WineAlign - Awards - 2021 NWAC Icewine and Late Harvest

Results of the 2021 WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada (The Nationals)

Icewine and Late Harvest

Category Overview by Judge Sara d’Amato

Icewine may not have been invented in Canada but has certainly become our most well-known wine export, coveted the world over. The consistency with which we can produce Icewine every year has helped Canada become a global leader in Icewine production.

(Jump straight to the medal winners.)

Despite erratic weather patterns due to global warming, our winters are reliably cold. This is not always the case even in countries like Germany where Eiswein was thought to have been invented in the late 18th century when grapes in Franconia accidentally froze on the vines. Icewine tradition was in fact brought to Canada in the 1970s by German immigrants and creatively, Canadian wine producers have experimented with the freezing of a plethora of grape varieties from chardonnay to cabernet sauvignon. Notwithstanding diverse grape choices, high acid riesling and winter hardy vidal remain the two most important varieties for Icewine production.

There is nothing harvested later than Icewine and it is a laborious and expensive process, some might say “heroic”. In order to preserve grapes on the vine for an unnaturally long time, grapes must be netted in the fall when they are fully ripened to prevent birds and animals from making their claim. The ideal time to harvest is between -10 and -12 and some producers will do so immediately when the temperature dips while others may choose to wait for a thaw and re-freeze. Vintage conditions and winery choices help to shape the individual styles of Icewine. During the slow process of vinification, fermentation is at risk of becoming stuck and once it does, it can be difficult to get unstuck. Spikes in volatile acidity can also be worrisome during vinification but the acceptable threshold for volatile acidity is much higher in Icewine and Late Harvest. Thankfully, very few of this year’s entries demonstrated off-the-chart volatility.

Most Icewine is over 160 g/L of sugar, and many can get considerably higher. This intense level of sweetness requires a notable backbone of acidity, and this balance was highly sought after by the judges of this year’s competition, especially given the overall strength of the wines submitted in this category. For those who find Icewine too overwhelmingly sweet, Late Harvest may prove a more palatable option. Late Harvest grapes must reach a minimum of 22 Brix at the time of pressing in contrast to the 35 Brix required for Icewine. Labelling such as Select Late Harvest and Special Select Late Harvest require incrementally higher levels of sugar, or ripeness, at harvest. Labelling terms such as “Botrytis Affected” and “Totally Botrytis Affected” (T.B.A.) also require minimum Brix levels at harvest. Although less consistently available, botrytis-affected styles in Canada show promise such as this year’s gold-medaled Ravine Vineyard 2020 Botrytis Affected Riesling. High medal winners in this year’s Icewine category are dominated by Ontario. On the other hand, the Late Harvest category is roughly an even split between wines from Ontario and BC. This is not surprising because Ontario produces over 90% of Canada’s Icewine (and yet Icewine makes up only 5% of Ontario’s wine production with an average annual production rate of 742,000 litres). Despite the importance of riesling and vidal in these categories, a considerable array of grape varieties can be found among the high scoring wines ranging from semillon to gewürztraminer to cabernet franc. The results overall are encouraging and show why Canada continues to be the world’s largest and most well-respected Icewine producer.

Congratulations to Jackson-Triggs Niagara Estate 2019 Reserve Vidal Icewine for Best Icewine of the Year honours!

And the winners are…

Best Icewine of the Year

Jackson-Triggs Niagara Estate 2019 Reserve Vidal Icewine, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario

Cornerstone 2019 Cabernet Franc Select Late Harvest, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Hester Creek 2019 Old Vine Late Harvest Pinot Blanc, Golden Mile Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Magnotta 2019 Limited Edition Riesling Icewine, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Trius 2019 Showcase Late Harvest Vidal, Ontario

Cornerstone 2018 Maple Legend Vidal Icewine, Ontario
Inniskillin Okanagan 2018 Riesling Icewine, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Inniskillin Okanagan 2018 Vidal Icewine, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Magnotta 2019 Limited Edition Vidal Sparkling Ice Icewine, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Marynissen 2020 Sparkling Vidal Icewine, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Niagara College 2018 Dean’s List Prodigy, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Nk’Mip Cellars 2020 Qwam Qwmt Riesling Icewine, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Stoneboat 2018 Verglas, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Three Sisters 2020 Cane Cut Riesling, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Waupoos Estates 2019 Vidal Icewine, Prince Edward County, Ontario
Whistler 2019 Pinot Noir Icewine, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia