I think it’s appropriate to take a moment to talk about Icewine this week. I’m looking out my window at the moment I’m writing this and we are about to get a crap-ton of snow dumped on us. I now I often say Canadians are out of Love with Icewine – but I’m not sure we ever were really in Love with it. When I say Icewine – most people immediately think sweet. I think one of the biggest problems with wineries, and wine lovers trying to find a way to serve Icewine is that most serving options are trying to mask the sweetness of this wine. I say it’s time to just embrace what’s in the bottle and find a way to make those flavours pop.
I was thrilled to sit down with Bruce Nicholson of Inniskillin last fall. Inniskillin are the pioneers when it comes to winemaking in Ontario – and Icewine is definitely the cornerstone of their portfolio. They carry the flag high for Canada, and you can find their Icewine around the world – I even came across a few bottles while visiting London in December (that’s would be England, not Ontario). Bruce is one of my favorite winemakers in Ontario – the quality of the Inniskillin portfolio is rock-solid and definitely one of the places where I send people when they are new to Ontario wines. If you get a chance to visit the winery Bruce always has something special cooking up outside the usual portfolio. A few years ago I was fortunate enough to be one of the first to taste a botrytis affected Viognier with Chef Michael Smith. This wine was unique – and balanced – and tasty – also, my podcasting co-host loved it too.
Sitting down with Bruce in Toronto was a real treat. I was greeted with a beautiful lineup of Inniskillin Icewines. And he did not disappoint with delivering something a little magical that he had been working on. Inniskillin has released a 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Icewine- OH and this tasting included food pairings that leaned towards salty and savoury! (IT FEELS LIKE PEOPLE ARE FINALLY READING MY BLOG!) – We don’t see a lot of Cabernet Sauvignon Icewine – hell, we don’t see a lot of Cabernet Franc Icewine. Icewine really is a labour of love – there are so many things that can go wrong with your fruit when you leave it to hang on the vine until -8 rolls around. So when you see Icewine made with varieties that aren’t what you would expect it’s definitely something worth checking out.
I do think it’s going to be a little while before Canadians really fall in Love with Icewine – but starting to think about pairing these wines with appetizers or entrées is definitely a step in the right direction. We need to stop trying to mask the sweetness of these wines, and we need to embrace and and use it to bring out the best of Icewine and the food on the table. But, the most important thing when it comes to these wines – for the Love of God stop pairing them with dessert!
2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Icewine – (paired with petit filet with cherry glaze) – $124.99 – ****+ – Flavours and aromas of strawberry jam, maraschino cherry, and there is a bit of clove that pokes through on the finish. The flavours are very rich and concentrated – and the red fruit soars with nice complexity that works well with the expected sweetness of this elixir. Being paired with the cherry glaze would make this a great match to duck confit and any fruit accompaniment, or a good steak au poivre… I know that I generally stay away from specific food pairing ideas but the salt, spice, and texture of the pepper sauce with this wine is just harmony.
2017 Cabernet Franc Icewine – (paired with pulled duck confit with raspberry jalapenos demi-glace) – $99.95 – ****+ – Flavours are soft and juicy raspberry, strawberry, cherry, and starts pushing on the edge of blackberry and plum – but everything is confected (no surprise here). Nice acidity helps balance it out, and the complex fruit flavours linger. Duck confit is rich, savoury, and concentrated poultry flavours. I can’t imagine a better food pairing than what was in front of me.
2017 Riesling Icewine – (paired with mousse of foie gras with tangerine compote, and grilled peaches stacked with sliced mozzarella drizzled with chili-infused olive oil) – $79.95 – ****½ – I was spoiled for New Years this year. I was in Lyon in the kitchen of one of my best friends mothers (who happens to be French) and we opened a bottle of 2017 Riesling Icewine to pair with foie gras. Foie, fig jam – or onion jam, on a crostini – this is the perfect way to enjoy this wine. The flavours are honey, apricot, and canned peach. But when you match it with the texture, and flavour of the foie the acids are amplified. There is no battle for which flavour is front and centre for the finish because everything just lingers. For those of you who feel that Icewine is too “sweet” you need to do this pairing (if foie gras isn’t your game – paté – or liverwurst will also do the trick – but let’s face it, you won’t feel as fancy).
2017 Sparkling Vidal Icewine – (pulled chicken and nectarine salad) – $79.95 – **** – The sparkling Vidal is always an impressive bottle to put on the table. I realize that earlier in this post I mentioned that we need to embrace the sweetness of these wines – but something about the bubbles helps keep this lifted off the palate and cuts through a bit of the sweetness. Apricot, Honey, and a slightly white flower note are what you can find in this bottle.
2017 Vidal Icewine – (mini dark chocolate and pear tart) – $49.95 – **** – I’m really not a fan of doing Icewine with dessert for the many reasons previous stated here – but if you insist on doing this dark chocolate is a safe bet – it will amplify the savory and fruity notes that are in the chocolate. It’s also a safe bet to match Icewines with fruit (as you can see has been done several times at this tasting) as it helps take the focus off the <<sweetness>> and more onto the natural fruit flavour profiles. The 2017 Vidal from Inniskillin is fantastically balanced with nice acidity that meets the confected apricot, and honey notes.
2017 Sparkling Cabernet Franc Icewine – (macerated strawberries topped with crumbled blue cheese) – $119.95 – **** – This is such a fun wine, the bubbles in the glass help keep this a little lighter on the palate. This is liquid strawberry rhubarb jam – and paired with blue cheese it’s just a great marriage of texture, and flavour.
