Terriffic Tastings!

On my way to Niagara Falls in June, I decided
since I was driving thru icewine territory that I would give it a whirl. There were many to chose from but Legends Estates Winery in Beamsville, Ontario seemed close to the QEW and I had seen it on many road signs, so, I stopped in for a tasting. I chose well! They had a large selection of reds (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, pinot noirs), whites (chardonnays and Rieslings), fruit wines (apply, cherry, apricot, pear, peach and plum), and the grand finale....ice wine. Now, since I still had 1/2 hour to drive I thought it would be wise to limit my tastings, so, since I prefer the sweet sugary stuff, I started with their Merlot reserve. It was a nice dry wine, but like I said, I'm really into the sweet stuff! The hostess convinced me to try their fruit wines before I went any further. I do admit I really did like the apple chardonnay! BUT, I KNEW the BEST was still to come. So..we proceeded directly to the icewine, which was really what I was there for anyway.

I learned that icewine is rather a bit of a pain to make. Instead of picking the grapes as they ripen, they are picked in winter when they are frozen on the vine. Since they are frozen, they yield very little liquid, it takes about 20 frozen grapes to get the same amount of juice as 1 non-frozen grape. This is why icewine is sooooo expensive. BUT it is TRULY the nectar of the gods.

I had about an ounce sampling of all 3 (Cabernet Franc, Vidal, and Vidal Late Harvest) that they carry. The typical serving size for a "glass" of icewine is only a little more than 1 oz, its traditionally served in basically a cute shot glass on a stem. One would never drink a full wineglass of icewine....but, I think I would be reaaaallllly tempted! It was very difficult to chose, if they weren't so pricey I probably would have left with a few of each of them! (Well, I guess that could cause problems at the border though). After thoroughly enjoying them all, my favorite was the Cabernet Franc. It was a pinky color and although they describe it as "rich floral bouquet, full body and flavour, sweet balance to a clean acid, long fruity length with honey

clover showing throughout on the finish", I would describe it as a very sweet mixed berry that was as sweet as honey! Apparently its has won bronze in the All Canadian Wine Championships and bronze in the International Eastern Wine Competition and has been featured in Martha Stewart Living. Who knew Martha & I liked the same stuff??!! So, a few bottles and I was on my way. The hostess did alert me to an icewine festival in January when they feature the newest wines and pair them with scrumptious icewine desserts and icewine chocolates! Hmmmm, it is only 3 hours away!