Robert Bell's

Wines of Canada

Since 1992

Icewine

One of nature's most exquisite gifts. One of the world's most luscious and celebrated wines. It is one of the most difficult and challenging process for the winemaker. Canada is the world leader in producing amazing Ice Wines.

Icewine is a rare gift from a magical Canadian winter. Picked at the coldest moment of a winter's night, each frozen grape creates just one drop of Icewine. One smooth rich, luxurious drop.

The first Icewine (Eiswein) is believed to have been made in Germany in the late 1700s when freezing weather struck before the grape crop could be harvested. The winemaker persisted, harvesting and pressing the frozen grapes and fermenting the juice to a sweet wine.

The first Icewine to appear on the Canadian front was a Riesling, made in British Columbia by Walter Hainle and his son Tilman in 1973. Tilman Hainle and and his wife Sandra continued experimenting with Icewines at their Hainle Vineyards in the Okanagan, ultimately producing their first commercial release in 1978. In 1991, other Okanagan winemakers joined in, capitalizing on the early onset of cold temperatures that year and plenty of frozen grapes on the vine.

The story that lead to Canada been known around the world for its icewine is far more in depth and took the efforts of many to achieve. Perhaps the most important factors is Canada's unique climate.

Jamie Slingerland director of viticulture for Pillitteri Estates Winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, he needs the temperature at 17–18°F to harvest grapes for ice wine. Slingerland used to pick grapes in late December, but he says warming temperatures have shifted harvest times and fewer frigid nights have made the crop less predictable.

“In the years since I started harvesting ice wine grapes, the windows of cold temperatures have become less and we’ve had fewer and fewer opportunities to harvest,” says Slingerland. “We used to pick two or three times between Christmas and the New Year. Now, that happens once every five to seven years.”

Canada is the largest producer of ice wine in the world. The crop generates more than $6.8 billion annually, but climate change could thaw the thriving industry.

Although Pillitteri Estates Winery has never missed a harvest, Slingerland admits that it’s become more difficult to gather the 50 acres of ice wine grapes needed during an ever-shrinking window of cold temperatures.

Introduction ~ Making Icewine ~ History ~ Key Producers ~ Icewine Standards

Icewine and Foods ~ Donald Ziraldo ~ Karl Kaiser

As the cost of living continues to rise our non-profit website would welcome a little support!
A small donation would be greatly appreciated.