![]() Spoiler alert: it didn’t work out, as both lost their entire crop to some devious birds, but thank goodness they didn’t stop there! ![]() Remember Karl Kaiser from Inniskillin? Well, in 1983, he and Reif were some of the first to leave their grapes on the vine to produce icewine. They make a killer Viognier.)įavorite Icewines at Inniskillin: 2014 Sparkling Vidal Icewine and 2015 Chardonnay Icewine Reif Estate Wineryġ5608 Niagara Pkwy, Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON L0S 1J0įounded in 1977 by Ewald Reif, Reif Estate Winery was also a pioneer in the Canadian wine industry. ( Side note: Inniskillin, like other wineries listed here, produces table wines as well. We genuinely liked every icewine we sampled here plus, their icewines were accessible to beginners and wine connoisseurs alike. Sylvie and Lynn went out of their way to ensure that we tried icewines that suited our preferences, but knew when to gently nudge us into trying something new. We were pleasantly surprised by the fact that Inniskillin was our favorite winery in Niagara, and it was largely due to the stellar service we received. Why We Liked It: As Canada’s most widely known icewine producer, we walked in expecting competent service and a corporate feel, as we’ve been disappointed by these kinds of corporate wineries in California in the past. Turns out that the joke was on us, however. Their 1989 Vidal icewine thrust Canadian icewine onto the international stage when they won top honors at Vinexpo in Bordeaux, France in 1991. Founded by Donald Ziraldo and Karl Kaiser in 1974, Inniskillin was able to secure the first post-prohibition winery license issued in the region (since 1929!). Inniskillin’s significant role in the history of the Canadian wine industry cannot be overstated. Inniskillin Winesġ499 Line #3 at the Niagara Parkway, Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON L0S1J0 ![]() Now that you’ve got your icewine bearings, let’s talk about which wineries you should visit when you’re in the Niagara region. Sugar levels must also reach at least 35 degrees Brix. It turns out that if you want your product to be called icewine in Canada, you can only call it that if it’s made from grapes picked off the vine at or below 18 degrees Fahrenheit (−8 degrees Celsius). There are strict legal requirements for a wine to be called “icewine” in Canada. Whether it’s called ice wine (United States), icewine (Canada), or eiswein (Germany), it all means the same thing. However, wineries are experimenting with other types of grapes–including chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, and semillion–to make icewine as well.Īn icewine by any other name is just as sweet. Riesling, vidal, and cabernet franc are the grapes typically used to produce icewine. Since it takes more grapes to produce a single bottle of icewine, prices for this type of wine tend to be more expensive than table wines. The result is a smaller yield of a concentrated but very sweet wine. This concentrates the grapes’ sugars, because the water in the grapes has frozen. Icewine is a dessert wine made from naturally frozen grapes. We’ll discuss this more in depth in an upcoming post, but for now, here’s what you need to know. After a full weekend sampling icewines ranging from the traditional to the groundbreaking, here are the Niagara wineries you need to put on your itinerary for your next trip.įirst, here’s a quick primer for all of you icewine newbies out there. The Niagara region in Ontario, Canada is world-renowned for its premier icewines, which is why we were so excited to fly out in January 2017 for the annual Niagara Icewine Festival. (Well, somewhat.) Truth be told, though, icewine is pretty darn fantastic. It’s one of those dessert drinks that leaves you feeling like you’ve tasted the nectar of the gods and are experiencing life fully for the first time.
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