Here's a note on one of my favorites, written in 2003:
1998 Paradise Ranch Late Harvest Vidal Okanagan Valley British Columbia Canada. VQA. Light gold color; excellent pear and butterscotch aromas, very intense, and with hints of floral notes, honey suckle I thought; lovely kiwi and gooseberry flavors; a bit drier than the Riesling, but still very pleasant with a long finish and lots of pear, floral and butterscotch aromas. T5*.
[This winery was one of my favorite personal discoveries at the AWS Conference. Paradise Ranch Wines Corp., 901 – 525 Seymour Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6B 3H7. Tel: (604) 836-2968; Email:
jstewart@icewines.com The VQA is a voluntary stamp of approval issued by the B. C. Wine Institute, certifying that the wines are 100% British Columbia and meet the quality standards in the opinion of a board of experts.
The Okanagan Valley, a desert area near the North eastern border of Washington, is absolutely beautiful; here is a report on the 1998 harvest by the wine maker: “The temperatures were forecast to plummet that night [of January 2, 1998] down to below -10 Celsius. This was our first night to try and pick our grapes for ice wine. My son Huey and I went up to the Northern vineyard blocks to set up the lights and generators. It had been a long wait, nearly two months. It was a very costly two months. Costly because the losses were mounting from the bear, deer, and elk feasting on the hanging grapes in spite of our efforts to scare them away. … the moon was out in full, the temperature had fallen to -12 Celsius, and there was a eerie whirl of activity from the tractors, generators, and the more than 100 pickers who tried their best to get the grapes off when we had the chance. This arctic front that moved through our valley that night was not expected to stay.”]
And from another tasting a couple of months later:
1998 Inniskillin Gold Oak Aged Vidal Ice Wine Ontario Canada. $78.00. Represented by Inniskillin. Delicious. T4*.
1999 Inniskillin Silver Riesling Ice Wine Ontario Canada. $68.00. Represented by Inniskillin. Also delicious with a bit more bite. T4*.
1999 Inniskillin Sparkling Ice Wine Ontario Canada. $68.00. Represented by Inniskillin. Unique? Made with Vidal, I believe. Interesting and delicious. T4*.
And amazingly there are often some excellent New Jersey ice wines; here's one that delivers year after year if the weather co-operates:
Tomasello Atlantic County Vidal Blanc Ice Wine 2005. 375ml; $13.99. A&P, Midland Park. Harvest Sugar 37.2 degrees Brix; Residual Sugar 17.2 degrees Brix; 11.9% alcohol.
http://www.tomasellowinery.com/tasting.html
Beautiful golden color, clear hue, gorgeous aroma of classic Vidal Blanc, rich honey taste with berry notes and a tiny bit of oxidation -- a feature or a flaw? -- either way it added interest, full mouth feel, long interesting finish with several layers of flavor. One of the very best New Jersey wines I've ever tried. (The berry notes were a subtle advertisement for Tomasello's berry wines, which are almost always pleasing.) 4*+.
lAdded two nights later after leaving it in the bottle in the fridge; This wine actually improved -- richer, sweeter, more complex, not only the initial tastes, especially the long, complex, layered finish. Just great. 5*. ]
Winemaker Notes: Tomasello Atlantic County Vidal Blanc Ice Wine 2005 375ml. Partially frozen Vidal Blanc grapes were harvested from our vineyard on December 4, 2003, pressed and used in the fermentation of this Vidal Blanc Ice Wine. The harvest sugar was 36% by weight with the post-fermentation residual sugar at 16%. Wonderful honey and berry character, more subtle than our Riesling Ice Wine. Best served chilled as a dessert wine.
http://www.tomasellowinery.com/tasting.html [I'm not why the discrepancy between the vintage and picking date, but assume the picking date is a typo.]
Garden State Wine Growers Association
http://www.newjerseywines.com/news.html Tomasello Winery's Vidal Blanc Ice Wine was a triple winner, receiving the Governor's Cup as well the "Best Dessert" Wine and "Best Hybrid" wine awards. Tomasello Winery used partially frozen Vidal Blanc grapes harvested from its vineyard in December 2005 to make the award-winning wine. This wine exhibits a wonderful honey and berry character, and is best served chilled as a dessert wine.
Tomasello Winery, a family-owned operation, was founded in 1933 by Frank Tomasello. Today, third generation winemakers Charles and Jack Tomasello manage an expansive Atlantic County vineyard offering more than 30 different wines and eight types of champagne grown, produced and bottled in the Garden State. With more than seventy acres of Vinifera, French Hybrid and Native American vines, Tomasello Winery is the largest-producing winery in New Jersey.
Our favorites though are from Donnhoff -- when we can get them.
Regards, Bob