PURE ICE WINE JUICE

Ice wine is vinted from the "must" of frozen grapes. The first effort to press frozen wine grapes for making "Eiswein" were made in 1794 in Franconia, Germany. The attempt to intensify the juice was probably more by accident than by intention. It came as a surprise to the grower that he had naturally consolidated the sugars, acids and other aroma components, into a thick, bold must.
Canadian Ice wine found global recognition at the Vinexpo 91 in Bordeaux France, for winning several prestigious awards and titles.

Great care must be taken in preparing the vineyard for leaving grapes on the vine beyond the September harvest. The vineyard must be in excellent condition for the grapes to reach full maturity. Early botrytis infection causes the berries to break open allowing insects to feed on the berries. This in fact, is not desireable. An organic botrytis spray applied just before bunch closure, is the best defense against this. An even greater problem can be the birds. A flock can easily destroy a whole year's effort leaving the rest for wasps and bees to finish. Netting is the most effective way to control the birds.Only thick-skinned varieties as our Vidal, (which mature late), can withstand such treatment. Vidal is the best suited variety to repeated freezing. Other varieties very often face problems with the so-called "stem rot", which lets the whole bunch drop to the ground before it freezes. However, several selective pickings are necessary leaving only the healthiest bunches on the vine.And finally a frost period of at least 2 days of minus 9 Centigrade (12 Fahrenheit), will allow the vintner to harvest the frozen grapes followed by a gentle pressing and a three to six month fermentation period. The Ice wine can be enjoyed for several years after bottling.

What does Vidal Ice Wine taste like? If you live not too far from Guelph you can visit Cox Creek Cellars north of the city on Highway 6. They have an ice wine called Country Symphony Number 9 that is sure to please. Click here to visit Cox Creek Cellars.

Pure Ontario Vidal ice wine juice from Niagara.
Not a concentrate but real varietal grape juice!
$33.00 / litre CDN
Orders for the December 1999/January 2000 Harvest that were placed starting October 10 1999 should be filled in the weeks following New Years day. Unfortunately, orders are still limited to Ontario residents. Shipping costs for one litre to residents in the continental US are prohibitive. However, US residents are free to visit our Guelph ON location to secure their ice wine juice if possible.
For the 1999 Harvest Ice wine juice, please contact us on our 24hr. fax (519)-824-0808 or e-mail Joseph. Any suggestions about our services are more than welcome.

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