What is iced wine?

[crisi]

Eiswein is the sweetest end of the sweet spectrum in German wines (Ice Wine is the Canadian version of this). If you want a similar taste and a less expensive bottle, try an Auslese, Beerenauslese or Trockenbeerenauselese. I happen to prefer Auslese which is less "cloying" but still very sweet. Plus you can pick up a bottle (still the small half bottles) for under $20.

 

[mrincredible2008]

Just read through some posts about iced wine. What is it? Where can you get it? What makes it so wonderful?



i just knew this thread would continue. i have been looking for ice wine in my area and cannot find. i tasted ice wine for the first time last dis trip and it is a must have. can this be shipped, not sure of the legalities involved.

 

[Colleen27]

Just read through some posts about iced wine. What is it? Where can you get it? What makes it so wonderful?



i just knew this thread would continue. i have been looking for ice wine in my area and cannot find. i tasted ice wine for the first time last dis trip and it is a must have. can this be shipped, not sure of the legalities involved.

A list of states where you can receive shipments of wine: http://www.wine.com/customercare/issue_view.asp?ID=11

Another option is to contact the wineries directly and find out a little about their distribution system. I managed to track down a particular wine that I discovered at F&W this way - its mead blended with a white wine, and it is wonderful, sweet land lovely without the heavy, syrupy quality of pure mead. Anyway, I found the winery's web site, e-mailed them to get the name of the distributor for my area, then contacted the distributor via their web site to find a retail outlet. Yeah, I *really* liked this wine! LOL

I'm lucky as far as icewine goes - the Inniskillin winery is less than 3 hours from me, and we just happen to travel that way fairly often. There are other wineries in Michigan and Ontario that make icewine and we've visited most of them, but Inniskillin is still my favorite.

 

[Andy123]

Eiswein is the sweetest end of the sweet spectrum in German wines (Ice Wine is the Canadian version of this). If you want a similar taste and a less expensive bottle, try an Auslese, Beerenauslese or Trockenbeerenauselese. I happen to prefer Auslese which is less "cloying" but still very sweet. Plus you can pick up a bottle (still the small half bottles) for under $20.

In acuality, the ripeness scale of German wines goes... Kabinett, Spatlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, Eiswein (BA and Eiswein have the same minimum ripeness level), then Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA). TBA is much more rare and though Eiswine from Germany can be very expensive, it is generally not anywhere near the expense of good TBA, especially if made from Riesling.

 

[budbeerlady]

A list of states where you can receive shipments of wine: http://www.wine.com/customercare/issue_view.asp?ID=11

Another option is to contact the wineries directly and find out a little about their distribution system. I managed to track down a particular wine that I discovered at F&W this way - its mead blended with a white wine, and it is wonderful, sweet land lovely without the heavy, syrupy quality of pure mead. Anyway, I found the winery's web site, e-mailed them to get the name of the distributor for my area, then contacted the distributor via their web site to find a retail outlet. Yeah, I *really* liked this wine! LOL

I'm lucky as far as icewine goes - the Inniskillin winery is less than 3 hours from me, and we just happen to travel that way fairly often. There are other wineries in Michigan and Ontario that make icewine and we've visited most of them, but Inniskillin is still my favorite.

In MI where/ who has a great iced wine. We are on the west side of the state but if I can hunt down Rosa Regale, I can hunt down some ice wine.
Thanks for the names/ info!

 

[Colleen27]

In MI where/ who has a great iced wine. We are on the west side of the state but if I can hunt down Rosa Regale, I can hunt down some ice wine.
Thanks for the names/ info!

You're on a better side of the state than me when it comes to getting wine (we're NE of Detroit, and closer to the Canadian wineries than the Michigan ones). Quite a few of the Traverse City area wineries produce icewine, though because the ability to produce it is dependant on weather, not all wineries have it available every year.

DH & I started doing wine tours when my inlaws took the kids to Disney without us in 05, and that's become how we spend almost all of our just-us travel. We go up to Traverse or to Niagara or where ever strikes our fancy and spend a long weekend golfing and visiting wineries. Traverse was the best, though, in terms of the trip. We split our stay up there between Grand Traverse Resort (home to the only Jack Nicklaus designed course in Michigan - this was DH's pick, but I didn't mind hitting the spa while he golfed!) and the Inn at Blackstar Farms, and hired a towncar service to hit all the wineries along the Leelenau Penninsula. Very relaxing, and very romantic!

Blackstar Farms is our favorite, but that might be because the atmosphere at their winery is so wonderfully romantic! http://www.blackstarfarms.com/ Chateau Grand Traverse icewine was good too. http://www.cgtwines.com I know Blackstar will ship within the state, but I'm not sure about Grand Traverse. I was able to find a liquor store in the Detroit suburb where my mom lives that carries both, along with Inniskillin, so I haven't had to order directly from the wineries.

 

[budbeerlady]

Thanks for the info and the links!

 

[crisi]

In acuality, the ripeness scale of German wines goes... Kabinett, Spatlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, Eiswein (BA and Eiswein have the same minimum ripeness level), then Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA). TBA is much more rare and though Eiswine from Germany can be very expensive, it is generally not anywhere near the expense of good TBA, especially if made from Riesling.

Thanks, my wine book is WRONG! (Or you are, but I'm betting my wine book is).

 

[Melynny]

Since this isn't the Budget Board.. I just have to post... I just bought 2 bottles of Eiswine from Germany at my local Aldi store for $9.99 each. I had not tasted it before, opened one.. yep it's very sweet and the bottle says it's the wine from frozen grapes, so I am guessing it is true Icewine. I'll have something to compare the expensive stuff to, I guess..

 

[John's Mom]

In acuality, the ripeness scale of German wines goes... Kabinett, Spatlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, Eiswein (BA and Eiswein have the same minimum ripeness level), then Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA). TBA is much more rare and though Eiswine from Germany can be very expensive, it is generally not anywhere near the expense of good TBA, especially if made from Riesling.

Thanks for the great info!

 

[Ciao Mickey]

is a type of dessert wine produced from grapes that have been frozen while still on the vine. The sugars and other dissolved solids do not freeze, but the water does, so the result is a concentrated, often very sweet wine. In the case of ice wines, the freezing happens before the fermentation, not afterwards. Unlike the grapes from which other dessert wines, such as Sauternes, Tokaji, or Trockenbeerenauslese, are made, ice wine grapes should not be affected by Botrytis cinerea or noble rot. Only healthy grapes keep in good shape until the opportunity for ice wine harvest, which may be in the next calendar year. This gives ice wine its characteristic refreshing sweetness balanced by high acidity. When the grapes are free of Botrytis, they are said to come in "clean".

And boy are they delicious.

First time I sampled this kind of wine was in Napa. They are very pricey wines. Or can be. But oh so good.

 

[k_reile]

so should i try it first during the Food & Wine fest?
or wait till LeCellier and my 50th birthday celebration lunch? (yes I'm having lunch there on my actual 50th birthday - not give or take a day)

Try it during your lunch. The 1oz sample at f &w fest is like 5.25 or 6.25 cannot remember how much exactly but very expensive for soo little wine. It was a shot size. Probably can get more for your money at the resturant.

 

[crisi]

By the way, when people say its delicious -

its very sweet, I'd describe it as cloying. Its a little on the thick side - not so thick to be syrupy - but thicker than an ordinary wine. If you've ever had Plum Wine at a Japanese restaurant - its that sort of sweet/thick profile (but its more subtle than Plum Wine).

That isn't to say I don't like it, but a lot of people don't - and what is delicious to one person can be disappointing to someone else. A full glass is pretty expensive if you are more of a Chardonnay or chewy Cab sort of person.

 

[Figmentslf]

I had the Mission Hills at Le Cellier just last week. It was $17.00 for a 3 oz pour and worth every penny in my opinion I believe the Innis was $19 for 3 oz. Definitely a great way to end a meal.

 

[Hidden_Mickey]

Sounds good. What booth at F&WF has it?

 

[mrincredible2008]

thanks for the info. i am in a state that restricts wine shipments. but your info. is very helpful. thank you.

 

[andrews1]

Oh, and for OP, it is ice wine, not iced wine (might save you a little embarassment when ordering!)

 

[MissSha]

Get yourself an "Ice Wine Martini" at Le Cellier and visit Heaven

 

[mrincredible2008]

Oh, and for OP, it is ice wine, not iced wine (might save you a little embarassment when ordering!)

Ice wine....Icewine....Iced wine....Eiswine....
I am not the embarrassing type. I usally order correctly and most good servers know that Tipping is not a town in China. Thanks andruwone.

 

[mrincredible2008]

Thought you might like to see a couple of Canadian sites which cover ice wines from up "North"!

http://www.winesofcanada.com/icewine.html

http://www.inniskillin.com/en/ice/index.asp?location=ice



thanks for this info. i had saved this and forgot to send you a thanks.