![]() “We have a very cozy tasting room that’s nestled in the trees and it’s a beautiful sight to take in all the snow-covered trees in the wintertime,” Grossnickle said. 45 North is open year-round for tasting, and the team loves the quieter winter months as much as the peak summertime. She shared that it’s perfect for fat tire biking, cross country skiing, and snowshoeing during the cold weather months. Besides Chateau Chantal, additional area vineyards have produced ice wine, including Black Star Farms, Brys Estate, Chateau Grand Traverse, 45 North, and Bel Lago, among others.Īlanna Grossnickle, General Manager of 45 North, takes advantage of the three-mile trail on property to get guests excited for winter adventure. The Cab Franc ice wine hypes up the berry and rich red wine characteristics expected from that grape, while the Riesling shines with peachy, toasted caramel notes. Dalese said Chateau Chantal makes ice wine from Cabernet Franc and Riesling. Wine lovers can expect a consistent product, as there’s not a tremendous amount of vintage variation, though its flavors can be very complex and layered. “Ice wine is very unique and very can only be made when the conditions are exactly right,” the sommelier explained. These berries are then put into the press, slowly pressed as they warm, and the result is a beautiful dessert wine, very high in natural sugars. At this point, the grapes (sometimes called berries) have lost lots of their water weight, so what remains is concentrated juice and lots of flavor. If it’s been a good, quality growing season, they wait for the first deep freeze, when it is roughly between 15-18 degrees for 24-48 hours. ![]() Chateau Chantal aims to produce ice wine each year, and they do it well in fact, in 2016, their ice wine was chosen to be served in the White House! Dalese shared that to produce ice wine, vintners start by reserving vineyard blocks in October, when the rest of the grapes would generally be harvested. To learn even more about this “liquid gold”, we tapped Marie Chantal Dalese, Certified Sommelier and owner of Chateau Chantal Winery and Inn on the Old Mission Peninsula.
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