The Wine from the Cold
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Wine & Dine
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Discover Germany, Switzerland & Austria
THE WINE FROM THE COLD Ice wine - a true rarity. Mother Nature and Father Frost rarely offer winemakers this unique opportunity. Full of risks, but all the more exciting. Because when the ice wine succeeds, winemakers and wine connoisseurs are equally delighted. TEXT: WIBKE CARTER
The story of Eiswein, one of the most appreciated German sweet wines, begins in the early 19th century in Bingen-Dromersheim near the Rhine River. 1829 was a rather bad wine year, and many grapes were not harvested due to poor quality. When, in the middle of winter and after heavy frosts, the winegrowers picked the grapes left on the vines in order to feed them to the cattle, they discovered that they had little juice, but a wonderful sweetness with a high must weight. From the grapes squeezed, the first ice wine was made in February 1830. For a long time, Germany and Austria were the only countries where ice wine was produced. In 1975, however, Canada also began production and since then has even become
the world's largest producer. The special, more expensive wine (produced in much smaller quantities than many other wines) is made mainly from Vidal Blanc, Chenin Blanc and Riesling.
IT’S A RISKY BUSINESS When winemakers play poker, the stakes are high. The grapes hang on the vines longer than usual, waiting for temperatures of at least -7°C, ideally -10 to -12°C, for several hours. The winemaker's all-or-nothing-game with Mother Nature can last until January, and in rare cases, February, and involves the risk of total loss. If it does not get cold enough, no ice wine is harvested. On average, only about 5-10% of
Sparkling wine production. Photo: www.deutscheweine.de
November 2023
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Issue 11 1
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