Thick Skin, Great Wine

Prologue

1986—Vidal Blanc, a French-American hybrid variety, manages quite high sugar levels in cold climates. Acid levels are also agreeably high and the flavor sufficiently fruity to make one hope that the grape will prove increasingly popular.

...British expert Jancis Robinson

Ten years later:

1996—Vidal Blanc's slow, steady ripening and thick skin make it particularly suitable for ice wine, for which it is famous in Canada.

... Jancis Robinson

1997—The Inniskillin Winery near Niagara Falls in Canada pioneered North American ice wine, and its experience shows in the quality of its wines...Some Japanese racehorse owners made a 45-minute stop at the winery and spent $10,000 on Vidal ice wine.

...The Wine Spectator Magazine

The Rest of the Story

So Jancis' hope has been realized. The Vidal has found a home in snowy Ontario, which has become the world's leading producer of ice wine. Why does it pay to have a thick skin? Well, ice wine is made by allowing the grapes to partly freeze. The water in the grape juice forms solid ice crystals, while the flavor agents remain in the liquid. If the skins are too fragile, the grapes rupture during the process and the rich nectar is lost...a winelover's nightmare.

The Wine

1996 Ice Wine, Vidal Grape (harvested Jan. 1997)
Niagara Penninsula, Canada
Inniskillin Winery, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario
President—Donald Ziraldo, (905) 468-2187, X-301
Rating—EXCELLENT (fabulously rich apricot flavors)
Service—Feature at the end of the meal with slices of slightly-sharp white cheese and semi-sweet crackers.
Price—$100 for 375 ml.

Postscript

The chilling details of making ice wine:
1. Stop the birds with nets and leave the grapes hanging above the snow-covered ground until you have three nights of temperatures near 15 degrees F.
2. Harvest and crush the grapes at night, avoiding the warming sunlight. The yield of juice will be roughly 15% of harvest at normal temperatures.
3. Ferment for two to six months, rather than a typical 7 days. Sugar will drop from say 38% initially to typically 18% in the finished wine. Alcohol will be only 10-11%.

About the Writer Fred McMillin, a veteran wine writer, has taught wine history for 30 years on three continents. He currently teaches wine courses at San Francisco State and San Francisco City College and is Northern California Editor for American Wine on the Web. In 1995, the Academy of Wine Communications honored Fred with one of only 22 Certificates of Commendation awarded to American wine writers.

WineDay Annex

More articles by
Fred McMillin

Welcome to WineDay, the electronic Gourmet Guide's daily update. Monday through Thursday, WineDay presents a wine profile. Then on Fridays we present the Winery of the Week to take you through the weekend.

Current WineDay
1997 WineDays
January WineDays
February WineDays
March WineDays
April WineDays

05/26/98
A Central Coast Boast

05/25/98
The Capsicum Caper

05/22/98
Winery of the Week
The Original Zin

05/21/98
Profile of a Wine Class

05/20/98
Greg Cools It

05/19/98
Chile, the Eternal Exporter

05/18/98
The Feminine Palate

05/15/98
Winery of the Week
A Winery in the Pyrenees

05/14/98
White Sparkler,
Red Grapes

05/13/98
The Spell of Zinfandel

05/12/98
Portuguese, Please

05/11/98
Martin's Magic

05/08/98
Winery of the Week
Meet Mr. Charbono

05/07/98
Sergio Is On the Go

05/06/98
Goldfield Revealed

05/05/98
Make Way for Viognier

05/04/98
In a Class by Itself

05/01/98
Winery of the Week
Kenwood's Jack London Connection

Copyright © 1998—the electronic Gourmet Guide, Inc. All rights reserved.