Jackson-Triggs Vidal Ice Wine 2018

The Jackson-Triggs Vidal Ice Wine is a fantastic ice wine from Canada, made from the Vidal hybrid as a dessert wine. This wine farm was started in 1989 by Donald Triggs and Allan Jackson, with the first wines coming out under this label in 1993. This producer was the first Canadian producer to be recognised by the IWSC for their red wine.

The Vidal hybrid grape is a blend between Ugni Blanc and Seibel. It has a thick skin, so it can be harvested late and will easily survive freezing winters that are ideal for ice wine. This vintage in Niagara had a warm dry autumn, followed by a freezing winter where temperatures dropped below -10ºC.

In the glass, this wine has a dark gold-yellow colour. It is very forthcoming on the nose with fresh notes of citrus, dried fruit, peaches, honey and vanilla. On the palate, it had a great acidity with lemon, lemon zest, fresh green apple, raisings, dried peaches, honey and vanilla pod. The flavours are very concentrated, creating the impression that it is sweeter than what one might think. This wine is in perfect balance between acidity and fruitiness, exactly what one would expect from a good ice wine. It has a fresh, perfume finish with a tropical fruit blend.

Although this wine comes at a slightly steep price, it is not outrageous for this style of wine, considering the amount of risk and effort that go into making such a wine. They were also difficult to come by in South Africa, now much easier thanks to Icewine Africa that imports some really good Canadian ice wines. This is the perfect drink to enjoy with any dessert.

Producer: Jackson-Triggs

Variety: Vidal

Vintage: 2018

Origin: Niagara, Canada

Winemaker: Philip Brown

Closure: Cork

Alcohol: 9.8%

RS: 244g/l

Average price: R1,000

Rating: 97/100