The Culinary Tourist: The Ice Wine Cometh

Hurried along by 25-mph winds and knuckle-numbing cold, a dozen intrepid workers pluck frozen grapes from brittle vines, plopping them into crates. It is the crack of dawn along the southern shore of Lake Erie, and for the first time in my life, I can actually hear the crack.

Pressed into service by our friends Bob and Kathie Mazza of Mazza Vineyards, we have a rare opportunity to see what their fabled "Ice Wine of Vidal Blanc" is made of, and in the process, find out what we are made of, too.

The long-awaited cold snap arrived just in time. The window for harvesting grapes for ice wine typically closes in mid-January, and up until now, ours has been a mild winter. To make ice wine, temperatures have to dip below 17 degrees Fahrenheit and stay there long enough to freeze the berries solid. The frozen grapes are then pressed, releasing their intense sweetness in a flavorful, concentrated juice and leaving the ice crystals behind. Today, as the north wind swirls over the whitecaps on Lake Erie and into the vineyards, we welcome Mother Nature's frosty gift.

The sun is nowhere to be seen as we move quickly among the rows, reaching inside protective netting to grasp each marble-like berry. A cool, dry December has left few grapes intact on the vines. But, like my husband and me, Vidal grapes are thick skinned, enabling them to withstand the elements. Safety nets draped over the rows caught their precious cargo and protected it from the birds. Now shriveled and dehydrated, the grapes are destined to become "the nectar of the gods," and at $43 a half bottle, Bob Mazza jokingly reminds us that each cluster is worth about five bucks.

Mazza Vineyards became the first Pennsylvania winery to make commercial ice wine in 1984, and Bob and his family have been making it every year since. A perennial gold medal award winner, and two-time Governor's Cup winner at the Pennsylvania Farm Show, Mazza ice wines have also earned national and international recognition. Mazza's 2005 Ice Wine of Vidal Blanc, bottled for Mazza Chautauqua Cellars in Mayville, NY, took double golds at last year's New York Wine and Food Classic, for Best Ice Wine and Best Dessert Wine.

With all this work, it must worth it, we say as we lift heavy crates onto the Mazzas' truck and trek across the frigid field for more.

"Imagine warming your toes against a crackling fire as you savor every drop," I shout over my shoulder to my husband, who seems to be spending more time taking pictures than picking grapes.

He has stopped to chat with Bob and Kathie's son, Mario Mazza, and his new wife, Mel Bergamin. Mel, who looks and sounds a lot like Olivia Newton John, arrived in the states two weeks ago from sunny Australia, where the mercury was pushing 88 degrees Fahrenheit.

"Are you sure you know what you're getting into?" asks Rich, referring both to the climate and the Mazza family business, an ambitious venture begun in 1972 that now includes three wineries in two states and several, stand-alone retail outlets. Mel flashes a grin and rearranges the scarf wrapped snuggly around her face before delivering a fresh stack of empty crates to the waiting workers. Clearly she is already one of the family.

As Bob Mazza surveys the bundled workers, all of them family and friends, it suddenly dawns on him -- this is the first time in 23 years that both of his kids are here to help with the annual ice wine harvest. Mario returned home in December 2005 after earning a master's degree in enology and viticulture at the University of Adelaide in Australia and an engineering degree at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. For two years he assisted some of Australia's innovative winegrowers in the Barossa Valley. Daughter Vanessa, a graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology, will cap off her education this month with a master's degree in art therapy from George Washington University.

Soon, the one-acre vineyard is nearly picked clean, and Kathie heads for the winery to brew coffee and hot chocolate. Her mother has left some homemade almond biscotti alongside a spread of fruit, toasted bagels and donuts.

But when the workers come inside and pull off their sticky gloves, they are clamoring instead for the slim, ice blue bottle labeled "2005 Ice Wine of Vidal Blanc." Just one sip of the sweet, golden grape elixir is all the sunshine they need before heading home.

LIMITED EDITION

The Mazzas pressed about 65 gallons on Sunday, January 20, a low yield for the vineyard, which was more dehydrated than usual given the cool, dry December and early January. The finished wine will fill about 650, 375-milliliter bottles, and though limited in quantity, it promises to be of high quality, says Mario Mazza, who is supervising production. "The flavors are remarkably well developed and the acid structure is still good," says Mario, "We'll soon see how it compares to other vintages." The wine will be clarified and stable by this summer, when it will be bottled and transformed into liquid dessert. Look for the 2007 vintage to be released in late 2008 or early 2009. Mazza's 2005 Ice Wine of Vidal Blanc is available now; the 2006 vintage will go on sale in spring, 2008.

IF YOU GO
Mazza Vineyards is located along the Chautauqua-Lake Erie Wine Trail at 11815 East Lake Road, North East, Pa., on Route 5, a National Scenic Byway. For information, www.mazzawines.com, 814-725-8695.

Mazza Chautauqua Cellars can be found at 4717 Chautauqua Stedman (Route 33) Road, Mayville NY 14757, less than a half-mile from the entrance to Chautauqua Institution. For information, http://mcc.mazzawines.com, 716-269-3000.

The South Shore Wine Company, located in a restored, Civil War-era stone wine cellar, is the latest addition to the Mazza family of wineries. It is located at 1120 Freeport Road (Route 89), one-quarter mile south of Route 5, in North East, Pa.

ORIGINS OF ICE WINE
"Eiswein" was discovered by accident during the late 1700s in Franconia, Germany, after an early freeze. One frozen grape yields only a few drops of the rich, concentrated, liquid, often described as "the nectar of the gods."

It can take four times as many grapes to produce a bottle of ice wine, according to Bob Mazza, who has been producing ice wine along the southern shores of Lake Erie since 1984.

It is best served cold, but not on ice, one or two-ounces at most, in small glasses.

NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE ICE WINE FESTIVAL
The same conditions that foster world-class wines in the Lake Erie region contribute to the growing wine industry in Ontario, Canada. Join our neighbors to the north as they celebrating the 13th Annual Niagara Icewine Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, through February 3. For details, see http://www.niagaraicewinefestival.com

© Lisa Gensheimer
Photos by Rich and Lisa Gensheimer

The Culinary Tourist appears twice a month in Gather Essentials: Travel. Go exploring with award-winning documentary producer Lisa Gensheimer as she discovers the fun, food and people she meets along the way. Whether you're visiting the home of a faraway friend, stopping for directions at a roadside market, or on holiday in an exotic location, richly layered experiences await. Read more about Lisa's work at Main Street Media or join Lisa's gather network.