Ice wine is one of the rarest wines in the world. Produced with frozen grapes, this dessert wine enchants with its sweetness. It is a sweet, liqueur wine, made with grapes frozen naturally on the vine.
During the Roman Empire, Pliny the Elder, a Roman historian, and official, wrote that some grape varieties should not be harvested before the first frost.
The Romans had an in-depth knowledge of growing grapes for wine production. If anything has been lost in history, you can be sure that Canadian growers are following the Romans’ advice.
Today, they are letting their grapes ripen on the vines during the harsh winter of North America for later harvesting, pressing, and bottling, giving rise to what they call “Canadian liquid gold.”
“It takes a great deal of labor and love to make ice wine. When you have it with dessert, you miss the point of enjoying it on its own.
-Alpana Singh- American Master Sommelier
Jump To Section
- The Story Of Ice Wine
- How Is Ice Wine Made?
- VQA Requirements For Ice Wine
- Ice Wine Grapes & Styles
- Ontario And British Columbia Ice Wines
- Icewine, A High Cost That’s Worth It
- Icewine Taste & Aromas Profile
- Icewine Service and Pairing
- Niagara Ice Wine Festival
The Story Of Ice Wine
It has been said that Ice Wine was discovered accidentally in Germany during the winter of 1794 by winemakers trying to save their grapes after a sudden frost hit the vineyards before harvest.
Not wanting to lose their grapes, producers harvested and pressed them even frozen, resulting in wines with surprisingly high sugar content and great flavor.
The new technique became popular in Germany, and in the mid-19th century, the Rheingau wine region began to produce the dessert wine called by the Germans Eiswein.
With success, the wine was also produced in Austria and Switzerland, as the climatic wine requirements for production were similar to those of the German country. However, the mild winters in European countries did not always provide the necessary temperature for the grapes to freeze.
To make Ice Wine, summers must be hot, and winters must be harsh. In the 1980s, Canadian winegrowers recognized that only Ontario had a cold winter climate to guarantee a crop of Ice Wine every year and that not even the Germans could produce it every season.
In 1991, Inniskillin Winery, located in the Niagara-On-The-Lake wine-producing region of Ontario, entered its Vidal Ice Wine 1989 at Vinexpo in Bordeaux, where it won the Grand Prix d’Honneur.
Since then, the wine has been winning critical acclaim from the most prestigious international competitions, where it always comes out winning.
Canada didn’t invent Ice Wine, but within a few decades, it became the Canadian product, produced mainly in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia, most desired after by the international wine community, and can currently be purchased in India, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Beijing, New York, London, Rome, and Paris.
How Is Ice Wine Made?
It is a dessert wine made from fresh grapes that have been left on the vine to be harvested when the climate temperatures reach -8ºC or lower through winter. During this period between the end of the growing season and harvest, the grapes dehydrate, and the juices concentrate, developing the complexity of Icewine.
Winemakers oversee the weather forecast, looking for temperatures between -8°C and -12°C. This temperature range is essential to produce must with 35º to 39º Brix – a scale used to determine the amount of sugar present in a solution. For example, 1º Brix is
Usually, it takes at least 6 hours to harvest and press the grapes, which is usually carried out overnight when the temperature stabilizes. Small and medium-sized wineries practice manual harvesting with the aid of “grape-pickers” or even volunteers, unlike large wineries that use mechanized harvesting.
After harvesting, the grapes are taken to the canteen, where they will be crushed in hydraulic presses under power much higher than the equipment used for conventional wines, as the grapes are frozen and hard.
The juice yields from the grapes to make Ice Wine are much lower than table wines, approximately 15% of the amount you would normally get if you squeezed unfrosted grapes. The result of volume losses is from freezing and dehydration or attacks by birds while the grapes are in the vines.
Ice Wine juice is very sweet and can be difficult to ferment. High sugars can create a hostile environment for yeasts, and fermentation stops early, leaving relatively low levels of alcohol and sugar in the finished wine.
The result is a rich, thick, golden yellow liquid, highly concentrated in natural sugars (160 to 220 g/L), with good acidity and 10% ABV (alcohol by volume) on average.
VQA Requirements For Ice Wine
The Vintners Quality Alliance system or VQA, works as a Wine Appellation, recognizing eight wine grape-producing areas across Canada. These appellations of origin are located in southern Ontario and British Columbia, accounting for 98% of the country’s premium wine production.
When producing Ice Wine, winemakers must meet the following VQA standards like:
- Production must be monitored by a VQA-appointed agent who will halt the harvest once the temperature rises above -8°C.
- It must be produced as a varietal wine from approved grapes.
- The grapes must be naturally frozen on the vine, harvested, and pressed continuously.
- 100 % of the grapes must be grown within a viticultural area, which must be indicated on the label.
- The average sugar level of the grape juice must reach at least 35° Brix, and the alcohol and residual sugar in the finished wine must result exclusively from the grapes’ natural sugar.
Ice Wine Grapes & Styles
The grapes that are suitable for producing the best Ice Wine are Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Gewürztraminer, Gamay, Riesling, Grüner Veltliner, Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Vidal Blanc. However, most of these Ice Wines continue to be made from Riesling and Vidal.
The Vidal grape, of French origin, is the result of a cross between the Trebbiano and Rayon d’Or grapes.
Riesling, a German grape, has been cultivated since the 15th century, and it produces an Ice Wine with more acidity than Vidal.
Canadian producers have discovered new ways to manipulate Ice Wine by aging it in oak or making it sparkling wine.
Peller Estates winery has been using Ice Wine as a dosage (sweetening agent) in its sparkling wine; Magnotta produces Ice Wine grappa, and Vineland Estates makes a Vodka Ice Wine called Vice — the world’s first vodka Ice Wine martini.
Ontario And British Columbia Ice Wines
The province of British Columbia, located in western Canada, was the first region to produce 40 liters of Okanagan Riesling icewine in 1973 in Peachland.
However, the province of Ontario in the east of the country is the world’s largest producer of Ice Wine, with around 40 to 50 wineries working steadily towards this purpose.
The first attempts to produce Ice Wine on a commercial scale in 1983 by the Inniskillin winery were marked by the loss of their entire crop due to a bird attack the day before harvest.
That same year, the winemaker Walter Strehn of Pelee Island Winery protected his vineyard by installing bird netting. For this attitude, he was reported to the Ministry of Natural Resources, and officials descended on the vineyard and tore off the netting.
As a result, the vineyard lost around $25,000 worth of Riesling and Vidal grapes to the voracious flock of birds. Fortunately, with the leftover grapes, he made 50 cases of Vidal Ice Wine 1983, labeled in the German designation as Beerenauslese Eiswein, and sold to the LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario), which set a retail price of $12.50 a half bottle (375ml).
As the wine was unknown, LCBO returned the bottles and demanded a refund. Pelee Island found a market in the United States willing to sell the product for US$100.
Ice Wine, A High Cost That’s Worth It
Producing authentic Ice Wine involves both financial risk and labor-intensive. Growers wait for winter to come, and the grapes left on the vine after the expected fall harvest are vulnerable to rot, devastating winds, hail, birds, and other animals.
In addition, the production is complex because to guarantee the desired quality according to VQA requirements, the harvest is often manual and carried out at night at temperatures below -8°C. After pressing, it has a small yield.
For example, it takes about 3.5 kg of Riesling grapes or 3 kg of Vidal grapes to produce half a bottle of Ice Wine (375 ml). They would produce seven times as much table wine if the grapes weren’t frozen.
Currently, there is a growing market for fake Ice Wine. An estimated 50% of Canadian ice wines on shelves in Asia are counterfeit.
The counterfeiters’ strategy is to make the label and packaging look like a VQA product sold on Canadian shelves.
However, they make geographical mistakes like bottles that show on their labels “Chilliwack, Ontario,” instead of Chilliwack, British Columbia, or “Torontow,” with a picture of the city of Whistler, also located in British Columbia.
Due to problematic production and fraud attempts, It suffers direct financial impacts. So, the cost of half a bottle in Canada varies between CA$47.00 to CA$119.00.
To distinguish the real Ice Wine from the fake, ensure the word ” Ice Wine” is spelled as a single word. Make sure you have the VQA logo displayed correctly on the bottle. The Ice Wine brand can only be used by VQA-approved Icewine producers.
Canada’s top Ice Wine wineries are Inniskillin, Peller Estates Winery, Pillitteri, Two Sisters Vineyards, Trius Winery, Jackson-Triggs, Mission Hill, and Quail’s Gate.
Icewine Taste & Aromas Profile
It is sweet with a firm acidity that makes them perfectly balanced on the palate.
When produced with Vidal and Riesling grapes, they present aromas and flavors of honey and ripe tropical and temperate fruits, such as lychee, papaya, pineapple, pear, and peach.
Icewine Service and Pairing
Chill Ice Wine in an ice bucket for 15 minutes or refrigerate for two hours before serving. Serve in dessert wine glasses. Once opened, Icewine can last for several weeks if properly sealed and stored in the fridge.
It perfectly complements starters with pâté, foie gras, or blue cheese.
If pairing Ice Wine with dessert, make sure what you´re eating is less sweet than the wine.
A good pairing is with fruit-based desserts such as peach tart, cheesecake, crème brulée, and fresh fruit panna cotta.
It is also used as a tasty addition to cocktails, such as Ice Wine Apple Martini, Ice Wine Royale, Ice Wine Cosmopolitan, Ice Wine Bellini, and Ice Wine Grand Prix, among others.
Niagara Ice Wine Festival
Every January, the Niagara-On-the-Lake in Ontario holds a festival celebrating its world-famous Ice Wine with daily events such as gala nights, tastings, winery tours, and more.
The festival’s debut event is the Ice Wine Gala at the Fallsview Casino Resort, a black-tie dinner considered Canada’s most luxurious wine-tasting event, with over 35 wineries represented.
Bottom Line
From the vineyards of Germany to Canada’s harsh winter, It has traveled miles and centuries to become the most acclaimed dessert wine globally.
With a risky production that requires hot summers and harsh winters, followed by night harvests with immediate pressing, you can already know what is to come. The frozen nectar results in aromas of tropical and spicy fruits, with an intensely sweet flavor and balanced acidity.
All wine lovers want Ice Wine to pair the most different desserts or starters like foie gras.
In fact, Ice Wine by itself is excellent!
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I hope this article has improved your wine skills. To learn more about red wines, take a look at Health Benefits Of Red Wine: Find out What Science Is Saying About.
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