Ice Wine Sangiovese Canada

The name of this grape, meaning 'blood of Jove' conjures up evocative images of long dead civilizations, and gives the Sangiovese varietal a sense of the holy, the sacred, the special. Indeed, this particular type of Italian grape has been cultivated and processed for thousands of years, and is said to be the original favorite grape varietal of the Romans, and the Etruscans before them. Throughout history, vintners have continued to plant this varietal, and they continue to produce wonderful wines to this day. The long bunches of very dark, round fruit are treasured by fine wineries in Italy and a few other places around the world, and when young, these grapes are lively – full of strawberry flavors and a little spiciness. However, it is when they are aged in oak that they take on some truly special flavors and aromas, as seen in some of the finest wines of the Old World.

Canada has been producing quality wines for over two hundred years, and has hundreds of established wineries producing characterful and easily recognizable wines from the many imported grape varietals which flourish in the cool climate and excellent soils which typify the region. The primary wine producing regions of Canada are all located in the south of the country, and benefit from the consistent climate found there. The two largest wine producing regions is Canada are the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia, and Niagara Peninsula, in Ontario. Both of these regions produce large quantities of the ice wine Canada is famous for, where the grapes are allowed to freeze on the vine during the early frosts, and thus have their sugars and flavors concentrated, resulting in highly aromatic and often very sweet wines.