Inniskillin, 2019 Cabernet Franc Icewine, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada
Cab Franc du Jour #71
Inniskillin was founded by Donald Ziraldo and Karl Kaiser in 1975, making it the first winery to be granted a winery licence in Ontario since Prohibition. The late Karl Kaiser, born in Austria, made his first successful Icewine in 1984, and it was his 1989 Vidal Icewine, which won top honours at the Vinexpo wine competition, that put Canada firmly on the world wine map.
Icewine in Canada
Icewine production in Canada is regulated by the VQA, the Vintner’s Quality Alliance, which serves as the country’s appellation of origin system in both Ontario and British Columbia. Ontario accounts for approximately 90% of Canada’s Icewine production. Canadian Icewine is produced to the same exacting standards as its German and Austrian counterparts, and only these three countries have a formal agreement within the framework of the World Trade Organization governing how Icewine must be made. Any bottle of Icewine produced outside of these three countries carries no guarantee as to the method used.
How Icewine is Made
The rules are straightforward but demanding. Grapes must be left to freeze naturally on the vine, and a sustained temperature of at least -8C is required by law before harvest can take place. The timing can vary from December through to February depending on the vintage, as it is the temperature rather than the calendar date that governs the harvest.
Grapes will often pass through several freeze-and-thaw cycles before picking, and this cycling is critical to achieving complexity in the finished wine. In Ontario, most Icewine grapes are harvested at between -10 and -12C, typically overnight to avoid temperature fluctuations. The grapes must be pressed while still frozen, ensuring that the water content in each berry remains solid. When pressed, only a tiny drop of extraordinarily concentrated juice is extracted, and it is this juice that is fermented into wine.
There is a direct relationship between harvest temperature and sugar concentration: the lower the temperature, the higher the brix level in the juice. The minimum brix requirement for Icewine is 35 degrees, equivalent to around 350g/L of starting sugar, and minimum residual sugar in the finished wine is set at 170g/L. Naturally, the freezing process concentrates not only sugars but also acidity, which is what provides the all-important balance that defines great naturally sweet wine. Alcohol levels in the finished wine typically fall between 10 and 12%.
Cabernet Franc Icewine
The most widely used grape for Canadian Icewine is Vidal, a hybrid variety and the only hybrid permitted for Icewine production under VQA rules, typically accounting for around 73% of total production. Cabernet Franc is usually the second most used variety at around 14% of production, making it the leading vitis vinifera grape for Icewine. In strong red wine vintages, such as 2020, very little Cabernet Franc fruit is left on the vine for Icewine production. But in most years Cabernet Franc holds the number two position ahead of Riesling, largely because its thicker skins make it somewhat less susceptible to rot during the extended hang time required.
The freeze-and-thaw cycle plays a particularly important role in Cabernet Franc Icewine, as it is the mechanism through which colour is achieved. It is simply not possible to extract colour from frozen grapes. The repeated freezing and thawing breaks down the skins, allowing the grape to essentially self-macerate on the vine, so that by the time the frozen berries are pressed, the juice that runs off is genuinely red. The depth of colour in a Cabernet Franc Icewine is therefore entirely dependent on vintage conditions, the extent of the freeze-thaw process, and the patience of the grower. Picking at the first opportunity when temperatures hit -8C may mean sacrificing both colour and complexity. Waiting, however, means placing full trust in the weather to deliver another suitable harvest window.
In the Cellar
The 2019 vintage saw the earliest Icewine harvest date on record in Ontario, with the first opportunity arriving as early as November 12th. The Inniskillin team chose to wait. The grapes for this wine were ultimately harvested in late December at around -10C and 37 brix, equivalent to approximately 370g/L of starting sugar. The juice was cold-settled for about seven days before being inoculated with selected yeast. A long, slow, cool fermentation followed over approximately 21 days in stainless steel, after which the wine was bottled in late January.
Wine Details
Producer: Inniskillin
Region: Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada
Appellation: VQA Niagara Peninsula
Soil: Clay-loam till, Queenston red shale bedrock
Residual Sugar: 265g/l
Alcohol: 9.5%