On 20 Jul 2006 02:06:57 -0700, "Lionel" >
wrote:

>While visiting the Finger Lakes a couple of years ago, we were
>introduced to "ice wine" which tasted a lot like the Dolce you mention
>here. We loved it and, if memory serves correctly, I believe it was
>made by letting the grapes stay on the vines until they caught a frost
>and then processing them. I've since seen ice wines in stores but I am
>more a sherry fan. Canadians, have recently been exporting some to the
>US.
>
Ice wine ("Eiswien" in Germany and an official classification there)
is a " late harvest" wine in the general sense of the term, but any
winemaker that goes to the trouble required to make an ice wine is
certainly going to call it that. As you say, the grapes are left on
the vine but more than just "catching a frost" is required. The
temperature must be low enough for the grapes to freeze rock solid
before they are harvested and processed. In the processing the frozen
grapes are crushed. Only the water in the grapes actually freezes and
the frozen water (aka "ice") is trapped, allowing the other components
to drain out. Again, this is a very concentrated solution and is what
the wine is made from.

A similar (some would say identical) product can be made by simply
harvesting grapes in the normal manner, freezing them in a freezer,
and then putting them through the process described above. My
understanding that it is now illegal in the USA to label such a
product "ice wine". The only places in the USA that I am aware of that
are ever successful in producing true ice wine are New York and
Washington State. Even in the latter it is a hit or miss proposition.
I recall having read somewhere that Canada produces more ice wine than
the rest of the world combined.

Vino