Yesterday we bought heaps of wine, but in that haul were some bottles of ice wine. So those of you in the know would be all shocked that I bought ice wine in New Zealand, I was. But, young grasshopper, I would reply, it is possible to make ice wine, even in the warm parts of New Zealand. Yes, technology, even the ancient kind, you know the kind where you apply cold to something and it freezes!
So apparently it is possible to make Ice wine in NZ. They just cheat! I asked a few places how they did it, one place picked their ice wine grapes at the same time as all of the other ones, then froze them whole for a couple months to dry them out and concentrate their sugars then pressed and made wine. This results in a more acidic, yet sweet ice wine. It’s light like a Canadian Late Harvest, not thick on the palate and really sweet like a traditional ice wine. Also, so cheap! Like $8 US a bottle! I liked it, but it does pale in comparison to Canadian late harvests or ice wines. The acidity that it has is interesting, and it helps to cut the overt sweetness. They can achieve this by picking the grapes earlier.
Another way that it was made (I learned) was to pick them a little later then freeze and crush. Results in a sweet ice wine with less acidity. Still not as good as the Canadian counterparts, and still cheap cheap cheap. The last way I learned was to pick early or late, crush then freeze… I didn’t notice much difference in the freeze then crush vs the crush then freeze, still not as good as the Canadian stuff.
I also found a Late Harvest in NZ, which is left on the vines and gets a mould or a fungus (I can’t remember which) and the mouldy fungus dehydrates the grapes leaving them sweeter, and makes for a late harvest. I’ve also had wine from Napa like this, sold as a late harvest. Here’s it’s also called a Nobel wine, or if you get a cheeky sommolier a rotten wine. It’s more expensive than ice wine here, and still not as good as a Canadian Late Harvest.
Now a little confusion, Late Harvest in Canada (as I learned) is when the grapes are harvested late, and thereby frozen, but not as cold as ice wine. So they are harvested at perhaps minus 8 rather than minus 13, which makes them a late harvest. However here it can be the result of the mouldy fungus, and the same in Napa. So it’s not a true late harvest, which I understand to be the result of actually harvesting the grapes late, when they are frozen. Perhaps I have issues with it ’cause I am Canadian and proud of our wines, like the French are of their Champagne. So I will call a late harvest a late harvest and the rest are merely rotten wines… unless of course they are Nobel.
On another note, Chardonnay.
Those who know me know I love an oaky Chardonnay, and the oakier the better. But I’m noticing a trend that there are less and less okay Chards being made, with wine makers trending towards a less oaky, less buttery Chard, which is disturbing. So I think I need to start a movement. If you want a fruity, light white wine then drink a Pinot Gris/ Grigio or a Sauv. Blanc, but please don’t mess with my oaky Chardonnay, I do love it so!
(That being said, I did have a buttery un oaked chard, which was quite good, but would have been so much better with the oak.) (to make it buttery they add an enzyme, fun with chemistry!)
Finally another wine after my heart, port, or fortified wine to call an apple an apple. We found a lovely one, which was oaky and fruity and so lovely….
Hmm after all this talk of wine, I think I’m off to have a glass or two or three….