What is Ice Wine?
Ice wine (or Eiswein, in German) is a dessert wine made from grapes frozen while still on the vine.
It’s Like Drinking Liquid Gold!
Since the naturally occurring sugars in the grapes do not freeze, the result from pressing the frozen grapes is small amounts of super concentrated juice. Ice wine has a characteristic refreshing sweetness, balanced by high acidity.
The making of ice wine can be labor intensive. Since frost and other natural risk factors can damage the harvest, production typically results in small amounts of wine. This is why real ice wine tends to be more expensive than other dessert wines, and is sold in smaller bottles.
The cold temperatures along the Niagara Escarpment and Lake Ontario in New York State during the winter months can produce some excellent ice wines. Several of our wineries have ice wine available, please visit their websites for more information and availability.
