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Best Guide to Ice Wine | Canada's Wine & Top 5 Picks for 2023
Ice Wine is a mystery drink to many that looks different from your typical bottle of wine.
It’s one of the sweetest and tastiest mistakes that nature has ever made. And one of my favorite dessert wines. If you are interested in other sweet white wines, check out this article.
Table of Contents
What are the 5 Best Ice Wines?
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My favorite Ice wine that I have tried. This is a true icon of Canadian Ice wine – made from the quintessential Vidal grapes, the most-grown variety in Ontario. It’s rare, expensive, and luxurious with a sensational fruity aroma that will take you into a deep dive of flavors of maple sugar, honey, caramel, butterscotch, and tropical fruits. A little pricey, but once you taste it, you’d wonder why it doesn’t cost more!
Pair this with a variety of cheeses (aged cheddar, cream cheese, blue cheese) or fruit-based desserts, lobster, seared scallops.
Tasting Notes: mango, orange, peach, nectarine, lemon
Enjoy the juicy flavors of this Ice wine with a European flair, another one from Lake Niagara. Taste the clean fruit flavors from the first taste, followed by the hint of luscious sweetness of honey and the citrus in the lingering finish.
And this Ice wine is delicious for your cheese course, especially aged Canadian cheddar or creamy blue cheese. But you can always sip it on its own – a treat you need to savor slowly after a fine meal.
Tasting Notes: pear, peach, candied citrus peel, lemon drops
Beautifully rich and lusciously aromatic Canadian Ice wine from a historic winery in Niagara Peninsula. And it has remarkable acidity with a fresh, crisp finish. The aromas of peach, apricot, and grapefruit are inviting, so are the rich flavors of honey and pear with hints of herbs, tobacco, and caramel.
And its vibrant acidity makes it a good pair for cobblers and fruit flans, spice cake, crème Brulee, and pastries. But you can always enjoy its concentrated flavors by drinking it alone.
Tasting Notes: honey, peach
Balanced and elegant Canadian Ice wine, but this time from a pioneer winery in the Okanagan Valley. It’s a definite treat for your senses – bright vanilla and citrus aromas, ripe fruity flavor, and balanced sweetness with mouthwatering acidity.
Drink it alone or pair it with sweet desserts and mild and soft cheeses – very impressive and enjoyable!
Tasting Notes: pineapple, pear, orange peel
Light golden Ice wine made from 100% Rkatsiteli grapes, an ancient pale-skinned varietal from Georgia, the world’s oldest wine-producing region. It’s dense and sticky on the nose, exposing its fragrant ripe pear and candied and honeyed aromas. There’s natural sweetness but is offset with the embedded orange zest flavor for a tantalizing citrus aftertaste.
And if you want a taste beyond the usual Canadian Ice wines, this one is a great choice.
Tasting Notes: pineapple, poached pear, orange zest, berry, nectarine
Looking for another type of white wine, check out our Top 23 White Wines Under $20!
What is Ice Wine?
Ice wine, or Eiswein in Germany, is a super sweet dessert wine made of partially frozen grapes.
The grapes are pressed while they are still frozen (squeezing frozen grapes). And this process concentrates the sugars in the grapes, resulting in a sweeter, more intense flavor.
Typically, they are dessert wines that are very sweet with a syrupy texture. And they are produced in limited quantities and can be quite expensive. Ice wines are best served chilled and pairs well with desserts, fruit, cheese, or chocolate.
Ice wine is different from “Iced Wine” or “Icebox Wine.” Iced wine is made with grapes artificially frozen after harvest which is not true ice wine.
Ice wine is known for its rich, sweet flavor profile with high acidity that helps balance the sweetness. And it’s often served with dessert or cheese.
What are Ice Wine Grape Varietials?
Vidal grapes are a hybrid of Seibel and Ugni Blanc It’s frost-resistant, naturally aromatic, and distinctively sweet with high acidity – perfect for making Ice wines.
- Common Ice wine grape varieties: Riesling, Vidal Blanc, Cabernet Franc
- Less common Ice wine varieties: Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Gewurztraminer, Merlot, Chenin Blanc, Gruner Veltliner
Where is Ice Wine Produced?
Ice wines can only be crafted under specific negative 8-degree to negative 10-degree Celsius temperatures.
Canada’s long and bitterly cold winters make it ideal to produce Ice wine. Canada is now the biggest ice wine producer worldwide, followed by Germany. But USA, Japan, and several European nations have now started making Ice wine.
What is German Eiswein?
Its recorded history began in Franconia, Germany, back in 1794 – Schloss Johannisberg winemakers woke up to discover frozen grapes in the vineyards. They pressed these iced grapes, making a concentrated grape juice that becomes super sweet wine.
Germans started the tradition of making Ice wines from late harvest grapes, leaving grapes on the vine until late December/early January or until winter freezes the frozen grapes.
Ice Wine Tasting Notes
Ice Wine Tasting notes: Very sweet with high sugar levels, usually low 6% alcohol level. You can taste strong honey, citrus, tropical fruit, and stone fruit (dried apricot, peach) flavors.
Drink straight as a dessert wine, sweet wine, or add to a cocktail or a glass of sparkling wine.
Best Ice Wine Food Pairings: Dessert, cheese, savory, and spicy dishes (Asian, Thai, Mexican, Creole, Indian).
How Much Does Ice Wine Cost?
Ice Wine Production is limited to countries with very cold climates, making it rare and expensive – usually, at least $50 for a half bottle, if not more.
Related Articles
- Out 17 Favorite Sweet Red Wine
- Our 17 Favorite Sweet White Wine
- Have you considered Sweet Champagne?
- Learn more about Port Wine
- Another great dessert option would be Ice Wine
- A Guide to White Zinfandel – previously one of the most popular sweet wines
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