Icewine

Icewine is a dessert wine made from grapes left to freeze on the vine, then pressed while they're still frozen. Canadian rules are strict about it: harvest can't start until the temperature drops to -8°C, which is why picking often happens overnight. Freezing concentrates the juice, so what comes off the press is thick, sweet and sharp with acid. Most of ours comes from Niagara and the Okanagan. Expect peach, apricot and honey, and a sweetness that doesn't turn heavy.
Filter and sort (0)
Sort by
Clear all
View as
Clear all
1-20 of 31 products

The VQA rules behind Canadian icewine

VQA rules won't call a wine icewine unless the grapes freeze naturally on the vine and get picked below -8°C. That sometimes means picking well after midnight, with headlamps and a deadline. The juice has to hit at least 35 Brix, a sugar reading most table wine never touches. That's most of why a bottle costs what it does: a hard frost yields a fraction of a normal harvest. Back in 1991, an Ontario Vidal won the top prize at Vinexpo in Bordeaux, and the world started taking Canadian wine seriously. That reputation still holds.

Vidal, Riesling, and what grows here

Vidal and Riesling make up the biggest share of this collection. Vidal leans tropical and honeyed; Riesling keeps more citrus and acid under the sugar. Cabernet Franc turns up too, made into a red icewine that tastes like frozen strawberries. Niagara grows most of the Vidal, Riesling and Cabernet Franc here, plus a Chardonnay of its own. The Okanagan's side is smaller and more varied: a touch of Riesling, a Chardonnay, Merlot and a few others. Check the grape on the label. It tells you more about what's in the glass than the region does.

Choosing a bottle

A 200 mL bottle is the low-commitment way to try icewine; 375 mL is the standard gift size once you know what you like. If you want the sweetness without the icewine price, dessert wine covers the late-harvest end of the shelf and costs less per bottle.

What does Canadian icewine taste like?

It depends on the grape. Expect a full, syrupy dessert in the glass rather than a light finish. A couple of bottles here are even sparkling, so the same sweetness comes with bubbles instead of stillness. Red icewine tastes noticeably different: more fruit, less honey.

How should I serve icewine?

Chilled, around 10°C, in a small glass, even a shot glass works. It's rich, so two ounces counts as a proper pour, not a shortchange. Once opened, recork it. It keeps in the fridge for a few days.

What food pairs with icewine?

Butter tarts and Nanaimo bars are the obvious Canadian match, since a sweet dessert needs an even sweeter wine to keep up. Blue cheese works too. The salt cuts straight through the sugar.