Peller Estates Cabernet Franc Icewine, Niagara Peninsula

Description

Peller Estates Cabernet Franc Icewine is a rarity, an Icewine made from red grapes.

Peller Estates have been making Canadian wine on the Niagara Peninsula for 3 generations, and are widely regarded as one of the highest quality and most innovative of Icewine producers. Peller Estates Riesling Icewine is bottled as a Niagara Peninsula VQA. VQA stands for Vintners Quality Alliance and is the equivalent to the French AOC or Spanish DO and guarantees the high quality and authenticity of origin for Canadian wines made under that system in British Columbia and Ontario. As well as this fantastic red Icewine, Peller also make Vidal and Riesling Icewines and sparkling wines.

The Niagara Peninsula is the only place in the world where every single year the summers are so warm fine wine grapes can be grown, but the winters are cold enough to make Icewine (but never so cold that the vines do not survive). Peller Family Estates always ensure that their Icewine is always picked at temperatures of at least -10ºC. The grapes are thus hand-picked when frozen on the vine in the middle of the cold Canadian night. Once picked, the grapes are pressed immediately while still frozen, yields are so small that each grape literally produces about one drop of intensely flavoured juice. The juice is vinified at low temperature in stainless steel vats. Authentic Icewine is very different from other dessert wines; prior to being picked in late December, the grapes freeze and then thaw 8 to 10 times. Each time they freeze, new and more complex flavours are released into the juice from the grape.

For the Peller Estates Cabernet Franc Icewine naturally frozen Cabernet Franc grapes are hand harvested at -10°C. Pressed frozen, releasing only one drop of pure extract from each grape. Fermentation is performed at a cool temperature to retain fruit concentration (a short skin contact for colour and complexity), then 70% of the wine is aged in stainless steel

Suitable for vegans and vegetarians.