How to pour
an ice wine in
Place the bottle in the refrigerator for three hours. Ice wine should be served at 6 to 8 degrees, slightly cooler than most other sweet wines, because the cold keeps the high acidity sharp against the sugar. Take it out just before serving; its temperature will naturally rise in the glass.
Cut around the capsule just below the ridge on the neck and wipe the rim clean. Place the corkscrew in the center of the cork and twist it straight down. Much ice wine comes in a narrow 37.5 cl bottle with a short cork, so do not twist it in too deeply. If it has a screw cap, skip this step.
Pour 5 to 7 cl, about one-third of a small stemmed glass. Decanting is unnecessary, and air does little here: the wine is so concentrated that its aroma naturally emerges from the glass. The small serving size also keeps the wine cold until the last sip.
Close the bottle again immediately and put it back in the refrigerator. Ice wine is not fortified, so the alcohol does not protect it as it does port. The high sugar content and high acidity do keep an opened bottle going a little longer than a dry white wine, but expect it to last only a few days.
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The story
The idea behind ice wine is simple: water freezes, but sugar and acid do not. If healthy grapes remain hanging on the vine deep into winter and it becomes cold enough, the liquid in the grape turns to ice. When the berries are pressed while frozen, that ice stays behind in the press and only concentrated juice comes out. That is also the immediate risk of the method: the grapes must remain healthy on the vine for months, and if the frost does not come or comes too late, the harvest is lost. That risk is reflected in the price.
The right glass
Ice wine goes in a small stemmed glass, because a 5 to 7 cl pour sits as a shallow layer at the bottom of a regular wine glass and warms up quickly there. In a bowl of roughly 9 to 14 cl, the wine stays cold and the space above it holds the aroma. There is no dedicated ice wine glass collection; the small bowls are found among the port glasses and liqueur glasses. Choice 02, at 8.8 cl, is the smaller of the two: a 5 cl pour fills more than half the glass, so anyone who wants space above the wine should choose choice 01.
RCR Melodia Port Glass Nick And Nora 14 cl (6 pieces)
Nude Glass Vintage Port Glass / Grappa Glass 8.8 cl (2 pieces)
Both sets together € 49,90.
The right tools
For ice wine, besides the glass, you mainly need a corkscrew and, because a 37.5 cl bottle is emptied in two or three servings, a wine stopper. The bar tools below only come into play when the wine is used in an aperitif: a jigger for measuring the small quantity precisely and a bar spoon for stirring. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glassware set (our choice 01) + 2 bar tools together € 60,85.
What do you serve alongside it?
A bottle of ice wine is served at the end of the evening. These are the wines that came before it, from a glass of crémant to start with to the white wine with the meal. On each drink page, you can read the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it works in, and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
Riesling and Vidal are the classic grapes. Riesling naturally brings plenty of acidity, which is exactly what you need with so much sugar; Vidal has a sturdy skin, so it remains hanging better until the frost arrives. Icewine is also made from red grapes, resulting in a reddish color. Do not confuse icewine with wine made from grapes that are frozen in a freezer after the harvest: this is called cryo-extraction and is not permitted under the German and Canadian designations. Want to read more? View all drinks and brands.
Serving tip
Serve in small, chilled pours, at 6 to 8 degrees, and no more than a third of a glass. Here too, follow the rule that the wine should be sweeter than what accompanies it: blue cheese, nuts, or an apple pie that has not been sweetened extra. A dessert that is sweeter than the wine will only bring out the acidity.
Good to know
Why the grapes are pressed while frozen
Water freezes at zero degrees, while a concentrated sugar solution does so much later. In a frozen grape, the water is therefore ice, while the sugar, acid, and flavor compounds remain in a small amount of liquid. If the berry goes into the press in that state, the ice crystals remain behind and only the concentrated juice runs out. If the grapes thaw before pressing, the water mixes back in and the effect is lost.
How cold it needs to be
The harvest takes place at around seven degrees below zero. In less severe weather, not all the water in the berry is frozen, and too much moisture ends up in the press. Because this frost usually sets in around the middle of the night or early in the morning, the grapes are picked in the dark and taken to the press as quickly as possible, before they can thaw.
The risk reflected in the price
The grapes must remain hanging for months after the normal harvest, and during that time all kinds of things can go wrong: birds, wind, rain, and rot. If the frost does not come, or arrives only after the grapes have already spoiled, there will be no icewine that year. On top of that, frozen berries yield only a fraction of the normal amount of juice. Hence the small bottles and the price.
Eiswein, icewine, and the designations
In Germany and Austria, the wine is called Eiswein and is one of the designations for wine made from particularly ripe or concentrated grapes. In Canada, it is called icewine and the name is protected, with rules about how and at what temperature the grapes may be harvested. In both cases, the grapes must have frozen in the vineyard.
The difference with cryo-extraction
With cryo-extraction, harvested grapes are frozen in a freezer and then pressed. Technically, the same thing happens, but the harvest risk disappears and the grapes have not undergone the months-long ripening period on the vine. This method is not permitted under the German and Canadian designations, so a wine made this way may not be called Eiswein or icewine there.
How much alcohol it contains
Ice wine usually contains roughly 9 to 12 percent alcohol, lower than a dry white wine. This is because the yeast cannot withstand so much sugar and stops before everything has been converted. The sugar that remains is what makes the wine sweet. The exact percentage is stated on the label.
Frequently asked questions
How is ice wine made?
From grapes harvested frozen on the vine, at around seven degrees below zero, and pressed while still frozen. The water in the grape is then locked up as ice and remains in the press, leaving only concentrated juice with lots of sugar and acidity. If the grapes thaw before pressing, that effect is lost.
Why is ice wine expensive?
Because the grapes must remain healthy on the vine for months after the normal harvest, and the frost has to arrive. If it does not, the harvest is lost. In addition, frozen berries yield only a fraction of the normal amount of juice, and they are picked by hand in the dark and cold. Hence the 37.5 cl bottles.
At what temperature and in what glass should you serve ice wine?
Between 6 and 8 degrees, in a small stemmed glass holding roughly 9 to 14 cl. Pour 5 to 7 cl, about one-third of a glass. In a regular wine glass, such a small amount of wine forms only a thin layer on the bottom, warms up quickly and lets the aroma disperse. The stem keeps your hand away from the bowl, so the wine stays cold.
What is the difference between ice wine and cryo-extraction?
For ice wine, the grapes freeze on the vine and are pressed in that state. With cryo-extraction, harvested grapes are frozen in a freezer and then pressed. The result is similar, but the harvest risk and the long ripening period on the vine are absent. That method is not permitted under the German and Canadian designations.
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