Mission Codename Icebreaker
Do you enjoy singular wines? How about something sweet while impeccably balanced, certainly NOT cloying, and lifted by tremendous freshness and dizzying aromatics? Perhaps not as crazy the low yields as the Tokay that just sold out, but this Ice Wine takes a similarly fanatic and fantastic approach to winemaking. Our tasting panel kept passing the half bottle around, puzzled by how delicious it was, then it was all gone in a matter of minutes.
A deep and bright shade of gold with orange/caramel shimmers playing in the light. Orange marmalade, dried apricot, guava, spice cake, and crème caramel aromatics. An unctuous texture with striking acidity for a Gewürztraminer, flawlessly balanced. The finish lasts a good half minute plus with pleasant candied citrus tones lingering. Perfect for pineapple bread pudding with vanilla ice cream and seasonal fresh fruits.
Ice Wine is made through a unique and cumbersome process that combines nature’s generosity with human ingenuity. Grapes that freeze while still on the vine are picked at night and kept frozen while rushed to a special press. The sugars and other dissolved solids do not freeze, but the water does, allowing a much more concentrated juice to be extracted from the frozen grapes, resulting in a tiny amount of concentrated wine with unmatched purity. This specialty elixir was made famous by Germans and Ontarians, while outside of those regions this style is rarely seen, let alone from Gewürztraminer. While born of ice-cold grapes, what’s in the glass is heartwarming. We fell in love with it, it’s hard not to.
Tasting Profile
Tasting Profile
Look | A deep and bright shade of gold with orange/caramel shimmers playing in the light. |
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Smell | Orange marmalade, dried apricot, guava, spice cake, and crème caramel aromatics. |
Taste | An unctuous texture with striking acidity for a Gewürztraminer, flawlessly balanced. |
Finish | The finish lasts a good half minute plus with pleasant candied citrus tones lingering. |
Pairing | Perfect for pineapple bread pudding with vanilla ice cream and seasonal fresh fruits. |
What the Winery Says
2014 'ICE' Gisborne Gewürztraminer Ice Wine 375ml
- Winemaker
- Lee Winston
- Varietal
- 100% Gewürztraminer
- Vintage
- 2014
- Appellation
- Gisborne, North Island, New Zealand
- Alcohol
- 12%
- Total acidity
- 7.0 g/L
- pH
- 3.64
- Residual sugar
- 12.1 g/L
- Harvest date
- March 19, 2014
- Bottling date
- September 2014
- Production
- 75 cases