It is said that imitation is the best form of flattery and this may be true in everyday life, but Ontario wineries that produce icewines are not amused. They are actively trying to find these imitators to punish them. So far to no avail.

Recently, imitation Canadian icewines were discovered in Taiwan. Donald Ziraldo, one of the founders of Inniskillin wines, and a large icewine producer recently told me that the Ontario Wine Council is seriously following any lead in an attempt to pinpoint these shameless imitators, but progress has been slow, and so far, fruitless.

At least, one imitation brand originated in British Columbia, and Vintners Quality Alliance (VQA) immediately moved to obtain a trademark under which the category could be protected. An imitation is an attempt to duplicate an original product, but it can never equal the original product, displaying the same nuances both in appearance and taste, providing of course that consumers know the difference.

Mr. Hainle produced Canada's first icewine in British Columbia in 1978. Dr. J.Pohorly, the founder of Newark Winery (now Hillebrand), was the first to produce a commercial icewine in 1983 in Ontario. Since then, icewine production techniques have improved significantly, and today, Ontario icewines can compete favourably with the best German, Austrian, New Zealand, Slovenian, and New York State products.

El Nino affected the 1997 icewine vintage. While the grapes froze, the low temperatures stayed barely long enough to mobilize picking crews. There were a few "windows", and grape growers made the best use of these limited opportunities. Voracious birds also devoured tonnes of these luscious grapes, much to the chagrin of grape growers. Those who netted their vines fared better.

Ontario wineries were expecting a bumper 1997 icewine crop, but ended up with only 30,000 cases (case 375ml.xl2 = 4.5L). Altogether, 135,000 litres of icewine were produced.

Of the 30,000 cases, the LCBO purchased 6,000. The rest was sold by wineries in their stores, and shipped to other provinces, and/or exported.

Recently, I had an opportunity to taste 27 Ontario icewines from a number of wineries, and can report that 1997 vintage yielded fine, light-bodied wines with elegant fruit and textures. Most have a good balance and a lingering, pleasant aftertaste.

By and large, quality-oriented wineries have been able to produce fine icewines, although the concentration in some is lacking.

Riesling icewines are more elegant and flavourful with dried peach and apricot aromas and flavour nuances, but they are more expensive than their Vidal counterparts.

Many wine enthusiasts question the high prices charged for icewine, but if you consider the fact that 1,000 kg. of frozen grapes yield approximately 100 litres of must as opposed to regular fruit yielding 700 litres, and the risk grape growers take, the value is there. In fact, German icewines, when available, are considerably more expensive than those from Ontario.

In the Far East (Thailand, Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong and Korea), icewines retail at double the Ontario prices.

Icewine is for celebration and contemplation. You can enjoy it when you are "riding" high or low.

Icewine vintages 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2004 were fine and can be cellared for a few years. However, icewines have a shelf life of more or less 10 years maximum, providing the vintage yielded high enough acid levels.

Many wineries produce Vidal icewines, but those that attempt to vint Riesling and can source suitable fruit have been known to end up with finer wines. Riesling yields less than Vidal and the wine costs more. These days, a 375 ml bottle of icewine costs approximately $ 45.00 some as much as $ 60.00.

Magnotta markets a Vidal icewine for less than $ 30.00 and sells much more than other brands.

The only specialized winery is Royal de Maria, that produces icewines from practically every grape planted in Ontario: chardonnay, pinot blanc, pinot gris, gewurztraminer, cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, and merlot. Royal de Maria has amassed the most international icewine awards to date of any winery in Canada.

Sparkling icewine, a specialty of Magnotta Wines and now also Inniskillin Wines, is a different matter altogether. More expensive, but lighter in texture, finely nuanced dried fruit flavours and appears less sweet due to carbonation, sparkling icewine costs much more ( 40 percent) than regular.

Now he consults and writes to increase wine, beer and liquor awareness. He conducts seminars and would be pleased to consider your requests. To peruse the list of his published books and order please contact him at hirayrberberoglu_3@sympatico.ca

Hryar Berberoglu www.littlefatwino.com