Kiln Dried Grapes

[cpfan]

I just received the March newsletter from Reif Estate Wines in Ontario Canada. In early March they will be releasing a new wine called "The Magician" made with a novel approach that some of the grape wine makers may wish to consider.

We know about the way that Amarone is made with partially raisinized grapes. Here is a new approach...

NEW RELEASE
The Magician
He knows how to use all the tools at his disposal, to come up with clever plans no one else would think of…introducing our
2009 Kiln Dried Shiraz Pinot Noir
Reif Estate’s first appassimento style wine. An ideal year for drying grapes. The grapes were hand harvested and slowly dried in our drying kilns over a 3 week period. The fruit was concentrated 20-25%. The grapes were crushed and fermented on the skins for 18 days. After pressing, the wine was moved into one year old French barriques and aged for one year. Intensity and complexity is the main ingredient here. This garnet colour wine has aromas of raspberries, cherries, herbs, a touch of Niagara earth and a hint of cedar. On the palate, a full round mouth feel, raspberries, big bold cherries and pomegranate hints.
Release Date March 4, 2011

Perhaps others had heard of this approach before, but I had not. BTW, appassimento seems to mean "grape drying", or as said on one site "shrivel your berries".

EDIT: Here's a magazine article on this winery and their raisins.
http://www2.macleans.ca/2011/02/10/were-raisin-our-own-now/

Steve

 

[Tom]

Steve

Any chance of seeing it in NJ or PA?
And price?

 

[cpfan]

Steve

Any chance of seeing it in NJ or PA?
And price?

$20 Cdn. Not many Cdn wines make it to the USA, not enough volume produced, so I doubt it.

Steve

 

[onebarrel]

Hopefully if that gets into my local LCBO Vintages I can snag a bottle... don't go in there too often as my stuff seems to suffice.

Reif was always been my favorite place to tour along that winery road... when down that way.

 

[Wade E]

Very interesting Steve, thanks for sharing that!

 

[cpfan]

Hopefully if that gets into my local LCBO Vintages I can snag a bottle... don't go in there too often as my stuff seems to suffice.

Reif was always been my favorite place to tour along that winery road... when down that way.

I've lived in the Niagara Region since Sept 2008, and have only been to 3 wineries in that time (Reif, Inniskillin, and Peller). The Peller stop was to use the washroom.

In the past, I have really enjoyed some of the inexpensive Reif whites. My favourite spot is Inniskillin, even if I only stop in the parking lot and look around (which I've actually done twice since Sept 2008). They were the first of the "modern" Ontario wineries, and one has to wonder what the Ontario (and even Canadian) wine industry would be like if they hadn't come along. It's changed a lot, but the old barn is still there.

Steve

 

[ibglowin]

Here is a good you tube video with more detail on the "Appassimento Method. No Kiln, but slow drying in a refrigerator.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVki4M-0d4I"]Appassimento Method[/ame]