Why Ice Wines Are So Misunderstood

When the darkest, coldest nights of winter hit, ice wine makers don’t stay inside. They venture out into the vines, where frost covers the grapes and their breath turns into steely clouds that rise in the air. They work quickly to gather the frozen grapes and then press them quickly to conjure a silky-sweet elixir: ice wine.

“It’s one of the rarest wine styles on the planet,” says JJ Williams, general manager of Kiona Vineyards, a family-owned vineyard from the Red Mountain AVA in Eastern Washington.

Ice wine is alchemy, a gift from nature.

“When you think about Tokaj or Sauternes, they rely on external factors like botrytis or warming up the wine,” says Nicholas Gizuk, winemaker at Inniskillin in Ontario, Canada. “We let Mother Nature do the freezing part for us. It’s a very natural process and very distinct from all the other sweet wines in the world. With a purity of fruit, ice wine is a piercing, concentrated version of those grapes.”

What is ice wine?

Ice wine was discovered by accident. In 1794, a sudden frost hit. German farmers rushed to save their grapes. When they pulled the grapes off the vine, they realized the frozen fruit may be salvageable, and with that, ice wine was born. 

Centuries later, ice wine is still very much the product of good luck. Winemakers start by leaving grapes on the vine long after the harvest ends. Then, they wait. 

When the temperature drops below -17°F (-8°C ), which can be as early as November and as late as March, it’s go time. The goal is to capture all those icy grapes before the temperature warms. 

When grapes freeze, their internal water solidifies, but their sugars and acids stay intact. This results in a thick, intense, luscious gold juice. 

Ice wine is crafted around the world in regions that experience winters that allow grapes to freeze on the vine. The primary areas of ice wine production are in Canada. However, Germany and China, as well as upstate New York, Washington state, and Michigan all produce high-quality ice wine.

The process of making ice wine

It’s not an easy pick. Most harvests happen in the dead of night. 

“It must be -8°C to pick and, usually, it's colder with the wind chill and snow blowing around,” says Dean Stokya, winemaker at Stratus Winery, in Ontario’s blooming Niagara region. 

“Typically, we end up beginning harvest around midnight and pick all night, then continuously press the frozen grapes non-stop for a couple days to get the best balance of ice wine juice,” says Stokya. “It's like taking part in Iron Man. You get very little sleep over the course of four, or five days. You have zero tolerance for anything to go wrong, not even a broken press.”

Ice wine production isn’t physically easy, nor is it a guarantee. If the winter is warm, the grapes won’t freeze. 

“As a winemaker, it takes a lot of moxie,” says Williams. “Making ice wine is a calculated game of attrition. You leave perfectly good grapes out in the elements with the hope that, at some indeterminate point in the future, they will freeze deeply enough to proceed with picking. Every day that you leave the grapes out in the elements, you’re losing yield to gravity, rot, and birds.”

Ice wine is often a labor of love.

“From a financial standpoint, ice wine is not the right choice,” says Gizuk, who also makes ice wine in Canada’s British Columbia. 

The grapes used in ice wines

Ice wines can be made from a number of grapes, including Vidal Blanc, Riesling, Chenin Blanc, and Gewürztraminer. Gizuk works with a mixed bag of grapes that include Vidal, Cabernet Franc, and Riesling. 

“I think Riesling is the ultimate perfect expression of ice wine,” he says. “The natural acidity that comes with this grape — the citrus, the lime, the orange peel, pineapple notes in a warm growing season — is really something.” 

Gizuk treats each grape differently. He ages Vidal ice wine in oak to turn Cabernet Franc into a bright sparkling ice wine. 

In Washington, Williams and his team use Chenin Blanc, a vivid grape most frequently found in the Loire Valley. It’s planted in the coldest spot in the region, in a dip outside the cellar where cold air accumulates. “You can stand up on the deck of the tasting room and look down, and it’ll be 6 to 8ºF cooler down there in the ice wine block,” he says.

There’s a key reason Williams likes to use Chenin Blanc for ice wine.

“Chenin Blanc has a tendency for very nice acid retention, even late into the season,” he says. “And acid is absolutely essential when it comes to producing balanced, high-end dessert wine. Without it, the wine can come off syrupy and cloying. We want the wine to dance on the tongue, and Chenin Blanc helps us achieve that.”

Why ice wine is misunderstood

Ice wine often gets maligned as a one-trick pony, just an after-dinner sweet wine. 

“We’ve found that ice wine appeals to wine neophytes and super wine nerds, but wine drinkers in the middle tend to skip the category on principle,” says Williams. “We offer it in our tasting room, and we hear a lot of, ‘I didn’t think I liked sweet wine.’”

Stokya, who makes a rosy ice wine from Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and a Riesling that tastes like passionfruit and roasted pear, says, “I wish more people understood the styles of ice wine available. Many believe that all ice wines are the same. But that couldn't be any further from the truth. [Any] two ice wines will taste completely different.” 

Grape choice plays a big role in taste, as does the temperature when grapes are picked. 

“The colder it is, the more concentrated and higher sugar you will have,” says Stokya. “My preference is to pick as close to the -8°C threshold as possible on the first freeze to enhance the fruit flavors. Then, you have the choice to age or ferment in oak, stainless steel, or amphora, which again will make a unique wine.” 

Gizuk likes to pick at -10°C to gain greater control over the sweetness. 

“These methods allow winemakers to put their own artistic spin on what they believe an exceptional ice wine should taste like,” says Stokya.

The best way to drink ice wine

Ice wine can be a bit of a novelty, which makes it a great gifting wine. But that can also mean it can become an afterthought. “People tend to have a bottle someone gave them just sitting in their fridge at home,” says Gizuk.

It’s time to open it. 

“People don’t know the hidden gem that's sitting in their wine fridge right now,” says Gizuk. “It may be eight, nine, ten, or twelve-year-old ice wine, and people should open it up and enjoy it with friends.”

Ice wine is an excellent after-dinner drink alongside an aged cheese plate. But its versatility extends far beyond a dessert pairing.

Try it with spicy food. The sweetness is cooling and cuts through the spice. Ice wine works well with salty, briny anchovies, or fat-laden dishes like pâtés and foie gras. 

For Williams, ice wine with cheese and roasted nuts is “hard to beat.” 

“There’s often a propensity for folks to pair ice wine, which is already decadent and rich, with something that is also decadent and rich,” he says. “I prefer to contrast the ice wine with fat and acid. Let ice wine bring the sweetness.” 

If you pop a bottle with dessert, Stokya recommends to look at the sweetness levels. “Never pair a dessert sweeter than the wine,” he says. 

Then there are cocktails.

“Ice wine also goes really well in cocktails and can be used to make many different types, such as an ice wine Martini,” says Stokya.

Introducing people to ice wine may be the most satisfying. 

“At a dinner party, everyone brings Pinot Noir and Chardonnay,” says Gizuk. “If you walk up with an ice wine, I think you're going to be a step above everybody else.”

Ice wines to try

Inniskillin Sparkling Cabernet Franc Ice Wine VQA ($80)

Inniskillen’s Cabernet Franc-based ice wine is ebullient and packed with notes of cherries, strawberries, rhubarb, and dark chocolate. It’s sweet but balanced, with a driving acidity and a long finish.

Stratus Riesling Ice Wine 2023 ($28)

Harvested last January, this Riesling ice wine carries through all the signature aromatics and freshness of the grape, balanced out by honey and zingy tangerine. This pairs beautifully with blue cheese and savory snacks.

Kiona Vineyards Chenin Blanc Ice Wine ($41)

Intensely sweet and incredibly herbal, this Washington vineyard’s take on a Chenin Blanc ice wine packs on notes of apricot and pineapple, balanced out with a bright, shiny acidity.

Nk’Mip Cellars, Qwam Qwmt Icewine ($42)

Produced by the first Indigenous-owned winery in North America, this Riesling-based dessert wine shows off notes of baked apple pie, honey, and stewed apricot. Its silky texture shines against cheese or fried bread.

Hosmer Riesling Ice Wine 2019 ($60)

Though Ontario is known as the ice wine capital, you can find some excellent options just south of the border. Hosmer Estate Winery in the Finger Lakes produces a citrus-driven example from Rieslings harvested during an icy November night. Expect tangerine, mandarin, and ripe raspberry.