Ice Apple Sweet Wine

Ice Apple – Sweet Wine from Manufaktur Jörg Geiger

The Ice Apple is a sweet wine from Manufaktur Jörg Geiger. Only in a few years, such as in the winter of 2021, does nature provide the perfect conditions at the right time to produce the Ice Apple. Until late autumn, bright yellow and red-cheeked apples of the old Bittenfelder Sämling variety on the high-stemmed orchards in Württemberg are a true specialty. Throughout the year, the Bittenfelder apples have accumulated the highest levels of sugar and acidity. Frosty nights intensify the aromas many times over, and the cold freezes the water, so that only the concentrated juice is used for aroma-preserving cold fermentation.

Similar to ice wine made from grapes, the Ice Apple is an aromatic sweet wine. Here with 220g/l residual sugar and 5% vol. alcohol. It displays its dark amber with dark golden reflections in the glass. In addition to the very intense apple aroma, it captivates with spicy exotic notes. The Ice Apple begins with a sweetly intense opening, with slightly spicy notes that intensify towards the finish with the acidity. Very long aftertaste. The Ice Apple, chilled to 8-10 °C, is great as a digestif, but also happily accompanies a spiced apple with caramel ice cream or a warm apple tart.

How Bittenfelder Sämling becomes Ice Apple

The 'Bittenfelder Sämling' is one of the rare Swabian WiesenObst varieties that hang on the tree until late autumn. This gives the yellow, red-cheeked fruits many additional days to develop sugar and acidity. In 2009, we postponed the harvest due to space limitations, only to be suddenly surprised by an early winter onset. But the night frosts of the following three weeks did not harm the fruits at all. On the contrary, the aromas intensified even more and their scent was reminiscent of baked apples. Literature showed that Swabian farmers knew about the positive effects of frost on this apple variety and took them into account during processing.

After harvesting at the end of the frost period in December, the concentrated juice is pressed. The subsequent partial fermentation is stopped by cold. The Ice Apple can be stored for many decades; the maturation of the acid structure gradually occurs in the bottle until a perfect harmony of opulent sweetness, expressive acidity, and slight tartness is achieved. We had to wait a long time for the new vintage of the Ice Apple, but now it is finally available again.