The definition of ice wine

Icewine (English Icewine, German Eiswein), as the name suggests, means ice wine.

Like the word "organic", ice wine has different definitions in different countries. Generally speaking, ice wine refers to ice wine made from grapes that have been hardened when picked. But in Germany, France, Canada, Austria and China, where authentic ice wine is produced, the definition of ice wine emphasizes natural freezing.

The definition of ice wine in the "Chinese Grape Winemaking Technical Specifications" is: delaying the harvest of grapes, when the temperature is below -7℃, keeping the grapes on the branches for a certain period of time, freezing, and then Harvest, press, and make wine from this grape juice.

In the autumn of 1794, the vineyards in Franconia, Germany, suffered a sudden frost damage. In order to commemorate this great discovery, they named it ice wine. Ice wine brewing technology was brought to France, Canada, and Austria by German immigrants. It was further improved by the local people, making the wine more unique and more mellow. Its varieties mainly include white ice wine and red ice wine. Among them, white ice wine is transparent and golden in color, while red ice wine is deep ruby ??red. It has a round, sweet and fresh feeling in the mouth, with full acidity; refreshing fruity aroma, long aftertaste, and a long-lasting and steady taste. It is a must-have for those who value health. prepared green food. The best drinking temperature is refrigerated to 4 ~8 °C.

Drinking ice wine is considered a new fashionable lifestyle. In foreign countries, ice wine is not drunk during meals, but half a glass is poured after the meal. Ice wine has a special taste, rich in honey and fruit aroma, and has a sweet taste, but it is not caused by added sugar, but a natural blend of glucose and fructose. Supplement

Making ice wine has very strict requirements on geographical and climatic conditions: the harvest time of ice grapes is 2-3 months later than that of normal wine grapes. During this period, ice grapes need a suitable environment. Humidity to ensure continuous natural dehydration and air-drying without becoming moldy or overly dry. Ice grapes hanging on branches not only have to experience the wind, frost, rain and snow of nature, but also encounter pecking by birds and animals, 2 Many months later, we had to wait for a special climatic condition to appear before we could harvest: minus 8°C for more than 12 hours. This requires that the temperature in the area in spring, summer and autumn should be warm enough to meet the growth needs of ice grapes, while the temperature around Christmas should be cold enough, and the climate should not be too dry throughout the year and should be kept moderately moist. This means that there are only a handful of regions in the world that can produce ice wine. Only specific locations in a few countries, such as Germany, France, Canada, Austria and China, have the conditions to brew high-quality ice wine. Moreover, due to the influence of climate, most production areas often have to harvest ice grapes every 3 to 4 years, which means that ice wine is not produced every year. Such a low output determines the rarity of ice wine. Every 10KG or so of ice grapes It can squeeze 375ml of a bottle of ice wine, which is called "a gift from nature".

Due to extremely demanding climate requirements, the surface soil structure is mainly slate, which is very important for the growth of grapes. The latitude is high and the temperature is low. Every ray of sunshine and heat is crucial to the ripening of grapes. important. Therefore, there are only a few major countries in the world that produce ice wine, 1. Germany’s Mosel region (Rhine River tributary region); 2. France C.E.E (northern Burgundy) 3. Canada’s Niagara is located in Ontario and Okanagan is located in Britain Columbia Province; 4. Beidianzi Township, Huanren County, Benxi is located in the "Golden Ice Valley" of Liaoning, China, both located at around 41 degrees north latitude. According to statistics, the global ice wine production averages no more than 2,000 tons per year, making it very rare.

In Germany, ice wine Eiswein belongs to the Qualitaetswein mit Praedikat (QmP) level in the wine quality classification and is subject to relevant laws and regulations. It is divided into five levels: Tafelwein: equivalent to France's Vin de Table, daily table wine Landwein: equivalent to France's Vin de Pays, regional table wine Qualitaetswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete: QbA for short, high-quality wine, equivalent to France's VDQS Qualitaetswein mit Praedikat: QmP for short, special high-quality wine, equivalent to French AOC. Icewine in France is produced strictly in accordance with the standards specified by the AOC (French legal naming system).

Wine classification can be divided into:

The first level is Grande Crus. The name of the vineyard is on the label of Grande Crus, such as Montrachet, etc.

The second level is Premiers Crus. The wine label not only has the name of the parish, but also the name of the grape origin, such as Nuites Saint-Georges-Les-Porets, etc.

The third category is wine produced under the supervision of village or parish place names. This type of wine must have the name of the parish printed on the wine label.

The fourth level is wine produced under the supervision of Bourgogne place name.

The production and brewing of ice wine in Canada is regulated by VQA (Vintners Quality Alliance).

True products must comply with relevant laws and regulations of various countries to ensure product quality. One of the most important regulations is that ice wine must be produced using natural methods and artificial freezing is never allowed. This makes the brewing of ice wine extremely difficult - the grapes must be properly protected from drastic temperature changes; and, since the grapes used to make ice wine are the last grapes left on the vines, people also have to try to protect them from birds and animals. Come and steal grapes. Ice wine is made from 100% fermented grape juice. It has a golden or burgundy color, a mellow and refreshing taste, and is of high quality. The aroma of the wine is full of European style. This is unmatched by other alcoholic beverages. The brewing technology of ice wine is unique. From December to January every year, when the cold weather causes the water to condense, the grape picking begins. The grapes are picked and pressed immediately. The water in the grapes freezes and is pressed into crushed ice, but the grape juice with the highest content does not freeze, so thick juice is obtained. Using this method, a bunch of grapes cannot extract a lot of juice, which is only about 10% of ordinary grapes. Therefore, ice wine is very precious. Even in ice wine producing areas, drinking ice wine is a rare enjoyment.