Icewine
“Sweet golden liquid” and “honey richness” are just two of the phrases commonly used to describe Canada’s most famous wine style, the Icewine. This sweet wine is made from frozen grapes and is often referred to as a dessert wine.
Although Canada is fast becoming recognized for its achievements in producing award-winning Icewines, the origins of making wine from frozen grapes lie in Germany. There are some indications that Icewine was made as early as 100 AD, but it wasn’t until the early part of the 19th century that Icewine reappeared in Germany as a wine style. Even with those early signs, it is clear that Icewine was not made in any consistent way until the 1960s.
If Germany created the style, it’s certainly true that Canadians have brought it to the world’s attention. In 1991, Inniskillin’s 1989 Vidal Icewine took home the Grand Prix d’Honneur at Vinexpo, an astounding achievement for a Canadian wine. Ever since then the popularity of Canadian Icewine has spread and wineries from Nova Scotia to British Columbia are winning awards at international wine competitions for their dessert wines.
The process of making Icewine has very rigid standards as a means of protecting the quality of the wine. In Canada, this means the grapes cannot be picked until the temperature drops to minus 8°C for a sustained period of time. When the grapes freeze, the sugars and acids of the grapes are concentrated. The frozen grapes are then pressed immediately, resulting in a sweet liquid. Canadian Icewine must be made from a grape juice (known as "must") with a sugar level of 35 Brix or above. If it doesn’t achieve this standard, the wine must be labeled as Select Late Harvest.
It’s probably clear now that timing is everything when it comes to making Icewine. Allowing grapes to sit on the vine until they freeze is a risky proposition for winemakers, as even slight shifts in temperature and unforeseen delays can mean disaster. Thankfully, in Canada, the cold temperatures needed to make Icewine can be counted on annually and naturally.
In fact, natural is an important qualifier for Icewine. All of Canada’s Icewines are authentic, but this isn’t necessarily the case for Icewines from around the world. While Canada is the world’s largest exporter of Icewine, sales are diminishing worldwide due to imposters making wine by freezing grapes artificially. Many of these wines are fraudulently labeled as Canadian Icewine and sold at lower prices than authentic Canadian Icewines. Considering that it takes approximately 10 times the number of grapes to make Icewine as it would for most other styles, it is understandable why Canadian Icewine is expensive.
Given its awards, recognition and special nature, Icewine is a real treat for many wine drinkers and knowing when to serve it is important. Icewine can be enjoyed as an aperitif (before dinner) and makes an excellent pairing with rich foods such as blue cheese, foie gras and fruit-based desserts. If you enjoy experimenting with cocktails, Icewine might just be a new staple for behind your bar. Try combining it with vodka and topping the drink with Sparkling Wine. You can also combine equal parts of Icewine and vodka for a delicious Icewine Martini.