively speaking, the price of each bottle will be lower and more easily accepted by the market. In view of this, small-capacity bottles have become a common choice for ice wine producers. Of course, even though it is a half bottle, the price is still much higher than that of ordinary wine. The average price of 375ml ice wine in Ontario is US$45, and the wholesale price in my country usually reaches 350-420 yuan. It is difficult to guarantee the quality of ice wine below a certain price. At present, the most expensive ice wine in the world should be the first batch of Meritage ice wine produced by Royal DeMaria winery in Ontario. The price of each half bottle (375ml) is about 395 Canadian dollars.

In addition, ice wine bottles are generally slender, and with this shape, 375ml will not look too small in terms of visual effects. There are two common bottle shapes, one is an elongated version similar to the Alsace bottle shape, that is, the bottle body smoothly transitions to the neck of the bottle in a cone shape; the other is the elongated version of the Bordeaux bottle shape version, the body and neck of the bottle are cylindrical, with a distinct shoulder.

To drink ice wine, you can generally use ordinary white wine glasses, Sauvignon Blanc (Sauvignon Blanc) glasses, ordinary dessert wine glasses, Sauternes noble rot sweet white wine glasses, and vintage port wine glasses. However, the most suitable wine glass is the special wine glass for ice wine in the Vinum Extreme series produced by the Austrian company RIEDEL in 2000. Austria RIEDEL company is the world's top manufacturer of crystal wine glasses. This wine glass was designed and produced under the close cooperation of Donald Ziraldo , one of the founders of Inniskillin , the most outstanding ice wine producer in Canada, and George Riedel, the 10th generation successor of Austria's RIEDEL company. As Karl Kaiser, a pioneer in the Canadian wine industry who brought the concept of Austrian ice wine to Canada, said: "This glass perfectly embodies the connotation and style of Inniskillin ice wine" .