The Japanese quaff it with sushi or honour treasured friends with bottles of the nectar. And in Europe it is synonymous with the highest level of luxury goods.
It is Canadian-made icewine and two pioneers of the burgeoning and lucrative industry in Canada have written a book explaining the art behind this wine delicacy.
"Icewine: Extreme Winemaking" by Donald Ziraldo and Karl Kaiser (Key Porter Books) also contains 20 recipes using icewine.
Although icewine was first made in the mid-17th century in Germany, Kaiser, the winemaker and co-founder with Ziraldo of Inniskillin Wines in the Niagara area of Ontario in 1974, produced the first icewine in 1989. It went on to win the 1991 Grand Prix d'Honneur at Bordeaux's Vinexpo wine fair.
And many accolades followed at international competitions.
"Most people think of icewine as a dessert wine," says Ziraldo. "We have always tried to follow the Champagne philosophy that you can drink it all through the meal with different courses.
"It is the same with icewine. You can pair it up because it is all about experimentation. This is why people who like to cook get interested so they can play with different things."
To that end, Ziraldo had Inniskillin's resident chef Izabela Kalavis-Sacco create recipes for the book, such as Bittersweet Chocolate Icewine Truffle Cake and Foie Gras with Granny Smith Apples and Blackcurrant Reduction.
A tribute to the talented young chef, who died of cancer last year, is included in the book.
Ziraldo says that drinking icewine with different menu items is regarded by the Europeans and Japanese as the proper way to enjoy it.
"That's because they don't drink wine standing up. They drink it with food," he says with a chuckle.
Ziraldo says the key to icewine is its acidity.
"The icewine made at Inniskillin is extremely high acid which cleanses the palate and you are left with this beautiful clean taste," says Ziraldo. "That's why it goes well with foie gras because you have the acidity to cut the fat."
Although most of the book can be credited to him, there is a special excerpt from Vancouver wine writer John Schreiner's "Icewine: The Complete Story." It tells the story of Kaiser, the icewine-making wizard, and Ziraldo, the "silken salesman" who took Canadian icewine to the world.
The following recipe is one of Ziraldo's favourite icewine recipes from the book.
Vanilla-Infused Icewine Frenched Toast
Serve with chilled oak-aged Vidal or sparkling icewine.
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 egg whites
45 ml (3 tbsp) Vidal icewine
15 ml (1 tbsp) sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
125 ml ( 1/2 cup) whole milk
15 ml (1 tbsp) unsalted butter
8 thick slices baguette, cut on diagonal
250 ml (1 cup) pure maple syrup
125 ml ( 1/2 cup) Vidal icewine
Icing sugar, for dusting
In a bowl, place egg, egg whites, 45 ml (3 tbsp) icewine and sugar and whisk to combine. Using the tip of a sharp knife, scrape seeds from vanilla bean into egg mixture. Add milk and whisk until frothy.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and melt butter. Dip a few pieces of bread into egg mixture, soaking both sides well, and place in skillet. Cook for 2 minutes on each side or until lightly golden. Repeat with remaining bread.
Mix maple syrup with icewine. Serve French toast dusted with icing sugar and drizzled with maple/icewine mixture.
Makes 4 servings.
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