Ice wine
/ˈaɪs waɪn/
Ice wine is a naturally sweet dessert wine made from grapes that are left to freeze on the vine and pressed while still frozen, producing a highly concentrated, sugar- and acid-rich juice. The resulting wine is intensely sweet yet balanced by high acidity, typically lower in alcohol and made in small quantities under specific cold-climate conditions.
Examples
- We ordered a 50 ml pour of Canadian Vidal ice wine to pair with our crème brûlée at the end of the meal.
- The sommelier explained that true ice wine must be made from grapes that froze naturally on the vine, not from grapes frozen in a freezer.
- She bought a half-bottle of German Riesling Eiswein as a special-occasion dessert wine because she loves its intense sweetness and bright acidity.
Etymology
The English term “ice wine” is a direct calque of the German word “Eiswein” (literally “ice wine”). The style originated in German-speaking regions, with documented Eiswein production at least as early as 1794 in Franconia, Germany, after an unexpected frost led growers to vinify frozen grapes. Over the 19th and 20th centuries, Eiswein became a recognized Prädikatswein category in Germany and Austria. As Canada and other New World regions adopted the style in the late 20th century, the English term “ice wine” and the Canadian legal variant “Icewine” (one word) became standard, with “Icewine” protected under VQA regulations.