![]() ![]() Instead, it was James Nederend and his wife, Sydney, who purchased Koenig Vineyards in 2019 at Greg’s request. This time, however, it wasn’t founder Greg Koenig who doted on those icy marbles of Riesling and took the voluptuous wine to bottle. (Photo by Traci Degerman / )ĬALDWELL, Idaho - It was no shock to see the storied Riesling ice wine program at Koenig Vineyards win best of show in the 2023 Idaho Wine & Cider Competition - the third time in the past decade. The sweepstakes winners for the 2023 Idaho Wine & Cider Competition are the Highpoint Cider Cellar Series Alpenglow, Split Rail Winery 2022 White Noise Pétillant Naturel, Koenig Vineyards NV Riesling Ice Wine, Williamson Vineyards 2020 Sangiovese and Hat Ranch Winery 2022 Unoaked Chardonnay. It typically goes very well with anything spicy, salty, fruit-based or with aged cheeses.įor more wine stories, interactive learning guides and a whole lotta' wine follow Adrian on Vivino. Ice wine is generally very sweet, which is advantageous as it means it can be used as a dessert wine, an aperitif, or a wine to pair with the main course. There needs to be a regular period of frost each year to ensure a successful harvest, making Canada, Germany, Switzerland and Austria among the four most common ice wine producing regions on the planet. Where do ice wines come from?ĭue to the temperature requirements, ice wines are only grown in very selective regions. The downside is that you only get a very limited batch of wine from each harvest-but the quality is usually exceptional. All of the elements that are needed for flavor such as the solids, skins and sugars remain unfrozen and incorporated within the juices underneath the ice, thus retaining the sweetness. Unlike these styles, ice wines don't need what is called noble rot or botrytis to make the wine sweet. ![]() It's important to note that ice wines are very different than other dessert wines such as Tokaji and Sauternes. What you're left with is a very concentrated and flavorsome juice. This process ensures the vines will be extra sweet, as they are pressed immediately so that the frozen ice (what would be water) floats to top of the juice in the vat and can be scooped out with ease. They are then pressed immediately while still in their frozen state, which usually means the entire procedure must be carried out overnight and can be quite costly. The grapes are only hand picked from the vines when they are completely frozen (usually at about -10☌/14☏). Most grapes are harvested when the weather is most bearable, but for ice wines, it's the opposite. If the cold weather and frost don't show, the whole crop is likely to rot and be rendered useless. Ice wines have been labelled as some of the most risk-bearing wines to produce, given how they heavily rely on a regular pattern of frost each year. The flavor characteristics are normally associated with rich honey, hay and a clean freshness that you don't get from any other type of dessert wine. They are most commonly produced from Riesling and Vidal grapes, although you can technically produce an ice wine from any type of grape, even red. Due to its very concentrated nature and unique production method, good quality ice wines come with higher price tags. ![]()
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