Ice wine, also known as Eiswein, is made from grapes that have remained on the vine past the first frost. When the grapes freeze, the frozen water crystals separate out, resulting in a more concentrated juice – more sugar, more acid, more flavor. Fermentation of this concentrated must produces a deliciously sweet wine. Achieving concentration is labor intensive, and output is relatively low, so ice wines tend to be quite expensive.
Apple Ice Wine
Apple
ice wine was only recently “invented.” In 1990, Christian Barthomeuf,
a French winemaker who had emigrated to Quebec, tried substituting
the apple for the grape to make what the Quebecois call “cidre
de glace” – ice cider. Barthomeuf reasoned that the apple was
more at home on Canadian soil than the grape, and would therefore
result in a better product.
Inspired by the wonderful apple ice wine produced by our neighbors to the North, Still River Winery takes advantage of the fact that central Massachusetts grows the world’s best apples – with ideal soil, climate and hours of sunlight – “terroir” as wine connoisseurs refer to it. Since the best-tasting apple varieties fall from the trees before a hard frost, Still River Winery separates out the frozen water crystals from icy pressed cider before fermentation. Fermentation itself takes place over months, at very cold temperatures, to preserve delicate flavors and aromas.