Pillitteri Estates Red Leaf Riesling Icewine VQA, 2012
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Style: Sweet White Vintage: 2012 ABV: 11.5%
Varietal: Riesling Residual Sugar: 183 g/L Bottle Size: 375 mL
Appellation: Niagara-on-the-Lake VQA Region: Ontario County: Canada
What is Icewine and How is it Made?
Icewine is a dessert wine renowned for its intense flavors, rich bouquet and unsurpassed smoothness. It is produced from grapes that have been left on the vine after the fall harvest. When temperatures dip to -8ºC/17ºF (or lower) the frozen grapes are handpicked and pressed immediately to carefully release a thick, rich, yellow-gold liquid, highly concentrated in natural sugars and acidity.
VQA Requirements for Icewine
- Production must be monitored by a VQA-appointed agent who will stop the harvest once the temperature rises above -8°C.
- It must be produced as a varietal from approved grapes.
- The grapes must be naturally frozen on the vine and harvested and pressed in a continuous process while the air temperature remains at or below -8°C.
- 100 per cent of the grapes must be grown within a viticultural area, which must be indicated on the label.
- The average sugar level of the juice used must reach at least 35° Brix (Brix is the measurement of sugar in grapes) and both the alcohol and residual sugar in the finished wine must result exclusively from the natural sugar of the grapes.
(Courtesy of Wine Country Ontario)
