John Ash & Co. Executive Chef Jeffrey Madura discovers the Joys of Icewine.

Chef Madura, age 39, first learned about Canadian Icewine while participating in the 1999 California Food & Wine Fair held in Banff Springs Resort, Banff, Alberta. A chef for the past 20 years in California, Madura was chosen to assist John Ash in representing California’s food and wine at the weekend long event, hosting lunches, dinners and demonstrations for more than 750 guests per day. As a gift of appreciation, the Canadians presented John Ash, Jeff Madura and his crew each with a bottle of Icewine.

"I fell in love with Icewine," says Madura. "I love making desserts, although I’m not a big dessert eater. "Having a glass of Icewine is great on its own. It has so many wonderful intense fruit flavors."

As Chef Madura suggests, if your guests decline dessert, you can suggest they end the meal with an ounce or two of Icewine. Ideal on its own, Icewine possesses a characteristic intense sweetness with a balance of high acidity — a perfect combination to satisfy one’s sweet tooth without leaving a cloying sensation on the palate.

What exactly is Icewine? In Canada, grapes are grown and produced in the cool climate viticultural regions of Ontario and British Columbia. Produced in the winter, the Riesling or Vidal grapes are left to freeze on the vines at -8 degree Celsius or lower, under a cloak of protective netting. (Black birds are Icewine aficionados and know instinctively when the grapes are ripe for the eating.) Painstakingly hand harvested at night, the grapes are gently pressed while frozen before the morning sun can thaw them. The ice crystals remain solid, so the only liquid to flow from the grapes is a delicate nectar intensely flavored with natural sugar and a good backbone of acidity. This nectar is expertly guided through fermentation to achieve a rich and alluring specialty called Icewine.

Icewine is the ideal partner for most desserts, ranging from bitter sweet chocolate and nuts to tropical fruit based desserts and cheese. (Avoid any chocolate based dessert too rich in sweetness. You want to make sure the wine is always sweeter than the dessert.) Icewine possesses aromas of lychee, apricot, pears, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Honey, mango, tropical fruits and spices fill the palate.

California cheeses are also a great match for Icewine, says Madura, who recently conducted an Icewine and California cheese tasting at his restaurant. While a wide variety of Icewines work with the cheeses, he stresses that the partnerships must be sampled side by side ahead of time to ensure the flavors work together.

"A lot of times cheese and wine combinations you THINK work, don’t," says Madura. "So, the same rule applies to Icewine. Take blue cheese for example. The taste and its ability to marry to Icewine depends on the level of mold in the cheese, as well as the intensity of flavor. One type of blue cheese might marry well, while another overpowers the Icewine. It really comes down to a taste by taste basis."

If chefs are interested in serving Icewine with California cheeses, Madura has concluded — after much experimentation — that Inniskillin’s Oak Aged Icewine generally works well with all the cheeses. If you have little time to conduct experimentations yourself, you can be assured that this Icewine will work with the cheeses you have on hand in the kitchen. (Check out Jeffrey Madura’s Icewine and cheese matches in the following chart.)

While many Ontario wineries produce this Canadian gem (Henry Of Pelham Winery, Konzelman Estates, Chateau des Charmes, Reif Estates, to name a few), Inniskillin’s Icewine (Niagara Peninsula) is recognized as one of the world’s finest specialty wines. In fact, President Donald Ziraldo, known as the Robert Mondavi of Canada, was the first to enter his Icewine in 1991 Vin Expo, the world’s most prestigious wine competition. Inniskillin Wines captured the Grand Prix d’Honneur (higher than a gold medal) for their 1989 Vidal Icewine.

This success put Canada on the wine world map and created a media frenzy at home! Since this time Inniskillin Icewine has won numerous International awards, including the 2002 International Wine and Spirits Competition, Sydney International Wine Competition and Concours Mondial de Bruxelles. Their 1995 Icewine was also selected as "Wine of the Year 1997", Air Ontario Awards. Inniskillin Icewine is in demand in such places as California, Japan and China. Due to the quality of their product and their outstanding reputation, Inniskillin Icewine tends to be pricier than the rest, but worth every penny.

The winery stands for quality. And when it comes to Icewine....REMEMBER...you get what you pay for! Refrain from investing in any Icewines under $65 per 350 mL bottle! The reason is that inexpensive Icewine tends to possess an imbalance of sweetness to acidity. In other words, the wine tastes like overpriced liquid sugar. For more information on purchasing Icewine for your restaurant, visit their website at: www.inniskillin.com