7 Things About Icewine That You May Not Know

Vidal grapes for Icewine at Inniskillin

I’m in the process of writing an article about doing a winter wine tour in the Niagara Region, which is famous for it’s icewine.  Although I could easily sit on my sofa and Google the winery websites for the information I need, I decided to drive to Niagara and spend a day exploring some of the wineries in person. One of the focuses during my visits was icewine -after all, my article is on winter wine tours. It only makes sense that I focus on a winter wine and learn as much as I can about it.

I am not a wine connoisseur by any stretch of the imagination. White wines are okay, red wines are too heavy and dessert wines are too sweet. At least that was my opinion of wine before my day exploring wineries in the Niagara Region. Needless to say, I learned a lot about wine and fell in love with certain whites, managed to find a red that was pleasant to drink and discovered things about icewine that I never knew -and I’m guessing many of you don’t know either.

1. Icewine is not just a Dessert wine! -Many people think that icewine is strictly a dessert wine. It’s not. Icewine is very flavourful, aromatic and concentrated (due to repeated freezing and thawing). Icewine can in fact be used with any course. A platter of aged blue cheese (or 5yr old cheddar), fruit and a selection of nuts would be a nice appetizer. Your main course could be a rich buttery pasta or a lovely tuna steak. For dessert, remember that nothing should be sweeter than the wine. Pick something like dark chocolate truffles, a toffee pudding or raspberry white chocolate tart.

2. Using the RIGHT glass makes a difference! -I know this sounds like a scam. I didn’t believe it either, until I tried it myself. Believe it or not, drinking your icewine in a glass that is designed specifically for the wine, does make a difference. This is true for all wines. Try it yourself. Drink your favourite wine in a glass designed specially for it (ie: a merlot in a merlot glass) and then try drinking the same wine in a juice glass. You’re notice the difference. With icewine, the sweetness of the wine is spread evenly throughout your mouth. If you drink icewine in any glass, the flavor sits at the front of your mouth and doesn’t really spread -which is why some people say it’s too sweet for them.

3. If there is no VQA symbol on the label, it’s not real icewine! - -VQA (Vintners Quality Alliance) governs over BC and Ontario wines to ensure that all wines produced meet the same level of standards. Grapes used in icewine are picked at -8c to ensure high quality. In the Niagara Region, many wineries wait until the grapes are at -10c. When a winery is ready to pick, they call VQA to let them know which winery and grapes are to be picked. In many cases a representative from VQA will come to the winery and test the grapes to ensure quality. There are many icewines on the market, but not all of them are real icewine. Some are picked in less than ideal conditions etc. (Quality alliances outside Canada are: AOC (France), DOC (Italy), QmP (Germany) buying wines displaying these symbols ensures quality and authenticity)

4. Icewine grapes are only picked at night -Once the grapes are ready and the VQA has been contacted, the wineries wait until dark to pick the grapes. Night temperatures are normally low, which makes it the perfect time for picking -albeit a very cold an unromantic night for the pickers.

5. Aged icewine can be delicious, but you may not want it to age too long -wine tastes differently for everyone. Each of us will pick-up different tastes and aromas when drinking wine. We also have different preferences. As icewine ages, it takes on different flavors and aromas. As icewine ages the wine takes on an almost caramelized or honey like taste, with hints of dried fruit like figs or dates, however, if an icewine ages too long it can take on an petrol-like taste and aroma. Although this sounds a little uninviting to me, there are many wine drinkers who enjoy this flavor.

6. It takes A LOT of grapes to make 1 bottle of icewine! -If my jaw could have hit the ground, it would have. One grape yields 1 drop of juice. That means that hundreds upon hundreds of grapes are needed to make a single bottle of wine.

7. Icewine was NOT invented by Canadians -some think icewine started in Canada. It didn’t. Icewine was invented in Germany in the 17th Century.

There are obviously a lot of things about icewine that you may or may not know. The day I spent touring wineries was a huge eye-opener for me. I had no idea how much work goes into icewine, or that it’s a versatile wine (meaning that its not just for dessert). I was blown away by the different taste using different glasses. I’m pretty sure I’ve become an icewine lover.

Have you tried icewine? What was your experience like?