Canadian Ice Wines

Ice-what?  It is an intense, luscious, tropical, aromatic, and acidic, made from certain grape varietals left to freeze on the vine. A complex variety served chilled usually before or après-meal, Canadian Ice wines pairs famously with rich foods and bold flavors: blue cheese, pâté, and caramelized scallops, for example. It makes an intriguing addition to cocktails and sparkling wine drinks, too. Expect tasting notes along the lines of baked pear, apricots, and wet-slate minerality (sounds obscure, tastes delicious). One of the most fascinating things about Ice-wine is how it is prepared.
However, even more thrilling is the experience of picking the grapes in the moonlight, or in a chilly barn at midnight. It is like the harvest gone extreme. Ice-wine varietals are fussy. The frozen grapes picked and squeezed immediately, 17 degrees Fahrenheit and colder concentrating the juice into “liquid gold.”  If the grapes are too warm or cold, the bounty is lost. Harvested by hand, meaning it is a high-stakes process, taking about six to 24 hours in total from harvest and press.

For the best of Ontario wineries, Niagara on the Lake is the right place to visit as it has an abundance of wineries and vineyards, which offer a treat to wine lovers. In addition, this area stands out as a prominent grape-producing region. Niagara on the Lake wineries offers quality Canadian Ice wines to taste authentic ice wines of Canada join a wine tour for an enjoyable experience. 

Winery Tours in Niagara are popular as they visitors access to beautiful vineyards where different types of grapes are grown. The whole scenario is enough to arouse enthusiasm and the scenic beauty of the place adds further to the pleasure for wine lovers. The best feature of these wine tours is that one can taste ice wine variety and enjoy the delicious food at the winery restaurants situated within.

The Niagara on the Lake restaurants allow visitors to relax and enjoy wine with great food, they have become an attraction and a journey to Niagara is considered incomplete if a person doesn't visit one of the winery restaurants. A visitor can also learn the art of pairing wine with food from the experienced chefs at these Niagara Restaurants.

There are numerous wineries in Niagara on the Lake that a wine enthusiast can visit to gain knowledge about how Canadian ice wine is produced. Ice wine in Canada is a treasured item, the fondness for which keeps on increasing among people and if given the chance to lay hands on authentic Ice wines, nobody can resist it. Therefore wine tours are in great demand as one gets to see the wineries, collect information about different types of grapes and at the same time taste the wines at winery restaurants.
For those who deeply love wines, Niagara on the Lake Wineries offer wine clubs where you can buy a regular supply of wines and get invitation to wine events.

Ontario boasts 140 wineries (60 ice-wine makers), from high-end villas to backyard boutiques. We learned about Ice-wines during our travels to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. One we totally enjoyed was "Frozen" at the Meeker Winery. Truly, now a fan of ice-wines! 

At the upscale kitchen we not only love to cook but we always enjoy a good glass of wine.  So from time to time we will blog about wine tasting, wines we like, vineyards to visit and of course wines we cook with. I hope you enjoy our blogs in the UpScaleKitchen wine series.
Have you tried Ice Wine? Whats you favorite Ice Wine?  Leave your comments below and share your experiences with our readers.