Ice Wines: What Are They?

Ice wines are sweet wines that are made from frozen grapes. There are two methods of freezing the grapes.

The first method is leaving the grapes on the vines until the grapes freeze and the grapes are then ready for harvesting. This is the traditional way of making ice wines, but not all ice wines are made in this way.

The second method is to harvest the grapes and then freeze them in a temperature controlled environment. Producers will choose this method as it keeps the grapes away from animals and other external elements while the grapes are processing. It also makes the harvesting process easier as they can be picked during warmer conditions.

In recent years, three countries agreed that all ice wines produced in their countries would follow the traditional method. These three countries are Canada, Germany and Austria. Any ice wines you buy from these three countries will be produced in this manner.

In other countries, it’s up to the wine maker and winery to determine the best method for them to produce this wine. You will not be able to tell by the label how these wineries choose to produce the wine.

Ice Wine from Canada

Canada is becoming well-known for their ice wines. These wines are primarily produced in British Columbia, Quebec and Ontario. Most of them are produced in British Columbia.

Canada ice wines need to be frozen down the 18 degree Fahrenheit before they are harvested. They are also typically harvested first thing in the morning before the temperature rises too much. Pickers are cautious to ensure they don’t warm up the grapes during picking, so they also wear gloves to keep the grapes as frozen as possible. As I mentioned above, this makes harvesting a little challenging.

European Ice Wine or Eiswein

In Europe, ice wine is called eiswein. They also required that the grapes freeze to at least 18 degrees Fahrenheit or - 8 degree Celsius before harvesting.

Red Grapes vs. White Grapes

Ice wine is primarily made from white wine grapes. However, there are a few producers that use red wine grapes to produce this type of wine. They usually make them out of Cabernet Franc, Zinfandel or Pinot Noir grapes.

Red ice wines are harder to make as red wine grapes are impacted more by the weather. Although they are a little harder to find, red ice wines are on the market and I’d recommend you try one if you enjoy red wine.