Inniskillin Niagara Vidal Icewine 2018 (375ml)

Tasting notes

Aromatics of tropical fruit including mango and orange dominate, on the palate fruit flavours including peach, nectarine and lemon are balanced by crisp, lively acidity. Think texture not just sweetness! Perfect on its own; a variety of cheeses (blue veined, aged cheddar, rich cream cheeses with dried fruits); seared scallops; lobster; rich pates and fruit based desserts.

Pairing

Think texture not just sweetness! Perfect on its own; a variety of cheeses (blue veined, aged cheddar, rich cream cheeses with dried fruits); seared scallops; lobster; rich pates; fruit based desserts.

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate - 94 pts
The 2018 Vidal Icewine comes in with 245 grams of residual sugar, 10.5 of total acidity and 9.5% alcohol. An early harvest began on December 14 and continued for several consecutive days. With its typical peach and apricot nuances, this shows off strong flavors and a lot of sugar, but it does have some concept of balance as well. In fact, this is a bit lighter and brighter in perception than its 2019 sibling this report, although that may also be because this is a year older. I think the 2018 is a hair better in some ways, but it's pretty close, and we'll see how they stack up over the years. They are both very well done, with the winery maintaining a consistent style over different vintages.

Appellation

VQA Niagara Peninsula

Vinification

Naturally frozen on the vine and picked when the temperature drops to a frigid -10ºC. Only a small amount of concentrated nectar can be squeezed from each bunch. The juice is then slowly fermented at an average temperature of 15ºC to achieve a rich, specialty wine.