As we all know, December/ January is Ice Wine season here in the Niagara Peninsula especially in the town of Jordan where many local wineries have set up shop for this winter weekend festival allowing the public to sample some of their best wines for only a few tokens. Lots of good food, variety music and fun activities makes the small town of Jordan a hot spot in such a cold season.
Keeping with the spirit of the season I have decided to start with desert.
There is no law that states you must save the best for last.
First off...The basics.
What is Ice Wine? Where did it come from?Ice Wine (or German term Eiswein) is a sweet desert wine that can only be made in cold, Northern hemisphere countries like Canada and Germany. This delicious style wines origin is often debated. Some believe it has been dated back to the 9th century Germany, others are positive it was 12th century Australia.
Regardless, the story I was told is about a farmer who had left the grapes on the vine too long and they had froze. The dedicated farmer decided to continue with the vinification process and later determined that freezing the grapes resulted in producing a natural sweet content. Therefore Ice wine has no added sugars or flavours. Miraculous!
Some different white varietals include Vidal (most common), Riesling and Gewurztraminer. The most popular red varietals are Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauv. and Shiraz.
How To: Harvest Ice Wine.
Ice wine grapes must stay on the vine longer than table wine varietals. Desired temperatures of -8 to -14 degrees Celsius are required to ensure the grapes are at their frozen state. Prune state grapes are then hand harvested by workers at the coldest times in the day, usually between 3a.m and 10a.m. The grapes are very delicate at this point which is why they must be hand picked. Sending machines down the rows would be too risky in possible damage to the skins which would overall result in less ice wine produced. By 10a.m when the sun has reached a higher point in the sky the temperature is warmer, this would defrost the frozen grapes.
Usually a crusher/ destemer will be brought right out into the field so the entire process will happen while grapes are frozen.
This is where Ice wine gets its name from, the fact that these grapes are frozen.
Ice wine is best served chilled. Through it in your freezer for 30 minutes or your fridge for about an hour. The great thing about ice wine is that it will last 6 WEEKS once it is open so if you would like to have it in small doses it is A-okay to do so. If left un-open ice wine will last 10 years from the vintage date. For example; If you have a 2005 Vidal Ice wine it should last until 2015 assuming your cellering it appropriately. This means keeping it in a cool dark place like a basement.
Pairings and Recipes
Ice wine is also known as desert wine because ice wine is so sweet that it is best paired with desert.
Personally I could pour the stuff on pancakes and drink it every day with breakfast, lunch and dinner but for those of you with a lesser dominant sweet tooth desert will do just fine.
White ice wine has hints of pear, honey, apricot and caramel so it is best paired with those flavours in a dish. Try it drizzled over vanilla ice cream, a cheese cake or just enjoy with a fruit and cheese platter.
Red ice wine has hints of strawberry, cranberries and black berries so try it with those frozen fruits in a 2oz glass of the delicious ice wine. As the fruit defrosts the tannins will make the wine seem less sweet. The new trend with red ice wine is to melt down dark chocolate and rim your glass like a margarita. Put your glass in the fridge or freezer so it hardens then pull it out just seconds before you pour your ice wine. This way when you sip on the ice wine the chocolate rim will cut down the sweetness and still give you the flavourful fruits that you will enjoy.
Drink recipes are getting more and more popular for ice wine every year. Use it in a martini to make it a little sweet, or with Champlain to cut the bitter finish. You can google drink recipes if these do not sound appetizing enough for you.
Weather you like or dislike sweets Ice wine is an experience to be had by all.
~I'll Try Anything Once, Twice If I Like It~
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Say What???
Huh????
Before I begin my rapid chatter I decided it would be best to give a few definitions on the language I will be using. Also known as wine jargon, culinary dialect or to some just plain old gibberish. These are some of the terms I will be using in my blogs, I have provided definitions as well so we are all on the same page.
Please feel free to reference back to this page if you find yourself confused a little later on.
Enjoy!
Acidity - The quality of tartness or sharpness in the taste of wine and food due to the presence of natural acids. (Not to be confused with sourness, dryness, or astringency.) There is Citric Acid, Mallolactic Acid, Lactic Acid and Tartaric Acid.
Balance - A balanced wine/ dish is one whose elements - sugar, fruit, tannin, acid, alcohol, wood, and so forth - are evident, but do not mask or dominate one another.
Tannin - A bitter compound found in the seeds, stems, and skins of grapes, and is extracted from wooden barrels. It is quite astringent and causes a puckering sensation in the front of the mouth.
Maturity - The stage in the aging of wines some fruits, cheese, meats and liquor when they have developed all of their characteristic qualities to complete perfection.
Dry - A wine with little or no noticeable sugar, usually containing less than 0.2 percent sugar.
On champagne and sparkling wines, dry is usually referred to as Brut.
Bouquet - The various fragrances noted by smell, created by the development of wine from the fermentation and aging process, whether in barrel or bottle.
Complexity - The various elements that make up a bouquet, aroma, and taste in a wine.
Ex. When a wine is described as having the aroma of fresh peaches or apples, it is displaying some of its complexities.
Finish - The tactile and flavor impressions left in the mouth while a beverage is being swallowed. Some beverages finish harsh, hot, and astringent, while others are smooth, soft, and elegant.
Corked - Describes an unpleasant musty odor or flavor imparted to wine by a defective (moldy, poor, soft, or (disintegrating) cork or by chemicals used in the processing of corks.
Full-Bodied - A term relating to the body or mouth-filling capacity of a wine.
Varietal Wine - The name of the dominant grape used in a wine -Some examples are Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Grigio.
Vintage Wine - A wine made from grapes harvested in a specific year, which is indicated on the wine label.
Non-Vintage Wine - A wine made from the juice of grapes harvested from several years. There is no year noted on the label of a non-vintage wine.
Fortified Wine - One to which brandy or other spirit has been added. Fortified wines contain 15 to 24 percent alcohol, as compared to most other wines which contain up to 15 percent alcohol.
Blush Wines - Are generally made with red grapes (some producers mix red and white grapes), but the juice has had a very brief contact with the grape skins. This produces wines that can range in color from light pink to pale orange to barely red.
Barrel Aging - The wine barrel serves three functions. First, it flavors the wine. Second, the barrel is a clarifier of the wine. As the wine resides in the barrel, particles drop to the bottom of the barrel clarifying the wine. The third and most important function of the barrel is as an aging vessel. During this process amounts of oxygen pass through the porous wood adding to the tannins of the wine.
À la Nage – Cooking à la nage means poaching food! (usually seafood)
Al dente – An Italian expression applied in all western kitchens to pasta cooked just until enough resistance is left in it to be felt “by the tooth.”
Blanch – A method of cooking in which foods are plunged into boiling water for a few seconds, removed from the water and refreshed under cold water, which stops the cooking process.
Braise – To cook in a small amount of liquid.
Flambé – To ignite a sauce or other liquid so that it flames.
That's all for this dictionary... I'll be sure to add a little more as I go just encase!
CHEERS. ..Whether you spit or swallow!
Before I begin my rapid chatter I decided it would be best to give a few definitions on the language I will be using. Also known as wine jargon, culinary dialect or to some just plain old gibberish. These are some of the terms I will be using in my blogs, I have provided definitions as well so we are all on the same page.
Please feel free to reference back to this page if you find yourself confused a little later on.
Enjoy!
Acidity - The quality of tartness or sharpness in the taste of wine and food due to the presence of natural acids. (Not to be confused with sourness, dryness, or astringency.) There is Citric Acid, Mallolactic Acid, Lactic Acid and Tartaric Acid.
Balance - A balanced wine/ dish is one whose elements - sugar, fruit, tannin, acid, alcohol, wood, and so forth - are evident, but do not mask or dominate one another.
Tannin - A bitter compound found in the seeds, stems, and skins of grapes, and is extracted from wooden barrels. It is quite astringent and causes a puckering sensation in the front of the mouth.
Maturity - The stage in the aging of wines some fruits, cheese, meats and liquor when they have developed all of their characteristic qualities to complete perfection.
Dry - A wine with little or no noticeable sugar, usually containing less than 0.2 percent sugar.
On champagne and sparkling wines, dry is usually referred to as Brut.
Bouquet - The various fragrances noted by smell, created by the development of wine from the fermentation and aging process, whether in barrel or bottle.
Complexity - The various elements that make up a bouquet, aroma, and taste in a wine.
Ex. When a wine is described as having the aroma of fresh peaches or apples, it is displaying some of its complexities.
Finish - The tactile and flavor impressions left in the mouth while a beverage is being swallowed. Some beverages finish harsh, hot, and astringent, while others are smooth, soft, and elegant.
Corked - Describes an unpleasant musty odor or flavor imparted to wine by a defective (moldy, poor, soft, or (disintegrating) cork or by chemicals used in the processing of corks.
Full-Bodied - A term relating to the body or mouth-filling capacity of a wine.
Varietal Wine - The name of the dominant grape used in a wine -Some examples are Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Grigio.
Vintage Wine - A wine made from grapes harvested in a specific year, which is indicated on the wine label.
Non-Vintage Wine - A wine made from the juice of grapes harvested from several years. There is no year noted on the label of a non-vintage wine.
Fortified Wine - One to which brandy or other spirit has been added. Fortified wines contain 15 to 24 percent alcohol, as compared to most other wines which contain up to 15 percent alcohol.
Blush Wines - Are generally made with red grapes (some producers mix red and white grapes), but the juice has had a very brief contact with the grape skins. This produces wines that can range in color from light pink to pale orange to barely red.
Barrel Aging - The wine barrel serves three functions. First, it flavors the wine. Second, the barrel is a clarifier of the wine. As the wine resides in the barrel, particles drop to the bottom of the barrel clarifying the wine. The third and most important function of the barrel is as an aging vessel. During this process amounts of oxygen pass through the porous wood adding to the tannins of the wine.
À la Nage – Cooking à la nage means poaching food! (usually seafood)
Al dente – An Italian expression applied in all western kitchens to pasta cooked just until enough resistance is left in it to be felt “by the tooth.”
Blanch – A method of cooking in which foods are plunged into boiling water for a few seconds, removed from the water and refreshed under cold water, which stops the cooking process.
Braise – To cook in a small amount of liquid.
Flambé – To ignite a sauce or other liquid so that it flames.
That's all for this dictionary... I'll be sure to add a little more as I go just encase!
CHEERS. ..Whether you spit or swallow!
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Cheers To the New Begining
It is now the start of a new year. The dawn of a new era.
After all if the Mayan prophets are correct the world will end December, 21st 2012 and I have much to say before then. Not to say the previous years were bad or uneventful by any means.
Just showing my awareness to a better and brighter future filled with friends, family, good food & great wine.
A new year embracing better vintages and less fast food.
After all we are allowing divine blessings into our life on a regular basis, this blog should be one of them.
My objective? To open the eyes of just 1 individual, perhaps more. The hospitality industry is not what it was when I was younger that's for sure! Its time to get excited about what we are putting in our mouths these days. Different recipes, new and old world wines, the Best & worst places to eat...
Convenience is really hurting our population. It is bad enough that everyone is trying to neglect exercise, the least we can do is watch our intake of the lovely food groups.
Where do we begin? Start asking questions to get the right answers! I'm a regular curious George!
I'm going to touch on a few topics between food and wine, Give some great recipes and drink ideas and last but not least let you know the "HOT" and "NOT" places to eat around this area!
So if you have an allergy or tolerance your compromise for great taste is over:)
Were going to stay creative yet efficient.
Test Everything. Hold on to the good. - (1 Thess. 5:21)
Until Next Time:)
After all if the Mayan prophets are correct the world will end December, 21st 2012 and I have much to say before then. Not to say the previous years were bad or uneventful by any means.
Just showing my awareness to a better and brighter future filled with friends, family, good food & great wine.
A new year embracing better vintages and less fast food.
After all we are allowing divine blessings into our life on a regular basis, this blog should be one of them.
My objective? To open the eyes of just 1 individual, perhaps more. The hospitality industry is not what it was when I was younger that's for sure! Its time to get excited about what we are putting in our mouths these days. Different recipes, new and old world wines, the Best & worst places to eat...
Convenience is really hurting our population. It is bad enough that everyone is trying to neglect exercise, the least we can do is watch our intake of the lovely food groups.
Where do we begin? Start asking questions to get the right answers! I'm a regular curious George!
I'm going to touch on a few topics between food and wine, Give some great recipes and drink ideas and last but not least let you know the "HOT" and "NOT" places to eat around this area!
So if you have an allergy or tolerance your compromise for great taste is over:)
Were going to stay creative yet efficient.
Test Everything. Hold on to the good. - (1 Thess. 5:21)
Until Next Time:)
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