Casa Larga releases Cabernet ice wine
Casa Larga Vineyards in Perinton has just released its 2007 Fiori Cabernet Franc Ice Wine.
"This wine has a brilliant ruby red hue, with distinct flavors of fresh picked strawberries and cherries," according to a Casa Larga press release. The previous vintage won several awards.
Only 90 cases of the dessert wine were produced, one reason it's priced at $74.99 a bottle. Casa Larga uses the traditional German Eiswein process, in which grapes are handpicked and pressed after they freeze on the vine.
Vineyard officials say they wait anxiously every year for weather cold enough to freeze the grapes. According to www.casalarga.com, "The risk involved with producing Ice Wine is high. The longer the grapes stay on the vine, the more prone they are to being damaged or consumed by animals. Weather also plays an important role in producing Ice Wine. Due to the concentration of fruit sugars, it takes a large amount of acreage to produce a small amount of Ice Wine."
Casa Larga also produces a Fiori Vidal ice wine, a white wine. The 2006 vintage is expected to be released soon.
Casa Larga is at 2287 Turk Hill Road, Perinton.