Ice wine (Ice Wine): what you need to know

Icewine - dessert wine made from frozen grapes. Ice wine means "ice wine". According to tradition, grapes must be frozen naturally in specific weather conditions. By law, it is -7°C in Canada and -8°C in Germany.

If the temperature is lower, the juice will no longer be obtained. Today, thanks to advanced technology, the method of mechanical freezing or cryogenic extraction is used to make raspberry wine independent of the weather.

Wine made in this way was nicknamed "wine from the freezer". In Canada, the United States, Germany, and Austria, it is no longer considered "ice" grape. It has a strength of 9-12%, a lot of sugar (150-300 g/l) and high acidity (10-14 g/l). Vidal Blanc and Riesling varieties are used in production.

The history of ice wine

Germany is considered to be the birthplace of iced wine, but its roots go back to ancient Rome. Writer Pliny the Elder in the first century BC. е. mentioned in his works about some grape varieties. э. mentioned in his works that some grape varieties remain on the vines until frost.

His contemporary, the poet Martial, recommended not to harvest until the last month of autumn or until it is killed by frost. Unfortunately, no details have been preserved. Perhaps the ancient Romans did not even describe iced wine, but berries that were left to ferment to make late harvest wine.

After all, the birthplace of ice cream is Germany. In the XVII-XVIII centuries, grapes were harvested before the onset of cold weather. The autumn of 1794 was surprisingly warm, and the harvest was postponed, but the happiness did not last long. The temperature dropped sharply, the grapes froze.

Wine producers had only 2 choices: do nothing or make a drink from what they had, without thinking about the consequences. In the end, they decided to make wine, and they were right. This is how one of the main treasures of the wine industry was discovered. There is another version, according to which ice wine is the result of numerous experiments by the immigrant Walter Heinle.

More information can be found in sources dated February 8, 1830. In 1829, near the wine-growing town of Bingen in the Rheingessen region, the winter was terribly cold. Some producers decided not to touch the vines, letting them be used as bird food. Then they accidentally noticed that they were making strange circles and falling to the ground after trying the berries. This interested the winegrowers, they tried the juice themselves, and when they felt the sweetness, they made ice wine.

Throughout the 20th century, until the 1960s, harvests of frozen berries were rare. According to the documents, there were 6 gatherings, including the last one in 1958. That was the first time ice wine was produced at the Schloss Johannisberg enterprise. This is due to the fact that frosts were rare.

Some ice wines were created in 1961, which led to the growth of popularity in the future. In the process, artificial lighting from portable generators was used to maintain the temperature in the cold twilight, and plastic wrap to protect the fruit from birds.

Today, Canada produces more ice wine than all other countries combined. The first wine was produced in 1984 at the Inniskillin winery in southern Ontario, in Niagara-on-the-Lake. The winery was owned by Karl Kaiser at that time. Before that, ice wine was accidentally made in British Columbia due to unexpected cold weather. In 1983, Kaiser and three other businesses left the harvest until winter to produce the drink. Some were interrupted by birds (Inniskillin and Ewald Rife), others had a very small harvest (Pele Island and Hillebrand).

A year later, Kaiser took into account the mistakes, protected the fruit with nets and then produced wine. The basis was the Vidal variety. Kaiser expanded production and made it commercial. The drink quickly gained popularity. Other Canadian winemakers have adopted this method of production, as the country's climate proved to be ideal for large-scale production. Summer pleases with hot days and lasts for a long time, autumn is warm, frosts begin abruptly.

In 1991, Canadian riesling won the Grand Prix d’Honneur at Vinexpo and became a success all over the world. The line of wine varieties has expanded over 10 years.

By 2000, Canada was the largest wine producer in the world. In Germany, at the same time, production volumes decreased due to climate change.

Canadian ice cream production technology has changed. Harvesting is not done until spring, until the grapes ferment on their own. Canada is known as the "Mecca for ice wine connoisseurs". Every year, the world-famous Niagara Icewine Festival is held in its honor.

The process of producing ice wine

When grape bunches are killed by the first frost, it is necessary to wait two weeks and then start harvesting. It takes place at night under the light of powerful lamps and at a temperature of no higher than -7-8 °C. Winemakers wear thick rubber gloves to prevent the berries from thawing when touched by hands, as the harvesting process is not automated.

Then the berries are sent to the winery for delicate pressing. This must be done quickly so that the melted water does not get into the concentrated grape juice.

The fruits are immediately sent to a crusher, then the mass of crushed berries (pulp) is placed under a press, where they are used to make wort, or, in simple words, juice. There is no point in describing the further stages of production, as they depend on the specific producer.

Ice wine is produced in modest quantities, because in some places the harvest is damaged by heavy rains, in others - by flocks of birds that do not find other food in the cold season. In addition, manual labor is expensive, and as much as 16 kg of grapes are needed to produce 0.5 liters of wine. This increases the cost of the drink. Riesling, chenin blanc, gruner veltliner are used for white varieties, merlot for red varieties, and rarely cabernet franc for red varieties.

Bright representatives of ice wine

1. Weingut Markus Huber 2012 Berg Riesling Eiswein

   Produced in Austria. Light, although it has a bright honey flavor with notes of passion fruit, lychee and pineapple. Has a clear sourness.

2. 2007 Hunt County Vineyards Vidal Blanc Ice Wine

   American wine. A typical representative of sweet and sour ice wine. It has a long aging, traditional apricot flavor with notes of raisins and honey-fruit aroma.

3. Casa Larga 2008 Cabernet Franc Ice Wine

   Wine from America. Combines sweet and sour taste of red fruits (cherries, strawberries, cranberries, pomegranates). It has more fruit than sweets.

4. Jackson-Triggs Proprietors’ Vidal Ice Wine reserve

   The wine is produced in Canada. Its taste is a harmonious combination of tropical fruits and honey. The finish is long and floral.

5. Floare de Dor Ice Wine

   This wine is from Moldova. It has a golden color, a bright aroma of mango, peach and rose. Tastes like honey with notes of mango and papaya.

How and what to drink ice wine with

Ice wine is usually cooled to 10-12 °C before serving. Special wine glasses are suitable for it. Since the wine is dessert, it is sweet and has a fruity bouquet. It will perfectly match desserts with sourness, as well as white chocolate, cakes with fruit filling, soft cheeses. Blue cheeses and foie gras are suitable for gourmet dishes.

It can become a component of such cocktails as Fire, Louisiana, Xeres.

How to distinguish original ice wine from a fake

1. French, Canadian, German and Austrian producers are asked to indicate ice wine or iced wine. The latter refers not to ice, but to frozen. There is no such rule for Ukraine and Georgia, so you will have to take a closer look at the label and counter-label.

2. The wine should be clear, without sediment, have an even color without shade differences.

3. The appearance of the container must be perfect, because the wine is not cheap, and the manufacturer is interested in the highest quality of products.

Interesting facts

1. Since 2004, Israel has been producing ice wine using pumped ice technology. It is liquid, like water or jelly, but has the potential of real ice.

2. Until the XIX century, late harvested wine was very popular. By the time of harvesting, the berries have time to be covered with a special fungus.

3. To produce 1 liter, you need about 5 times more grapes than for a standard dry wine.

4. Due to the high level of sugar and acidity, it does not lose its taste for about 40 years.

Update: 26.03.2020

Category: Wine and Vermouth