Vidal Blanc
Canada and the eastern US
Thick-skinned, high in acid and capable of hanging into deep frost, which is why it is the classic icewine grape. Pineapple and grapefruit.
At harvest
Each bar drawn against the full range of all 54 varieties
Sugar
20-26 Brix
20 - 26
Titratable acidity
7-10 g/L
7 - 10
pH
3-3.4
3.0 - 3.4
Juice yield
0.66 L/kg
free run plus a gentle press
Sugar per kilogram
166 g
at 23.0 Brix, the midpoint
Fruit for 23 litres
35 kg
before racking losses
Potential alcohol
12.7-13.8%
from 1.096 fermented dry. A range, because conversion varies by strain
What it punishes
Fermenting a very high Brix icewine must. It will stall around 10% alcohol, which is intended, but it needs a tolerant strain and patience.
Made into
- Icewine
- Off-dry white
- Dry white
Sulphite at this pH
At pH 3.20, protecting a white wine to 0.8 mg/L molecular SO2 takes 20 mg/L of free SO2. Work it out for your own reading.
Recipes on this site that use it
More hybrid and native
Concord
Eastern North America
15-18 BrixNiagara
Eastern North America
16-19 BrixCatawba
Ohio and the Finger Lakes
22-26 BrixNorton
Missouri and Virginia
24-27 BrixMarquette
Minnesota and the cold north
24-28 BrixFrontenac
Minnesota
18-21 BrixSeyval Blanc
England and the eastern US
19-23 BrixTraminette
Indiana and the mid-Atlantic