Icewine is too sweet …
If I had a dollar every time I heard that Icewine is too sweet from someone I could actually afford to drink it on a regular basis. The fact of the matter is Icewine IS sweet. The problem isn’t with the beverage; it’s with how we serve it!
First off, pairing Icewine with your dessert can work very well. But if you really think about it, you’re pairing something sweet with something sweet. When you put that much sugar in your mouth it can be like an assault on your taste buds. If I am going to serve Icewine at my table I prefer to wait until after the meal so you don’t have anything to interfere with flavours. But if you insist on putting this on the table maybe look at pairing it with something a little more toned down (how about a Strawberry-Rhubarb pie?). One other thing most people don’t consider is how well Icewine will pair with salt… maybe some cheeses, pate or foie gras.
Secondly, because it’s so sweet, and you get so little in the bottle (200 ml/375 ml are pretty standard) you’ll want to serve only 1 1/2 to 2 oz. of wine at a time. If you have them try serving in a Sherry glass, and if you don’t and you’re not really dressing your table to impress anyone I don’t even mind serving in a juice glass. The point is you want something that will make you tip your head back a bit to get the drink all over your tongue.
Remember Icewine is something you want to savour, this isn’t a wine you want to gulp back … With bottles going up and over $100 who would want that to go to waste? Chill the bottle to fridge temperature open and enjoy!
Domaine Pinnacle Cidre de Glace 2010 – SAQ 00734269 – $25.00 – I had the opportunity to try this with a friend. I will admit that the wine snob in me was skeptical of how good this could actually be. But I do occasionally like a regular glass of cider so I was willing to give it a try. I love finding a bargain and this is definitely undervalued and almost a well-kept secret! We put so much focus on Icewine when you think about Canadian wine that it is easy to overlook a product that may seem a little unusual. When serving this treat it like an icewine but you will find (obviously) more flavours of apple with a long lingering finish.
Inniskillin Select Late Harvest Vidal 2007 – SAQ 00398040 – $20.30 – I did mention that I like a bargain … Late Harvest is not Icewine per say… but it does come pretty close. This is the sort of sweet wine for you people (and I know there are a lot of you) who feel that Icewine can be too sweet. I often prefer to serve this, not just because it costs less, but also because I don’t find it to be inferior. You still get the same concentrated fruit flavours with a lingering finish that coats your mouth, but it is a little easier to swallow because it has about half as much sugar as your typical Icewine. The price is also pretty sweet.
Tawse Cabernet Franc Icewine 2010 – SAQ 11689931 – $35.75 – Here is something that is also often overlooked; you can get Icewine that is Red too! This is another way to beat the “Too Sweet” complaint that generally circulates around this particular dessert wine. I have found with Red Icewine the flavours move towards Strawberry, Cranberry and Rhubarb instead of Honey making them much easier to handle. I also love my wine to be a conversation piece and Tawse has been named Canadian Winery of the Year for the past three years.
