Winemaker Notes
100% Vidal grapes grown in the Niagara Peninsula.
Vinification
This very unique Sparkling wine has been crafted using Icewine as
a cuvée and produced in accordance with the "Méthode Cuve
Close." During fermentation, the naturally occurring carbon
dioxide is trapped inside the stainless steel tank and dissolves into
the wine.
Tasting notes
Aromas of nectarines and apricots dominate the nose, with a hint
of lychee nut in the background. On the palate, this wine shows a
very delicate but lively effervescence, which harmoniously
balances the generous natural acidity.
Food Pairing Suggestions
Sparkling Icewine, on its own, helps celebrate any occasion as an
apéritif or will pair divinely with fresh fruit platters, fruit soup, fruit
salad, poached fruits, soufflés, pound and genoise cakes, and
sorbets. A delightful surprise with foie gras and cheeses such as
Roquefort, Saga, Cambonzola, Blue Ermite, le Ciel de Charlevoix,
Bleu de la Moutonniere, Bleubry Cayer, Cabrales, Mascarpone,
Devon Cream, Torta and Gorgonzola.
Serving Temp: Well chilled 5 - 9°C.
Aging: Enjoy now through 2007.
Apart from the classics, we find many regional gems of different styles.
Late harvest wines are probably the easiest to understand. Grapes are picked so late that the sugars build up and residual sugar remains after the fermentation process. Ice wine, a style founded in Germany and there referred to as eiswein, is an extreme late harvest wine, produced from grapes frozen on the vine, and pressed while still frozen, resulting in a higher concentration of sugar. It is becoming a specialty of Canada as well, where it takes on the English name of ice wine.
Vin Santo, literally “holy wine,” is a Tuscan sweet wine made from drying the local white grapes Trebbiano Toscano and Malvasia in the winery and not pressing until somewhere between November and March.
Rutherglen is an historic wine region in northeast Victoria, Australia, famous for its fortified Topaque and Muscat with complex tawny characteristics.
With a cool climate suitable for more than just icewine production, Canada is also home to excellent dry, still and sparkling Canadian wines. Most viticulture is based in Ontario on the east coast and British Columbia on the west coast. Because of the high risk of winter freeze and spring frost, plantings are typically centered on large bodies of water to take advantage of their temperature moderating effects.
In Ontario, particularly on the Niagara Peninsula, aromatic white varieties like Riesling and Gewürztraminer are most successful. Many Canadian wineries produce both dry and semi-dry versions. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Gamay, and Cabernet Franc perform nicely here as well. For icewine, French-American hybrid variety, Vidal, is popular. In British Columbia, many of the same grapes are grown, but there is also a significant emphasis on Bordeaux varieties—especially Merlot.