[Sca-cooks] Eiswein

[Huette von Ahrens]

--- Stefan li Rous <StefanliRous at austin.rr.com>
wrote:

> > Eiswein is made from frozen grapes.  It can
> be made from any one of
> > several grape varieties and either normal
> harvest (auslese) or late
> > harvest (spätlese).
> This is the first time I've heard it mentioned
> that there might be two 
> types of Eiswein. I assume the spatlese variety
> is sweeter because it 
> has been on the vine longer? Why would you have
> the earlier type? Just 
> an early freeze and the growers are making the
> best of what happened?
> 
> Does the freezing itself actually affect
> things? 

Yes.  It brings out the sugars more.  But it
has to be grapes still on the vine.  Just taking
grapes and freezing them doesn't produce the
special quality that freezing on the vine
produces.

Or is it just a matter 
> of the juice being sweeter because the grapes
> have been growing longer? 

No.  Not at all.  The freeze could come in
Sept. during the regular picking season and it
would create that special quality that eiswein
has.

> I assume that the freezing does play a role
> somehow, since otherwise 
> there would be no difference between the
> spatlese and regularly picked 
> grapes. Or is this just a marketing ploy? 

No.  Not every year produces eiswein.

Is
> there something special 
> that happens when the grapes freeze on the
> vines versus being picked 
> and then frozen, mechanically or otherwise?

Yes.  Just freezing doesn't do it.  It has to 
be frozen on the vine.

To make eiswein, the grapes are left on the vine
until after the first frost hits. These grapes 
are harvested after being frozen in the vineyard
and then, while still frozen, they are pressed.
They must be picked early - before 10 a.m. During
both of these processes the temperature cannot
exceed -8 degrees C. At this temperature (-8
degrees C) the berries will freeze as hard as
marbles. While the grape is still in its frozen
state, it is pressed and the water is driven out
as shards of ice. This leaves a highly
concentrated juice, very high in acids, sugars 
and aromatics.
> 
> "Eiswein" sounds German. Are there non-German
> wines made with frozen 
> grapes?

Canada is experimenting in making eiswein.

However, just to clarify things.  Lorenz has the
order of German wines mixed up.  

Here is the order of German wines by their
sweetness and their picking.  The earliest are
the driest.

Taflwein [table wine]
Kabinet wein [that which is better and goes into
the cabinet.]
Spätlese [meaning later than regular harvest]
Auslese [meaning even later than regular harvest]
Berenauslese [meaning really late harvest]
Trockenberenauslese [meaning very, very late
harvest]
Eiswein is a special wein unto itself, because
it requires the frost and doesn't have to be
late harvest.  Eiswein has a special sweetness
that is very different from the above.  The
trockenberenauslese has a raisiny taste to it,
but again is very different from raisin wine.

I have several bottles of each.  If you lived in
Caid, I would invite you to come over and sample
these with me.  

Huette



=====
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves for they 
shall never cease to be amused.


	
		
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