Word of caution about Imiskillen Ice Wine in the F&W booth in Canada!

[wildernesslodgelover]

Well, I read a lot about Imaskillen (sp?) Ice Wine on these boards...there was a debate about it recently, and I KNEW it was supposed to be good stuff! I saw that a sample at the booth was $4.50...but I NEGLECTED TO NOTICE that is for a 1 oz portion! I paid my money and tha gal behind the booth gave me this THIMBLE sized plastic cup. As I walked away, I heard an older couple say to me, "OMG! PLEASE tell us that is a free sample!!" I LOL and said that if I knew it was so small, I would have NEVER paid $4.50 for it!

As we walked away, I tried to explain to my DH that I heard about this wine on the DISboards and it was highly recommended and he said, very dryly, "I think you need to post a thread that someone owes you $4.50!"

LOL

Oh, maybe you are wondering if it was tasty...

YES, it was, but of course very sweet. I could not imagine drinking too much of it!

 

[heathriel]

Icewine is very expensive; that is why it is a one ounce portion.

When they have the cognac kiosk, they are also one ounce portions as well.

 

[NJR]

I'm sure you mean Inniskillin ice wine. In any case, ice wine is a very sweet wine which is only meant to be served in small amounts (ie not like a regular 5 or 6 oz glass of Chardonnay that you might have with a meal - at home, we use 1.5 oz sherry glasses to serve ice wine). It is also quite a bit pricier than your average bottle of wine.
A 1 oz. "sample" size seems quite appropriate to me.

 

[wildernesslodgelover]

Please know that I am not saying a 1 oz serving is not appropriate...I understand the reasoning. I just wish I would have paid attention to the sign in front of the booth. If I would have known, I probably would not have spent the $4.50 on it! There are SO MANY wines and beers and foods to try.

That said, I am glad I tried it!

P.S. Thanks for the spelling correction! It was driving me crazy because I knew I was not spelling it correctly!

 

[muffyn]

Please know that I am not saying a 1 oz serving is not appropriate...I understand the reasoning. I just wish I would have paid attention to the sign in front of the booth. If I would have known, I probably would not have spent the $4.50 on it! There are SO MANY wines and beers and foods to try.

That said, I am glad I tried it!

ahh, but arent you glad you tried it as a sample instead of buying a bottle (very pricey) & not liking it!!

we love the stuff, but can't afford those bottles more than once a year!

 

[tiggersmom2]

Please know that I am not saying a 1 oz serving is not appropriate...I understand the reasoning. I just wish I would have paid attention to the sign in front of the booth. If I would have known, I probably would not have spent the $4.50 on it! There are SO MANY wines and beers and foods to try.

That said, I am glad I tried it!

P.S. Thanks for the spelling correction! It was driving me crazy because I knew I was not spelling it correctly!

LOL...a *1* oz. portion would just tick me off! I would grieve my $4.50 badly....thanks for the post!


Yes, I HAVE had this wine (by the bottle ) and it was excellent. I also find the very sweet wines in eastern TN excellent....they are not quite as good as the ice wine but they are close...and they are only 28.00 for *3* BOTTLES!!!!!

 

[wildernesslodgelover]

muffyn-Yeah, it is kind of like doing something you will never do again, but are glad you are able to say you "did it" once!

tiggersmon-mmmm...what is the name of this tennessee wine?

BTW...I am gonna edit the title of this thread so I don't look like such a bonehead on the baords!

 

[Mister Disney]

I can vouche that you are NOT a bone head. I even met you in person!

You and your husband are some of the nicest people we've met from the boards.

I also got the Ice Wine, because I love sweet wines. Knowing how expensive they can be, I wasn't shocked by the cost or the size. It was quite delicious!

 

[eeyore45]

I also paid the #4.50, but I had watched a special on how ice wines are made, and I shopped at our local store - did a quick google search >

http://www.northwest-wine.com/Inniskillin-ice-wine-riesling-02.html
Inniskillin Ice Wine Riesling 02 375 ml


$89.50 - Case price (any 12 or more bottles)
Price: $99.45



Not sure which wine we tried, but again, I know these wines are very expensive, due to the nature of the harvest!!

Which made our taste/samples at Party for the senses pay for itself!!! (They poured maybe 3oz pours of ice wine!!)

 

[scanne]

Ah. Mister Disney is back.

I hope you are working on some dining reports and the Nosh Around the World report! Anxiously awaiting those...


BTW, how'd you like the Wilderness Lodge?

 

[webray]

Well, I read a lot about Imaskillen (sp?) Ice Wine on these boards...there was a debate about it recently, and I KNEW it was supposed to be good stuff! I saw that a sample at the booth was $4.50...but I NEGLECTED TO NOTICE that is for a 1 oz portion! I paid my money and tha gal behind the booth gave me this THIMBLE sized plastic cup. As I walked away, I heard an older couple say to me, "OMG! PLEASE tell us that is a free sample!!" I LOL and said that if I knew it was so small, I would have NEVER paid $4.50 for it!

As we walked away, I tried to explain to my DH that I heard about this wine on the DISboards and it was highly recommended and he said, very dryly, "I think you need to post a thread that someone owes you $4.50!"

LOL

Oh, maybe you are wondering if it was tasty...

YES, it was, but of course very sweet. I could not imagine drinking too much of it!

Ice Wine is very expensive, very expensive. Consider yourself lucky to be able to try it for such a low price, instead of paying for a whole bottle. We love it and keep it on hand at the house. Try it with blue cheese..yummy!

 

[Mister Disney]

Ah. Mister Disney is back.

I hope you are working on some dining reports and the Nosh Around the World report! Anxiously awaiting those...


BTW, how'd you like the Wilderness Lodge?

Yes, I'll be working on reviews starting tonight.

Starting with Nosh....

Wilderness Lodge? uhm......lets just say a little less than stellar and we moved to the Grand midway through the trip. I'll do a short post on that tonight.

 

[wildernesslodgelover]

Whaaaat? Mister D did NOT like the WL? I am crushed and look forward to hearing what disappointed you!

webray-ahhhh...with blue cheese...now THAT sounds delish. I have been known to but a chunk of maytag and nibble it with my chardonnay (not necessarily a "classic" pairing, I know!)...I can only imagine with the sweet wine!

eeyore-DANG IT! I missed the ice wine booth at PftS! But I *do * know that sweet wine does not agree with me if drunk in large quantiities. I learned this at an early age with a bottle of Boone's farm Strawberry Hill!

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

Let me start by saying I have never tried this particular brand - nor am I a wine expert. I can, however, recommend a local ice wine that is very good and much more reasonable. It is made the authentic way - the grapes are allowed to ice on the vine - and it has won awards. All I can say to is I like it...but again am no expert. It is Fiori Delle Stelle - made at Casa Larga, a Finger Lakes vineyard near Rochester, NY. I believe it sell for $28 for 375 ml. I haven't had it for a couple years - but I believe this is the price they gave in arecent article about an award they won. If this price is correct - it would be a more reasonable alternative for those who enjoy ice wine!



Edited: - just looked it up it is $35 not $28 - also, sorry - I am not sure how easy it would be to get it outside the local area - the link to "find retailers" wouldn't work for me!

 

[misslissa]

JUST before I read this post, I posted this on another person's thread when they asked what kind of wine to try at the festival... maybe you should mention your experience to them! Icewine is definitely a treat and only comes in small portions because any more and it would be hard to handle. I don't know if the US has the same rating systems as we do (I believe they do) but here, all wines are rated with the amount of sugar content. The sweetest regular wine that you are going to find is usually about a 3... sometimes a White Zinfandel will be a 4. In Canada, we have a wine called a "Late Harvest"... which is kind of between regular and Icewine and it is usually about 8-15... and Inniskillin icewine is definitely between 25-30!!! It is amazing... consider it a fancy experience. I hope you liked it at least!!!

Here is my post from the last thread:

Hi there,

Before I even read the posts before mine, my brain was screaming ICEWINE! And, I checked and it is at the Canadian Pavilion. The two wineries (Chateau des Charmes and Inniskillin) feature in "Canada" are about 10 minutes from my home... and even having it all of the time... it is well worth the taste test. To give you a general idea, a bottle of the icewine generally runs between $60-$80 here... and that is right off the winemakers shelf. To be considered icewine, the grapes have to be picked in the middle of the night (around 1 pm) after the weather has reached a certain cold temperature for 3 nights in a row. It is amazing to see... I believe it originated in Germany and now is only made in Germany and Canada 'cause it is hard to grow grapes in climates that turn cold!

If you haven't tried it before, definitely try it now!!!

 

[wildernesslodgelover]

Wow...I am glad I posted this thread...it has been so informative! I wish iIwould have known all this information BEFORE I sampled it...I may have appreciated it even more!

misslissa-I did like it. I wish i would have capped my eating adventure with the 1 oz portion. See, I did not know what to expect, so I did not like the ice wine along with whatever I was eating at the time...might have been a pierogie...ICK! (not the pierogie...the ice wine with the pierogie, LOL!) But it certainly was good if drunk at the proper time.

I did not know that about how they harvest the grapes...very cool!

pans-Thanks for the tip! Would you drink it WITH dessert or INSTEAD of dessert?

 

[Mister Disney]

With dessert or instead of dessert? Interesting concept.

When I have a small dinner party at the house, we usually serve "Ice Wine" with cheese and crackers at the beginning....before dinner.

I find that the "sweetness" of the wine is a good match with really strong cheeses, such as blues etc.

 

[misslissa]

I haven't had icewine with regular cheese... they don't usually serve it like that around here. Inniskillin Winery itself usually pairs it with something strong though, the previous poster is right... my favourite is goat cheese with cranberries... paired with icewine. It is to die for.

I haven't seen very many people substitute dessert FOR icewine but there are lots of desserts that I have tried WITH it. During our "Icewine Festival"... kinda like the Epcot F&W Fest, there have been icewine truffles, ice cream with icewine poured over it (like a syrup), crepes with icewine, brownies with icewine... everything. Even icewine sorbet, I could go on forever. It makes an amazing accompaniment to any regular dessert too! Even something simple like apple pie... with a glass of icewine.

 

[dznymom1]

The first time I had Icewine was at one of the seminars at the festival. It was facinating to learn how icewine is made, and much more interesting than many of the seminars I have been to. I believe we only got to sample 2 types - one Canadian and one German if I recall correctly. They were both lip smacking good (yep, that's a highly technical wine tasting term ) But the main point is, it was FREE! I just checked the seminars for my dates and Inniskillin is scheduled for 11/4 at 7:15pm and Nov 5 at 11:00 am. I don't know for sure if they will be doing Icewine since they do have other wines, but I sure hope so! So check your schedules Festival Goers!

 

[misslissa]

The first time I had Icewine was at one of the seminars at the festival. It was facinating to learn how icewine is made, and much more interesting than many of the seminars I have been to. I believe we only got to sample 2 types - one Canadian and one German if I recall correctly. They were both lip smacking good (yep, that's a highly technical wine tasting term ) But the main point is, it was FREE! I just checked the seminars for my dates and Inniskillin is scheduled for 11/4 at 7:15pm and Nov 5 at 11:00 am. I don't know for sure if they will be doing Icewine since they do have other wines, but I sure hope so! So check your schedules Festival Goers!

I get so seriously excited when people start realizing how great this stuff is... wine is such a big part of our community and I am soooooo happy that it is making itself known internationally. It is just amazing.