In 1794, a wine producer in Germany faced a challenging situation: his grapes had frozen on the vine, forcing him to press juice from the frozen fruit. The result of this happy accident was ice wine (eiswein in German), a sweet wine that was intentionally produced by the mid-1800s in the Rheingau region of Germany. Over 100 years later, the first Canadian ice wine was made, launching an industry that has grown exponentially since the 1990s. Today, Canada is the world’s largest producer of ice wine.
Ice wine is a dessert wine, known for its full body and fruity taste and aroma. Unlike other wines in this category, it has a refreshing dry finish, achieved through the balance of sweetness and acidity. A variety of grapes are used to produce ice wine, with Riesling, Vidal Blanc, and Cabernet Franc among the most common.
Ice Wine Production
Ice wine is prized for its unique taste and is especially popular in Asia. However, indulging in this wine comes at a cost: prices are typically around $45 for 375 mL in Canada and can reach up to $300 a bottle in Asia. Why is it so expensive? Understanding how this delicacy is produced provides the answer.
As the name suggests, the grapes used for ice wine must be frozen. While some wine producers use artificial freezing, in Canada and Germany, the grapes must freeze naturally for the product to be called ice wine. The grapes must ripen before freezing, meaning they must stay on the vine for several months after the regular harvest.
Producing grapes for ice wine involves considerable risk. If the freezing comes too late, the fruit may begin to rot on the vine. Late harvests can also result in reduced yields, as animals and birds have more time to consume the grapes. Additionally, if the freezing is too intense, the grapes won’t yield any juice.
Once the ideal conditions are met, the harvest must occur quickly. The grapes need to be pressed while frozen, which means workers typically labor late into the night and early morning hours. Frozen grapes generate only about one-fifth the amount of juice that non-frozen grapes do, so far more grapes are needed to create even a small bottle of ice wine. While a table wine can ferment in a matter of days or weeks, the high sugar content of frozen grapes requires months for fermentation.
To earn the “ice wine” label, the final product must meet a sufficient Brix degree (the mass ratio of dissolved sucrose to water in a liquid). If it does not, the wine is sold as a “select late harvest” at a much lower price than ice wine.
Serving and Storing Ice Wine
Ice wine is best served chilled, but not too cold. Stemware with a large bowl is ideal, as it intensifies the flavor. It can be enjoyed on its own or paired with fresh fruit. Once opened, ice wine will last 3 to 5 days if re-corked and stored in the refrigerator. There is some debate about the value of aging ice wine. Successful aging depends on the grape used. Riesling is considered the best for cellaring, although some wineries have had great results with cellared Vidal ice wines.
