Definition: Ice wine

This nectar from the cold remains little known because this sweet wine, produced mainly in Austria, Germany and Canada, is made from late-harvest white grapes frozen on the vine. It is therefore a question of climate that allows its production. This precious beverage is increasingly appealing to connoisseurs.

It is called ice wine, is served chilled and conceals delicate aromas of rose, spices and dried fruit in its golden bottles. It is rare and precious. Last September, at an auction in Trier, Germany, the most determined bidders did not hesitate to pay up to €1,000 for a single one of the 300 priceless half-bottles of Egon Müller's 1996 vintage. The last two ice wine vintages from the Saarland winemaker, known for producing the world's most expensive wines, date back to 1998 and 2002.

Today, only a small number of daring winemakers are willing to risk their harvest for a few drops of this sweet gold, produced in symbolic quantities in years when the weather is kind enough to spare the grapes until the heart of winter. This is the secret of this sweet wine made from late-ripening white grapes (usually Riesling), which are brutally frozen on the vine. It was in the German Moselle region, towards the end of^{the 18th century}, that winemakers, surprised by early frosts and forced to press frozen berries, accidentally discovered the process for making this elixir. The tradition then spread to other regions with a suitable climate, such as Luxembourg, Austria and Slovenia, where the bite of the cold follows the heat of the sun and perfects the concentration of the juices. In 1973, a Canadian, Walter Hainle, tried the experiment in British Columbia. It was a great idea: the graft took so well that the country became the world's leading producer of ice wine, albeit with slightly different flavours.

Canada, the Eldorado of ice wine:

Risky in European latitudes, ice wine has found its El Dorado in Canada. The early and harsh winters of North America ensure Ontario and British Columbia winemakers a success rate of nearly 100%. As production is less risky, Canadian wine is sold at more affordable prices (from £85 for 75cl). It also has a higher alcohol content (above 10%) and is more syrupy: the grape variety used, Vidal, a thick-skinned hybrid, does not give it the finesse or aromas of Riesling. Its notes are heavier, with exotic tendencies: pineapple, lychee, mango... Without any complexes, Canadians have broadened their winter experiences with a unique and excellent ice cider, which is beginning to win over our side of the Atlantic. Using the same process, some of our American cousins are now trying their hand at sparkling wines and... red wines!

Icewine was long ignored by the European Union, which banned its importation. The Old Continent discovered it at Vinexpo in 1993, thanks to the Hillebrand estate, the first ambassador of the New World. But it took nearly ten years of lobbying to reach an agreement in April 2001. As a sign of the thaw, a dozen Canadian producers have been present at Vinexpo for the last three editions. In the general enthusiasm of the 2003 show, the Canadian house Inniskillin from Niagara Peninsula even won the Discovery jury prize.

When frost whitens the vines and covers the tiles, it is time for the harvest. It does not begin until the thermometer drops below -7°C. Sometimes it is necessary to wait until -10 or even -12°C for the ice to finally trap what remains of the water in the raisined grapes on the vine: the higher their sugar content, the lower their freezing temperature. However, with each passing day, the risk of losing everything increases. Despite the protective nets and cellophane covers deployed over the rows to protect the grapes, it is a miracle if the grapes that are to remain healthy survive the bad weather, disease and predators. When the weather finally allows, the winegrowers go out at dawn, sometimes at night, to gather these winter fruits, shriveled but unharmed. They know they have gold at their numb fingertips. In Austria, the alarm bell sometimes rings at 2 a.m. to call the whole village. And the inhabitants rush to the harvest simply for the pleasure of tasting the nectar the following year. The harvest is immediately and delicately pressed on site and in the cold, as the fruit must not be allowed to thaw. The water, retained in the ice crystals, is separated from the quintessence of the grape: a sweet and acidic juice then drips from the pneumatic presses. Yields barely reach a few hundred litres per hectare. In comparison, the Alsace vineyards produce 7,000 litres of dry wine for the same area. The fermentation of the must is then long and difficult, slowed down by the concentration of sugar. German wines rarely exceed 10 degrees of alcohol, and some even struggle to reach 6 degrees, with 200 to 300 grams of residual sugar, compared to 60 to 120 grams for Sauternes.

Today, a handful of daring Alsatian winegrowers have embarked on this adventure, even though French legislation does not recognise the appellation "ice wine" (nor does the International Organisation of Vine and Wine, but the main producing countries - Austria, Germany and Canada - have agreed on a common charter). Seppi Landman, a specialist in late harvests and unusual winemaking experiments, has tried his hand at it with Riesling, as well as Gewürztraminer and Sylvaner. Soultzmatt's original was only able to produce five vintages, with his finest cuvée coming in 2001, at -10°C. In 1999, he had to wait until 28 January before harvesting his daring crop. Two years earlier, the weather had been less favourable: the protective nets had collapsed under the weight of the snow.

Thanks to the initiative of these winegrowers, wine lovers have gradually discovered this precious wine. And since 2001 (when the European Union authorised the import of Canadian production), sales have been steadily increasing. Winter is well and truly here, it's harvest time: the perfect moment to taste this seasonal product.

Practical information:

Canadian ice wine

Château des Charmes 1999 (Vidal), 37.5cl: €59 at Couleurs Québec (mail order), 02-99-62-00-70, www.couleurs-quebec.com; €73 at Fauchon, 30, place de la Madeleine, Paris (8th arrondissement), 01-47-42-95-40.

Domaine Inniskillin, Gold Oak Age Vidal 2002, 37.5cl: €97. Sylver Riesling 1999, 37.5cl: €95. Vins du Monde (mail order), 02-40-56-75-75, www.vinsdumonde.com

German Eiswein

DrLoosen Bernkasteler Lay 2001, 75cl: £85 at Vivavin (mail order), 03-80-22-77-04, www.vivavin.com

Schloss Johannisberg, Blaulack 2001, 37.5cl: €139 at Vins du Monde (mail order), 02-40-56-75-75, www.vinsdumonde.com

Rheingau Schloss, Blaulack 1999, 37.5cl: €153.90 at Lavinia, 3, boulevard de la Madeleine, 01-42-97-20-20, and also at Lavinia, Schloss Lehrensteinsfeld, Riesling 1995, 37.5cl: €41.20.

Weingut Selbach-Oster, Bernkasteler Badstube, 1996, 50cl: €93.75; and Zeltinger Himmelreich, 1993: €122.55.

French ice wine

Seppi Landman, 20, rue de la Vallée, 68570 Soultzmatt, 03-89-47-09-33. Sylvaner 1999: €180; Riesling 1990: €200; Gewurztraminer 1993: €230.

Ice cider

Neige-La Face cachée de la pomme, 50cl: €39 at Couleurs Québec (mail order), 02-99-62-00-70, www.couleurs-quebec.com. Also available at Lafayette Gourmet, 48 Boulevard Haussmann, Paris (9th arrondissement), 01-40-23-52-25. €24.30 for 20cl, €29.70 for 37.5cl.

Source: Léa Delpont in L'Express 15/01/2004 - adapted by PhM.