If you are an ardent follower of American sitcoms or English operas, you would have noticed that the characters are seen sipping a drink almost all the time. They could have a can of beer in hand or a glass of wine. Wine is most often seen to be consumed during meals. The culture of drinking wine was earlier associated with health benefits since the ingredients that go into its making are considered to be beneficial for health. Over time, the view has changed. Drinking wine is more about complementing the food you are eating and giving you a sense of joy unlike before.
For those untouched by the phenomenon, wine is an alcoholic beverage that is made from fermentation of grapes. Someone who has abundant knowledge of wine varieties and their taste is known as sommelier. A lot of luxury restaurants and hotels hire sommeliers to curate their bar menus and recommend the most suitable wine to the guests according to their food preferences. You’ll find red and white varieties as well as sparkling ones in the wine section. Take red wine for instance. Your meaty treats involving fiery foods like ribs will become perfect when a Sauvignon is by your side.
There are also differences in the range of the textures, from light to medium and bold. However, there is a special type of wine that has caught our eye, the Ice wine. Hailing from Canada, this variety is also referred to as liquid gold. Why so? Let’s find out.
Liquid Gold Or Ice Wine
The golden hue of the ice wine when it is poured into a delicate wine glass is what gives it the appearance of liquid gold. This highly concentrated Canadian wine is made from frozen grapes, particularly at a temperature below -8 degree Celsius. The juice of the grapes is pressed into the drink along which go in the ice crystals. This distinct texture and taste make this sweet wine an interesting drink.
A variety of grapes, like Riesling, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Gris and many more go into the churning of this exquisite ice wine. Old grapes are of no use to this wine since fresh, hand-picked varieties are brought to the vineyards for making it. Even the grapes are of specific types which have the ability to survive harsh weather conditions. Legend has it that the ice wine was a practice that goes back to ancient Rome. Canada was introduced to this variety some 50 years ago at Okanagan Valley in British Columbia.
Generally eaten with strong food like peppers, a 375 ml bottle of ice wine costs somewhere around $50 i.e. INR 3769. This high-priced wine is not only liquid gold in terms of colour but in terms of its cost too.