It’s been a while since our last alcoholic beverage and we break the dry spell with this Chateau des Charmes Ice Wine 2017 Vidal. Ice wine is a type of dessert wine produced from grapes that been frozen while still on the wine. This process allows the water to freeze, while the sugars and other dissolved solids do not freeze and so develop a more concentrated grape juice that results in a very sweet wine.

This ice wine is produced from Vidal grapes, a hybrid of Ugni Blanc and Seibel grapes, that have a thick skin suitable for harvesting late in the season.

The grapes are grown in vineyards in Ontario where the temperature is at least -10 to -12°C. They are known for their natural acidity that lends tropical aromas and flavours to the ice wine.

The wine is a clear golden straw colour with a bright floral aroma of honey and apricot. Served chilled, the wine has a syrupy mouthfeel with an almost cloying sweetness that recalled fully ripened tropical fruit much like a mango in the body before a balancing acidity came through with floral hints in the finish that give an overall impression of lychee. While it contained 10% alcohol, the dominating sweetness masks any of the telltale bitterness and astringency of typical alcohol, making this wine a particularly enjoyable.

This Chateau des Charmes Ice Wine 2017 Vidal contained 200 ml. It was produced in Canada and received as a gift from acquaintances visiting Canada in 2019.