Ice wine: Control, protection, or criminalisation?

“Ulrike Höfken, the minister responsible, protects ice wine producers”, a press release was headlined. Anyone who had expected her to serve mulled wine in the early morning at current subzero temperatures would have been disappointed. In truth, the ministry for Viticulture announced to intensify the controls of ice wine. Ice wine was a high quality natural product from the Rhineland Palatinate, they said – in other words Rhineland-Palatinate claims to be the unique ice wine producer, or the vintners in Baden, Wurttemberg, Franconia and in the Rheingau region are not able to produce high quality ice wines.

Let’s consider this as a “thoughtless wording” and go back to the question why and how the minister wants to protect ice wine producers by controls. One reason seemed to be amounts of ice wine announced during the last weeks. It was reported that 150 wineries had announced to produce 408,000 liters of ice wine, 90 percent of the harvest coming from Rhine Hesse. The controls were to protect consumers from deception. “Moreover, we want to protect the male and female vintners, who had to renounce the ice wine vintage due to the wet weather in December, from disadvantages.”

Oh dear, Madam Minister! In December, no one had to renounce because then, it was simply impossible - due to spring temperatures - to waste even a single thought on producing ice wine; as is known, for ice wine production, subzero temperatures of at least minus 7 or better still some more frost degrees are necessary. It was that cold in the middle of January (YOOPRESS reported about the ice wine-flood that occurred at that time) and again during the last few days. The Rhineland Palatinate Ministry for Viticulture says, nevertheless: “Those few frosty nights were hardly sufficient for the ice wine vintage.”

So, according to this official version, the vintners (and certainly, Madam Minster, the female vintners, too) must have tricked; therefore, stronger controls are necessary. But “Protecting the ice wine producers”? This version rather seems to be a kind of criminalization because it implies that not everything has proceeded correctly.

Probably, the fact is that many producers let grapes hang after the regular vintage despite the humid and warm weather, hoping for bitterly cold temperatures in the new year. It is not unusual that as late as in January or even February ice wine is being harvested. The record is hold by the Bauer winery, Flein, with its 1982 Gewürztraminer, harvested on February 19, 1983, followed by the Heuchelberg winery, Schwaigern (February 17) and the state winery at the Hessische Bergstraße (February 16). By the way: all of those wineries are outside Rheinland Palatinate…

It is to be feared that the grapes often were no longer all right due to the bad weather in December although they were covered. This was known to the ministry, too. They say: “A good ice wine should be produced out of preferably healthy grapes. The botrytization of the current vintage has proceeded far; this yields high Oechsle degrees but in many cases the ice wine character can no longer be tasted.”

Within the scene, it is certainly known, too, that such ice wines characterized by rot aromas will be tolerated in controls. It is here that the lever is to be used. Not every wine that is called “ice wine” but has certain quirks should further be tolerated. Unfortunately, this is common practice in controlling high quality wines because most of controllers are way too much in awe of this predicate to lower their thumb.”

About 10 years ago, a particularly big tolerance was the common practice. Then, huge amounts of Dornfelder, which used to be popular and well paid, were being produced. Producers let hand white wine grapes like Müller-Thurgau in order not to exceed the legal limit for the yield. Later, when the temperatures reached subzero level, the frozen but mouldy grapes, though, were put into the wine press. The small amount gained could be balanced out by other wines. Some months later, the cheap wine could be found in the supermarket. Serious vintners, however, had problems to explain the high prices for ice wine to their clients… let us see when the first 2011 ice wine from the Rhineland Palatinate is available in a 0.5 liter bottle in the discounter at 5.99 euro. (r.knoll)