Heinz Eif Eiswein Ice Wine

This is a Massachusetts-made ice wine, labeled Eiswein and listed as a fruit dessert wine. The details on file don't give the grape, vintage, ABV or residual sugar, so what follows describes how the style usually behaves, not a measured profile of this bottle. Eiswein is traditionally made from grapes left on the vine until frozen, then pressed so the water stays behind as ice and only a small amount of concentrated juice runs off. The result is typically sweet, syrupy in texture and high in acidity. Expect ripe orchard and stone fruit such as apricot, peach and pear, often with honey, candied citrus peel or a floral note. Because the category here is fruit dessert wine, a more distinctly fruit-forward character is also possible. Tannin is essentially absent, oak is rarely a factor, and a good example finishes long, with acidity keeping the sweetness from turning heavy. Serve it well chilled, at roughly 6 to 8°C (43 to 46°F), which is colder than most whites and keeps the sugar from tasting cloying. It doesn't need decanting. Pour it straight from the bottle, and give it a few minutes in the glass to open up if it was very cold. Use a small white wine glass or a dessert wine glass with a narrow rim. Small pours of 60 to 90 ml suit a wine this concentrated, and the narrow bowl concentrates the aroma. For food, the usual match is something salty or rich. Blue cheeses such as Stilton or Roquefort are a classic, and foie gras or pâté work for the same reason. For dessert, try fruit tarts, almond cake, poached pears or a plain vanilla custard. Avoid desserts sweeter than the wine, because they make it taste thin. Treat it as a bottle to drink soon unless you know the vintage and producer's track record. High acidity and sugar give ice wines real cellaring ability, but without a vintage on file, opening it within a few years is the safer plan. Once opened, reseal it and keep it refrigerated. Sweet wines hold their character for a week or more.