Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
Harvested in early January, this ice wine feels sunny and bright, with honeysuckle scents and gingery spice that keep it fresh despite the considerable sweetness. (It weighs in at 202 grams per liter of residual sugar, and 11.5 grams of acidity.) Pour it with something creamy, like a creme caramel.
Riesling possesses a remarkable ability to reflect the character of wherever it is grown while still maintaining its identity. A regal variety of incredible purity and precision, this versatile grape can be just as enjoyable dry or sweet, young or old, still or sparkling and can age longer than nearly any other white variety. Somm Secret—Given how difficult it is to discern the level of sweetness in a Riesling from the label, here are some clues to find the dry ones. First, look for the world “trocken.” (“Halbtrocken” or “feinherb” mean off-dry.) Also a higher abv usually indicates a drier Riesling.
Home of the Niagara Peninsula wine region, Ontario leads as Canada’s region with the most area under vine. Ontario’s main grape varieties include Merlot, Pinot noir, Cabernet Franc and Riesling. The latter two show great success here for the production of ice wines, along with Vidal blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon.