What Is Icewine? A Beginner’s Guide

Quick answer: what is Icewine?

Icewine is a sweet wine made from fresh grapes that have naturally frozen on the vine. The grapes remain outdoors until a suitable freeze occurs, then they are harvested and pressed while frozen.

When this happens, some of the grape’s water forms ice crystals and remains behind during pressing. The liquid juice is therefore more concentrated, containing higher levels of sugar, acidity and other dissolved grape components. That concentrated juice is fermented into wine.

This is why Icewine can be intensely sweet and concentrated while still tasting lively. Its acidity provides freshness and balance, rather than leaving the wine tasting like simple liquid sugar.

The defining point is natural freezing on the vine. A sweet wine made by freezing grapes in a commercial freezer or using another technical concentration method should not automatically be called Icewine.

How is Icewine made?

Icewine grapes stay on the vine beyond the usual harvest period. The grower must wait for weather cold enough to freeze ripe grapes naturally. This makes the harvest uncertain and time-sensitive. While the grapes remain outside, they can be exposed to birds, animals, disease, dehydration and storm damage.

Once the grapes have frozen sufficiently, they are harvested and pressed while still frozen. The process is sometimes described as freeze concentration: ice is separated from the more concentrated juice.

The juice then ferments. Because it contains a high concentration of sugar, fermentation can be slow and difficult for yeast. Fermentation may stop before all the sugar is converted into alcohol, leaving the finished wine sweet. The final alcohol level can vary according to the grape, the juice and the rules that apply in its region.

For a more detailed explanation of the production method, see Icewine production.

What does Icewine taste like?

Icewine is generally sweet, concentrated and fruit-driven, but the exact profile depends on the grape variety, origin, vintage and winemaking.

You might find aromas and flavours of:

• peach and apricot;
• tropical fruit;
• flowers;
• honey;
• dried fruit; or
• caramel-like notes.

These are useful possibilities, not a fixed recipe. White Icewine is common, but red examples also exist in some regions.

A good way for a beginner to think about Icewine is to separate three ideas:

• Sweetness: the wine contains noticeable residual sugar.
• Acidity: the wine has freshness and a lively sensation.
• Concentration: the flavours and texture feel intense rather than dilute.

Sweetness does not automatically mean a wine is heavy or unbalanced. In Icewine, acidity is an important part of the style’s shape.

Icewine, Eiswein and ice wine: are they the same?

“Icewine”, “ice wine” and “ice-wine” are related terms, but naming rules vary between jurisdictions. The OIV—an international wine organisation—defines Icewine, also called Eiswein, around naturally frozen vineyard grapes and pressing while frozen. Its recommended conditions should not be treated as one universal law for every country.

Canada has its own standards for Icewine. Ontario, for example, applies specific requirements to its VQA Icewine category. Germany uses the term Eiswein, with German rules applying to wines made there.

In Australia, Wine Australia states that “icewine”, “ice wine” and “ice-wine” may be used in the description and presentation of wine only when it is obtained exclusively from grapes naturally frozen on the vine.

So the practical lesson is simple: read the regulated term and the wine’s origin. A label that uses the word “ice” informally does not, by itself, prove that the wine is conventional Icewine.

Icewine compared with other sweet wines

Icewine versus late-harvest wine

Late-harvest wine is made from grapes left on the vine longer than usual so they develop more ripeness and sugar. Freezing is not required.

Icewine can be considered a specialised late-harvest style only when the grapes naturally freeze and are pressed frozen. Not every late-harvest wine is Icewine. Read more about late-harvest wine.

Icewine versus botrytised wine

Botrytised wine is made from grapes affected by noble rot, a form of Botrytis cinerea that can dehydrate berries and alter their flavour chemistry.

Botrytis is not the defining feature of Icewine. Icewine depends on natural freezing, whether or not botrytis is involved. These are separate concentration mechanisms. See botrytised wine for the distinction.

Icewine versus appassimento or dried-grape wine

Appassimento and other dried-grape styles concentrate grapes by drying them after harvest or partially drying them before fermentation.

That is different from leaving grapes on the vine until they naturally freeze. A dried-grape wine is not Icewine simply because it is sweet or concentrated.

Icewine versus dessert wine

Dessert wine is a broad category that can include many sweet styles. Icewine is one kind of sweet or dessert wine, but the wider category also includes late-harvest, botrytised and fortified wines.

What does Icewine mean for Australian drinkers?

Natural freezing of ripe grapes on the vine is uncommon across much of Australia because dependable conditions for this combination of ripeness and cold are limited. That does not mean Australian winemakers cannot make sweet wines. Australia produces sweet wines using a range of other permitted methods, including late harvest, botrytis and drying.

It does mean that Australian consumers should not assume a local sweet wine is Icewine, or that a reference to “ice” proves natural on-vine freezing. When buying an imported or Australian bottle, check the exact wording, the country of origin and the label information.

How should Icewine be served?

Icewine is best approached as a concentrated wine, so small pours make sense. Serve it chilled in a small dessert-wine or white-wine glass. The exact ideal temperature can vary by wine, and it should be cold enough to feel fresh without muting its aromas.

It can work with fruit-based desserts, lightly sweet desserts or contrasting salty cheeses. The key pairing idea is balance: the food should not make the wine seem flat, and the wine should not overwhelm a delicate dish.

After opening, reseal the bottle and refrigerate it. Its condition will change over time, depending on the wine, closure, fill level and storage. Remember that sweetness can make a wine seem easy to drink, but Icewine still contains alcohol; check the label’s standard-drink information.

Beginner FAQ

Is Icewine always sweet?

Icewine is made as a sweet wine because the naturally concentrated juice contains substantial sugar, and fermentation commonly leaves some sugar behind. The precise sweetness and balance vary by wine.

Is Icewine made from frozen grapes?

Yes—but the important detail is that the grapes must naturally freeze on the vine for the wine to qualify under the relevant Icewine naming frameworks. Grapes frozen artificially are not automatically equivalent.

Is Icewine the same as late-harvest wine?

No. Icewine is defined by natural freezing and frozen-grape pressing. Late-harvest wine only requires grapes to remain on the vine longer; it does not require freezing.

Is Icewine the same as dessert wine?

No. Dessert wine is a broad category. Icewine is one style within that broader world.

What grapes are used for Icewine?

Riesling is strongly associated with Eiswein and is also used in Canada. Vidal is particularly associated with Ontario Icewine. Other grapes, including red varieties, may be used depending on regional practice and rules. No single grape is required everywhere.