Pilliteri has been making Cabernet Franc icewine since 1998, and a whopping 55% of their production is devoted to making icewine, so if any winery is going to do it right, they will. This 2004 version is loaded with sweet chocolate strawberry, wildflower honey and candied peach – there’s also some rhubarb and sweet red pepper jelly on the nose. In the mouth it’s thick and lush with an amazing sweet strawberries and cherries dipped in milk chocolate taste, awesomely delicious. Jaime Slingerland, director of viticulture, told me it’s “very troublesome to make”, but the end results make it all worthwhile. The price may seem a little steep (375ml - $60; 200ml - $35), but Pilliteri had to take a few extra precautions this year to beat the counterfeiters (yes, they counterfeit wine). I’m told that 50% of the “Pilliteri” labeled icewine sold in the Orient is actually bogus wine. Their new bottle is now embossed in gold and has “cartouche” lettering, allowing consumers to distinguish the genuine stuff from the fakery. My advice: head to the winery to get the good stuff. Many people ask me what you pair this wine with and I’ll say, “it’s a dessert unto itself” so drink it “all by it’s lonesome,” as mom used to say.