ICEWINE
The Niagara Peninsula's unique climate provides the ideal conditions to ripen the fruit. The cold winters naturally freeze the water in the berries to yield an exquisite balance of fruit, acid and an extraordinary array of flavors which results in this fine wine, often called "liquid gold".
The secret to great Icewine is the ideal balance between the intense sweetness and the inherent high acidity from the cool climate region of Niagara. These Riesling grapes, naturally frozen on the vine, were harvested during the middle of the night and pressed in the extreme cold to separate the juice from the ice crystals, followed by fermentation in a special yeast for many months. This remarkable process concentrates the sugar and acids - intensifying the aromatic flavours in the berries. The aromas are reminiscent of white and tropical fruits, with overtones of peach nectar and mango. You can learn more about Icewine and pairing it with food in my book Icewine: Extreme Winemaking.
Inniskillin x Ziraldo Riesling Icewine Duo
Donald Ziraldo, co-founder of Inniskillin Wines and founder of Ziraldo Icewine, has partnered with Inniskillin Estate Winery to now produce his Ziraldo brand Icewine, at the Inniskillin Niagara Estate Winery.
To celebrate, Inniskillin and Ziraldo have partnered to create a limited-edition Icewine gift-pack featuring the classic 2019 Inniskillin Niagara Estate VQA Riesling Icewine and 2014 Ziraldo VQA Riesling Icewine.
Gift pack contains:
1 x Inniskillin Riesling Icewine 2019, 375ml
1 x Ziraldo Riesling Icewine 2014, 375ml
$149.99 / Bundle
ZIRALDO 2020 RIESLING ICEWINE
ZIRALDO VINEYARD
VQA | NIAGARA PENINSULA
Ziraldo Icewine is made to the highest standards of quality, grown using sustainable practices and exemplifies the true character of the Niagara region.
Riesling is the classic Icewine varietal, first produced in Germany in the 1700s.
Winemaker: Marco Piccoli
Tasting notes:
Mid bright lemon in the glass. Intense nose with tangerine, dried honey, ripe apricot and white flower blossoms. Fully sweet, light to mid bodied alongside a core of brilliant acidity and replays the aromatics with a palate of apricot flesh, mandarins and night flowers. Very long, sculpted finished. Fine, youthful with a long life ahead of those who have patience, but a stellar example with plenty of current joy as well
– Eugene Mlynczyk, MW
Release Date: September 2022
Retail sales: available at Inniskillin Wines in Niagara-on-the-Lake, purchase online or contact donald@ziraldo.ca
ZIRALDO 2019 VIDAL ICEWINE
VQA | NIAGARA PENINSULA
The 2019 Vidal Icewine which represents a uniquely Canadian version of Icewine, as Vidal has become the mainstay Icewine varietal in Canada.
Winemaker: Marco Piccoli
Tasting notes:
Pale mid bright lemon hue with slight gold reflects. Open and intense on the creamy, full nose. Aromas of warm peach, Seville orange and wild honey with additional tones of exotic spice. Sweet of course but bright acidity keeps the mid to full palate lithe and precise. An archetypal example for the variety, with more immediate gratification but will also reward mid term cellaring as complexity deepens
– Eugene Mlynczyk, MW
Release Date: September 2022
Vidal is a white hybrid variety produced from Vitis vinifera crossed with Ugni blanc (also known as Trebbiano) and Vitis riparia. It is a very winter-hardy variety that manages to produce high sugar levels in cold climates with high acidity and spectacular aromatics when frozen naturally on the vine and lends itself ideally to the making of Icewine.
The grape was developed in the 1930s by French wine grape breeder Jean Louis Vidal.He was a friend of Jacques Puisais, ‘taste philosopher’ from Bordeaux who first discovered Vidal Icewine at Vinexpo in 1989 (precursor to winning the Grand Prix d’Honneur in 1991) with mutual our friend John Nadeau. The Icewine from Vidal blanc tends to be very fruity, with aroma notes of grapefruit, pineapple and lychee.
Donald J. P. Ziraldo
