The name might suggest a crisp, fresh and – above all – cool type of white wine, but ice wines are in fact very sweet dessert wines, made from wine grapes that have been frozen whilst still growing on the vine. This chilling process causes the water contained within the grape to freeze, while the natural sugars and other solids present remain unfrozen. This results in a concentrated, sweet white wine that is drunk in small quantities with dessert. Known as Eiswein in Germany, where the drink was discovered, Ice wine is relatively acidic, which gives a pleasant balance against the sweetness of the drink.
Ice wine grapes benefit from being almost entirely free of Botrytis Cinerea, or ‘noble rot’ – a rotting infection that can affect the grapes of other famous dessert wines such as Tokaji and Sauternes. Less than healthy grapes will not make it through until the time comes to harvest ice wine grapes – something which generally takes place in November or even late December or early January – meaning that Ice wine grapes are free of the rot that can impair the flavour of dessert wines.
However, as relatively few grapes make it through to harvest time for ice wines, these white wines are high in quality but generally have a high price tag to match. A special occasion white wine, however, ice wine can be a good investment – delivering a drinking experience that is usually sweet without being sickly.
Ice wines also require very specific conditions in order to be effectively harvested – it goes without saying that, if conditions are not sufficiently cold, the ice wine cannot be produced. Should summer’s warm weather extend too far into autumn, an entire year’s yield of ice wine can be lost. Harvesting ice wine is also fairly labour-intensive, another contributing factor to the relatively high price of many bottles of ice wine.
It also goes without saying that Ice wine only succeeds in white wine growing regions where the climate is suitable – the sunkissed vineyards of California, for example, are not going to be in the picture. With its relatively warm summers and cold winters, Germany is classic Ice wine/Eisweinn territory and indeed it is thought that the first ever ice wines were produced in the country way back at the tail end of the 1700s. The history of ice wine is actually thought to be the result of a happy accident that took place in 1794. The story goes that a German vineyard owner was away on a jaunt, neglecting his grapes while he should have been harvesting them. On his return, legend has it, the owner and his staff decided to harvest the grapes despite the fact that the chill German winter had frozen them semi-solid. The result was what white wine lovers today enjoy as ice wine.
News of the tasty, sweet wine spread throughout Germany, where it became widely known as Winter Wine. It was not until the 1960s, however, that the rest of the world began to cotton on to the phenomenon. Today, Canada is fast developing a reputation as a quality producer of ice wine, with its long winter freezes lending themselves well to production of the sweet white wine. Viticulturists in Canada are even starting to experiment with sparkling ice wines, which have a texture similar to other sparkling white wines but with a sweeter and more acidic finish.
Grapes traditionally used for ice wine production in Germany include Reisling, while Colombian ice wine producers frequently favour Vidal. In the New World, those that are beginning to experiment with ice wine production are typically using white wine grapes such as Pinot Blanc, Gewurtztraminer, Chardonnay, Kerner and Seyval Blanc. Ice wines made from white wine grape varieties are typically a golden or light yellow colour when young, turning a deeper gold as they age.
A typical German or Canadian ice wine will often have notes of pear, apricot, peach, citrus fruits, honey and even caramel, depending on the varietal of grape used. Ice wines are typically medium to full-bodied, but are often significantly lower in alcohol than other dessert wines – some ice wines have alcohol levels as low as six per cent.
Opinion is divided over whether ice wines lend themselves well to ageing. While some wine enthusiasts argue that the high sugar level and acidity effectively preserve the content after bottling, others argue that the ageing process takes away the acidity that makes ice wine such a distinctive drink.
Sold in small bottles and enjoyed while sipped with dessert or biscuits and cheese, ice wine is something to be savoured and appreciated rather than glugged and makes the perfect drink to round off a special occasion such as Christmas dinner.
