🍷 Ice wine

Ice wine is a sweet wine made from grapes that freeze naturally on the vine and are pressed while still frozen: the water stays behind as ice, and only concentrated juice runs out. The OIV has an international definition; in German it is Eiswein, in Canada Icewine, and warmer winters make it harder to produce. ⁴⁸

The OIV definition. Ice wine comes only from fresh grapes concentrated by freezing in the vineyard, without physical procedures; they must be frozen at harvest and pressed in that state. The OIV recommends harvesting and pressing at −7 °C or below, a must of at least 15% potential alcohol (110° Oechsle, 25.3 Brix) that may not be raised, at least 5.5% actual alcohol, at most 2.1 g/l of volatile acidity and grapes from a single region. ⁴

Germany: a Prädikat. In Germany Eiswein is a Prädikat level, granted only with an official test number; the grapes must be frozen at harvest and at pressing, and enrichment is not allowed. ¹ The German Wine Institute names −7 °C as the minimum and a must weight at least that of a Beerenauslese, 110–128° Oechsle depending on the region. ⁵

A winemaker's gamble. Grapes may hang until January or even February waiting for frost, with the risk of losing everything. On average only 5–10% of the original crop becomes Eiswein, often just 300–500 litres per hectare, and the wine keeps at least 100 g/l of residual sugar. Pliny mentioned wine from frozen grapes in 44 AD; in Germany it is recorded from 11 February 1830 at Dromersheim near Bingen. ⁵

The 2025 harvest. In November 2025 frosts of down to −9 °C allowed an early Eiswein harvest in many German regions. In Rhineland-Palatinate, inspectors check grape health and a legal minimum of 120° Oechsle; 29 producers pressed about 35,000 litres from only 16.6 ha registered, and a Franconian Silvaner reached 197° Oechsle. ⁶

Austria. Austrian law defines Eiswein as wine made only from grapes frozen at harvest and pressing, with a must of at least 25° KMW. It may not carry any other Prädikat term or be blended with other Prädikat wines; a must below 25° KMW can only be sold as Qualitätswein. ⁷

Canada: Icewine. In Ontario the grapes, vinifera varieties or the hybrid Vidal, must freeze naturally on the vine, be picked at −8 °C or lower and be pressed straight away. The must averages at least 35° Brix, freeze concentration is banned, and the finished wine keeps at least 100 g/l of natural residual sugar with 7.0–14.9% alcohol. ²

Sulphites and cryoextraction. Because the wine is so sweet, EU rules allow Eiswein up to 400 mg/l of sulphur dioxide, against 200–250 mg/l for ordinary sweetish wines. ³ Grapes frozen artificially in a cold chamber, known as cryoextraction, do not make ice wine: the OIV requires freezing in the vineyard without physical procedures. ⁴

Why it matters to you. Look for «Eiswein» with an official test number or «Icewine» under VQA rules: both guarantee grapes frozen on the vine. ¹² Ice wine is rare, costly and very sweet, so it is served in small glasses. ⁵ The WHO stresses that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption. ⁹