Chef Michael Pataran, For The Guardian

For most of us a dessert wine usually means reaching for that time-tested bottle of LBV Port, the super-intense Tokaji Aszú from Hungary or that seductive and sultry Sauterne from France. Being from Canada, when I think of dessert wine, my brain automatically conjures up visions of icewine (AKA) — nectar of the gods! This wine produces some of the most intense, silky and sexiest wines made on earth.

Icewine is a type of dessert wine produced from grapes that have been frozen while still on the vine at a temperature of -8 degrees Celsius (17.6 degrees Fahrenheit) for at least three days. This can get tricky because if the frost doesn't come early enough (usually November) the grapes run the risk of rotting. If it's too cold (on the flip-side of things) the grapes have no juice left, meaning no wine!

Canadian, Austrian and German law forbids the artificial freezing of grapes, which is allowed in all other icewine producing countries; due to the fact those countries are unable to achieve the natural stone cold frigid temperatures. The artificial freezing process is known as "cryoextraction" (mechanical freezing) to simulate the effect of a frost and typically do not leave the grapes sufficient "hang time" as is done with natural ice wines. The sugars and other dissolved solids do not freeze, but the water does, allowing a more concentrated grape must to be pressed from a frozen state, resulting in a minute amount of super-concentrated and often very sweet wine.

With ice wines, the freezing happens before the fermentation, not afterwards. Unlike the grapes from which other dessert wines, such as Sauternes, Tokaji, or Trockenbeerenauslese, are made, ice wine grapes should not be affected by Botrytis Cinerea (AKA noble rot). Only healthy grapes keep in good shape until the opportunity arises for an ice wine harvest, which can occur the following calendar year. This gives ice wine its characteristic refreshing sweetness balanced by high acidity. When the grapes are free of Botrytis, they are said to come in "clean".

Due to the extreme labour-intensive harvest and risky, low-yield production process resulting in relatively small amounts of wine, ice wines are generally quite expensive. Ice wine grapes (usually Riesling and Vidal; which weather in cold the best) must be at least 35 brix (the mass ratio of dissolved sugar to water) or more. Table wines usually come in at around 25 brix or so.

The high sugar level in the must leads to a much slower fermentation. It may take months to complete the fermentation (compared to days or weeks for regular wines) and special strains of yeast are usually used. Because of the lower yield of grape musts and the difficulty of processing ice wine, they are often sold in half-bottle volume (375 ml) or the even smaller 200ml bottles. New World wineries like in Niagara, Canada sometimes bottle 200 ml. and 50 ml. gift packages.

Ice wines have unfortunately been reserved to the same designation of that of Champagne — meaning special occasions, gifts and celebrations only. Shame, shame I say! This is a wine that should be appreciated more often than not, as it creates special moments itself, and not the other way around. Should you find yourself enthralled and now yearning for an ice cold ice wine (should always be served as cold as possible) in the extreme heat-stricken days ahead, we are very lucky that we now have a very fine offering available in Nassau from Bristol Cellars.

Michael Pataran, executive chef at Shogun Revolver is also a sommelier and sake master.

Wine of

the Week

n 2006 Inniskillin Oak-Aged Vidal Icewine, Niagara

($114 for 375ml. bottle at Bristol Cellars)

* Only the finest and highest brix Vidal grapes were used for this vintage which displays super-ripe peaches and lush, honeyed apricots on the nose with overtones of marmalade, preserves and candied cane sugar. With its nine percent alcohol by volume and intense fruit flavours on the palate, the wine's ample natural acidity is softened with a creamy vanilla note afforded by oak aging.

Perfect on its own as a dessert or an excellent match to fresh tropical fruits, rich patés, foie gras or fine blue veined and cream based cheese.

Serve between 5°C - 8°C (17.6°F and 23°F.) Enjoy!