INNISKILLIN - Icewine - Silver Riesling 2013
Inniskillin is a Canadian winery with locations in Niagara-on-the-Lake in Ontario and the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia. The winery has a detailed history and is best known for its iconic ice wines made from Vidal, Riesling and Cabernet Franc.
In 1975, Inniskillin Wines was granted the first winery license in Canada since 1929, and built a winery in Niagara. In 1977, Ziraldo and his co-founder Karl Kaiser had their first vintage from vines planted in 1974. It was not until 1984 that Inniskillin produced its first ice wine from naturally frozen Vidal grapes. In order to gain international recognition, Inniskillin began importing wines to Canada in the mid-1980s, and its portfolio included wines from Far Niente, Taltarni, Gaja, and Newton Vineyard. In 1991, Inniskillin attained major credibility and international recognition after winning the Grand Prix d'Honneur at Vinexpo in France with an ice wine made from Vidal.
To make the iconic ice wines, Inniskillin harvests grapes at night when about 80% of the water content in each berry is frozen. The grapes are pressed while still frozen, and the resulting juice is highly concentrated, with yields at about 10-15% of an average table wine harvest. Fermentation of this nectar is very slow and the final wines are always naturally sweet from remaining sugars.