Icewine

icewine producers could use a boost after completing what can only be described as the icewine harvest from hell. Certainly no one will soon forget the harvest of 2001 because those who gambled and left their grapes on the vine to freeze waited until the final days of January, 2002, for the necessary weather to make it happen. By regulation, icewine must be produced exclusively from grapes that have been harvested, naturally frozen on the vine, and pressed in a continuous process while the air temperature is -8° Celsius (17°F). In the Okanagan, where once dependable, late-November, Arctic cold fronts have all but disappeared, waiting for -8 C is fast become an annual test of nerves. Some wineries gave up in December choosing to make the best of a late harvest crop rather than risk everything hoping for a deep freeze to blanket the valley. For those who battled the windstorms, famished deer, hungry bears, starving coyotes, voracious birds, desiccation and rot the reward will be a small crop. It's anyone's guess how good the 2001 icewine harvest will be although it's hard to believe the quality will be anything more than average for a couple of reasons. Normally, icewine grapes are at their best in late November or early December. After that the stress of hanging on the vine (where often they freeze and thaw daily), begins to take its toll on the quality of the fruit. Although picking temperatures are strictly regulated, picking at the permissible -8 or -9 C versus a much colder -13 or -14 C yields lesser quality juice. That's because at the very coldest temperatures there's more ice, and what juice is left is much more highly concentrated in sugar and flavour. Whatever the quality of the crop, 2001 may be better remembered by growers for the mid-year signing of an historic agreement with the European Union that finally allows Canadian producers to sell icewine inside the EU. After two decades of blatant protectionism Europe has acceded to Canada's demand to be free to sell icewine in Europe. The numbers will never be massive but it will be an important niche market for producers and the money from such sales should further fuel improvement across the portfolio of most wineries. Now as for Valentine's Day a quick survey of government liquor stores and B.C wine shops points to a wide selection of icewine selling in varying sizes, colours, grape variety's and prices. Size versus price is an issue worth paying attention to now that many wineries have released a 200 mL and in some cases a 50 mL bottle to complement the standard 375 mL or half-bottle format. Just keep in mind that it takes seven and one half 50 mL bottles to make up a single bottle of icewine so the Pillitteri 50 mL bottle at $7.25 works out to a whopping $54.37 per half bottle or $108.75 per full bottle size. While I personally believe riesling and gewürztraminer make the best icewine, consumers seemed to prefer more variety and producers are granting their wish. In B.C. pinot blanc, ehrenfelser, chardonnay, vidal, pinot noir, merlot and cabernet franc have all been frozen on the vine. Red icewine appears to be made for Valentine's and some of the best include Lang Vineyards Merlot, Gehringer Brothers Signature Cabernet Franc or Paradise Ranch Merlot. If there's any icewine pattern in B.C. it's has to do with our best producers. Gehringer Brothers have been battling with Inniskillin Okanagan and CedarCreek for years at the top of the heap although lately Jackson-Triggs, Mission Hill, Lang Vineyards, and Paradise Ranch (the all-icewine winery) are openly challenging the order. Last Fall Jackson-Triggs 2000 Riesling Icewine Proprietor's Reserve ($52.95; #597104) topped all icewine entered in the Wine Access/Air Canada Canadian Wine Awards. It's a knockout dessert wine that's as rich and as sumptuous as it gets. Other outstanding icewine to look for this month in B.C liquor stores include the CedarCreek 1999 Riesling ($54.95; #329490), Inniskillin Okanagan 1999 Riesling ($59.95; #558445), Paradise Ranch 1999 Chardonnay ($58.95; #573759), Mission Hill 1998 Grand Reserve Vidal ($27.95 - 200mL; #532846) or ($49.95; #532338) or the Hawthorne Mountain 2000 Ehrenfelser ($50; #508192).