The cold weather brings one tasty treat - Icewine. To learn more about this delicious drink we talked with wine expert Debbie Trenholm of Savvy Company.

How does Icewine differ from other wines?

During harvest, winemakers decide which grapes to leave on the vines and designate those as potential Icewine harvest. Once it hits -8 degrees celsius or colder the grapes can be picked (by law it must reach -8 degrees in order to be classified as an Icewine). Some wineries leave the grapes on longer (such as -10 degrees). The trick with Icewine is wine makers never know if -8 degrees will come. This year -8 degress came around Christmas time. You also need a long period of time at that temperature - enough time to pick and crush the grapes.

I was once involved in an Icewine harvest. While staying in Niagara doing some consulting work I received a call at 11:30 one night from the Chief Winemaker at Malivoire asking if I would like to help harvest the grapes. I bundled up and headed out! When you think of a vineyard you think of lush green. But half of the grapes had fallen off, it loooked very sparse and sporadic. The vines were brown and the grapes discoloured. This was set against the stark whiteness of the snow. Shadows of people were cast from the head lamps of the tractor going up and down the rows of grapes being picked by people with ski gloves.

After you pick the grapes they look like raisins but not quite as dry. Mother nature has attacked them - they were hit by frost. I had to snap them off the vine and they were hard as marbels. The winemaker has to press them - they press these little pellets and wait until the first juice comes out. The juice looks like apple juice concentrate. It is as thick and the same colour.

Once they crush the grapes outdoors (they have to maintain -8 degrees) they can bring the juice inside to start to ferment it. The juice is highly concentrated because the water content of the grapes is frozen. What you are extracting from the grapes is pure nectar - that is why it is so sweet.

That night we were out for about 6 hours, until sunrise. And only then we had to stop because the sun was rising and it was becoming too warm. 

What foods go well with Icewine?

When I serve Icewine I follow a simple rule of thumb - make sure that the food is not sweeter than the Icewine. if anything is overly sweet it will make your Icewine seem sweeter. Good accompaniments include dark chocolate, roasted nuts, and fruit. Icewine can be served before or after dinner or as a dessert all on its own.

How much does a bottle of Icewine cost, on average?

Because of all that work that goes into making a bottle and because, like maple syrup, it takes a lot of grapes to make one bottle - most cost between $45 and $85. I know of some that are in the thousands.

An interesting note: at the recent Nobel Peace Prize dinner President Obama was served an Icewine by Niagara winery Inniskillin (click here for more info). This same wine was recently featured in Oprah Magazine.

Why is the Icewine experience one to try?

People are really starting to recognize the beauty of this product. It is uniquely Canadian. There is so much love and care that goes into making the wine. It is magical! It needs to have that -8 degrees and everyone comes together to pick the grapes just at the right time. It also makes a great gift. 

If someone wanted a good ice wine to start with, can you suggest a few types/brands?

Icewine makers started with just a Vidal as the grape variety. Vidal has tended to be the classic grape variety to make Icewine with. But now you can get a variety - winemakers are really experimenting now. I have had a Shiraz, a Chardonnay. It is neat to see how the same grape can taste so different. There are also sparkling white and sparkling red Icewines. My favourite sparkling wine is Pillitteri Estates Winery. Inniskillin Vidal, which was served at Obama's dinner, is also really good. A good red Icewine - Cabernet Franc is my favourite - is made by Malivoire. Explore a few different varieties -- not all Icewines are really sweet.

Interested in experiencing Icewine and getting out to a great event?! Check out the Niagara Icewine Festival on now until January 31 in the Niagara Region of Ontario.