By Shari Darling
Photography: Stephen Ashton & Shari Darling

Icewine unopened and stored on it side in a cool (55-65 degrees F) place, away from vibrations and strong smells, can keep up to 10-18 years. The aging is also affected by the Growing Season. Some years were better than others and therefore the wine will age differently...if you have a specific year, we can advise you on how long you can store it. Icewines as they age darken in color, as well as increase in price. If you save it for a special occasion, you certainly will not be disappointed!

Enjoy Icewines in their youth or aged for many years. Icewines in their youth offer fresh fruit and are crisp and clean. Older Icewines tend to have a greater degree of depth, complexity and wide range of intense aromatics. As Icewines continue to age, the naturally concentrated acidity present lingers and follows through for a unique and harmonious balance.

Pairing Icewines with food can prove an interesting adventure. Icewines will pair with most fruit-based desserts - Tropical, pitted, red, citrus, pear, and apple, foie gras - pan seared or terrine, strong and rich veined cheeses, and spicy Asian cuisine. What should be avoided are extremely sweet and chocolate based desserts, as they will diminish all the wonderful enlightening natural acidity in Icewine and create a cloying unpleasant effect on your palate. Actually chocolate is generally an enemy of most dessert wines. We highly recommend you first savor the luscious seductive nectar on its own and then introduce the dessert.

Refrigerate for 2 - 3 hours prior to serving.

Serving temperature 5 - 8°C.

Pouring 2 oz is usually sufficient

Opening -Once an Icewine has been opened, you have about 3-5 days to finish it ... this is usually not a problem! Once a wine of any type is exposed to air, it begins to oxidize slowly. If left open too long, it tastes and smells bitter.

Stemware - Realizing the need for an appropriate style of glass exclusively for Icewine, Inniskillin invited 10th generation Austrian glassmaker, Georg Riedel, President of Riedel Crystal, to conduct a workshop with selected wine experts. What has resulted is the creation of the Riedel Vinum Extreme Icewine Glass, designed exclusively for Inniskillin Icewine, as part of Riedel’s latest "Vinum Extreme" series.

To find out more, please visit www.riedel.com Order on line visit the e-boutique at
www.inniskillin.com