Icewine Harvest 2009

The 'Big Wait' is finally over! Another successful Icewine harvest has come and gone, with great expectations for the final product. The harvest took place on Friday January 29th starting at 7 am, and lasted about three hours, in order to get all of the grapes off the vine.

Wine and Viticulture student, Gerry Davies provided his own insights regarding the harvest quoting "It was 7 a.m, dark and snowing, with a wind chill of -19C. Being out in the vineyard with my classmates (although one would be hard pressed to identify them with all of the gear they wore) all working together, laughing and joking, was good fun. With three classes of students out there, we had the entire vineyard harvested in under three hours, with the fruit of our labours ready to be pressed into Icewine. Although it was cold, the experience of harvesting Icewine grapes was well worth it, and of course Dr. Tom's coffee and donuts helped a lot!"

Head winemaker Terence Van Rooyen noted that although the conditions were rather challenging to start, about half way through the harvest the snow squalls cleared, the sun came out and the temperature went up to about -10 C. The varietals that were harvested include: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Shiraz, Pinot Noir, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Chardonnay and Riesling.

Overall, it was a great harvest and provided a fantastic experience for the students of Niagara College Teaching Winery.

Staying in the theme of Icewine, here is a fantastic recipe to be paired with our 2008 Dean's List Cabernet Franc Icewine. Recipe is courtesy Chef Alan Kerr. This pairing allows you to experience the taste sensation of sweet wine meeting a savoury meal. It is definitely a pairing that is outside of the box, and demonstrates that Icewine doesn't always have to be served with dessert.

Duck Breast and Creole Apricot Mustard Sauce
240 ml Apricots
180 ml dry white wine
30 g minced shallots
20 g crushed peppercorns
15 ml cracked black pepper
60 g Dijon Mustard
240 ml Mayonnaise
45 g honey
2 g salt to taste
2 duck breast fronts
Baguette

For the Sauce:

Cover apricots overnight in the white wine. In a saute pan, sweat the shallots and peppercorns in the oil, do not brown. Add the wine and reduce until the wine is almost evaporated. Cool. Add remaining and mix well. Refrigerate.

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Score the far on the duck breasts diagonally in a criss-cross pattern. Season with salt and pepper. Pan fry breasts fat side down to render fat for 2 to 3 minutes. Roast in the oven until medium rare. Cool.

Plate sliced Duck on a cut baguette and drizzle with mustard sauce.

Enjoy!