Niagara Icewine - Liquid Gold
Ranked #3,185 in Food & Cooking, #61,759 overall
Icewine from Niagara, Ontario - What is it and who are the best producers?
Icewine, or Eiswein in Germany, is a delicious dessert wine made from frozen grapes. Freezing concentrates the sugar and the result is wonderfully sweet.
Icewine is difficult and costly to make and requires the perfect cool climate viticulture.
It was first produced in Germany over 200 years ago, but now Canada is the largest producer of icewine.
And, 75% of Canada's production is in the Niagara wine region of Ontario, the area where I was born and grew up picking sweet grapes on my great-grandfather's farm.
Icewine is also called "Liquid Gold"
Where is the Niagara Region of Ontario?
Inniskillen - The First Producer of Icewine
in the Niagara Region
Karl Kaiser, a chemist, and Don Ziraldo, an agriculture grad, were the founders of Inniskillen Wines, the first winery in the Niagara Region to produce premium varietal wines, including icewine, after incorporating in 1975. They are located in the lovely town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, just minutes from Niagara Falls.
Their early mission statement was "Not so much bound by tradition as inspired by it". The winery grew from a converted packing shed to the beautiful winery there today. From the beginning, their wines received a lot of attention. In 1984, Kaiser produced his first Icewine and in 1991 Inniskillin's Vidal Icewine won a Grand Prix d'Honneur at Vinexpo in Bordeaux. Now most Niagara wineries make icewine.
The book below, written by Kaiser and Ziraldo, tells the story of making this premium wine.
Icewine: Extreme Winemaking
Amazon Price: $26.40 (as of 06/01/2012)
List Price: $40.00
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Peller Estates says...
"Icewine is a rare gift
from a magical Canadian winter."
Peller Estates Icewine Story
Niagara Icewine Festival
When Gold Meets Cold
For two plus weeks every January, the Niagara region is transformed into a wintry wonderland and one of Canada's most cherished products, Ontario Icewine, is celebrated.
From major galas to chestnut roasts, ornate ice bars and winery tours, the annual Niagara Icewine Festival has plenty to offer.
We were able to experience a few hours of the festival in the town of Jordan, Ontario this year on one of the coldest days of the year. However, the good food and wine, barrel rolling contest, jazz music, and fire pits made the place feel much warmer.
Photo: Ice Table at the 2011 Festival in Jordan, Ontario
Countdown to Niagara Icewine Festival
Royal DeMaria
"Canada's Icewine Specialists"
On a cold, rainy day in April, we stopped into Royal DeMaria because we had never been there before. Boy, were we in for a surprise. It is an unassuming place, but we were greeted warmly by a young woman who had graduated from the Niagara College Wine Program. While she told us about the short but spectacular history of this winery, we saw that we were surrounded by awards of all shapes and sizes.
With no previous winemaking experience, Joseph DeMaria made his first icewine from Vidal juice in 1998. Although making an error in the process, he discovered that he liked the results better than other icewines. The icewine had a subtle sweetness that did not stick to the palate. He entered it into competitions and it won 5 international awards.
Now, their website proudly proclaims that they have won 90 Gold awards in 84 prestigious competitions. They make 34 varietals (red and white), including the first Meritage icewine. They also claim that their 2000 Chardonnay Icewine is the world's most expensive. We really enjoyed our tasting there and bought a bottle to take home.
Check Icewine Prices
at Snooth or Wine-Searcher.
What are they saying on Twitter?
about Icewine
-
- WineRestaurants
- Oh baby it's COLD outside! Equifera's #IceWine video - @DonaldZiraldo on #ExtremeWinemaking http://t.co/fkToRHyf
-
- EquiferaIcewine
- Only 10% of the regular harvest become #Icewine. That's why Equifera is such a wonderful & scare #wine!
-
- WineRestaurants
- Indulge your Senses with Equifera #Icewine Cabernet Franc http://t.co/Fj0y4k8t
-
- EquiferaIcewine
- Did you know #DonaldZiraldo is the author of several books, including "Icewine – Extreme Winemaking."
-
- WineRestaurants
- Equifera's #IceWine @DonaldZiraldo http://t.co/2SVWNf0x One of the most passionate and personal stories in the wine business!
Iniskillen Cab Franc Icewine
Gary Vaynerchuk
on Canadian Icewines
This great video describes and rates 6 Canadian dessert wines - Henry of Pelham 2004 Late Harvest Vidal, Henry of Pelham 2004 Riesling Icewine, Cave Spring 2004 Riesling Icewine, Jackson Triggs 2004 Reserve Vidal Icewine, Inniskillen 2004 Vidal Icewine, and Peller Estates 2004 Cabernet Franc Icewine. He explains the difference between late harvest dessert wines and icewines.
Vote for your Favorite Icewine Producer
or add your own
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rivard/ / CC BY-SA 2.0
Peller Estates
Peller Estate Icewine offers Vidal icewine, Canadi more...1 point
Inniskillin - Icewines - Niagara
1 point
Henry of Pelham Family Estate Winery
Wines with structure, good acidity, up-front fruit more...1 point
Cave Spring Cellars
Specialty Wines | Cave Spring Cellars | Grape Grow more...0 points
Pillitteri Estates Winery
Pillitteri Estates Winery - The World's Largest Es more...0 points
Vineland Estates Winery
Vineland Estates Winery features premier VQA wines more...0 points
Stratus Icewine
The Stratus style leans towards elegance and fines more...0 points
Stoney Ridge Estate Winery
An incredible selection of Icewine available at th more...0 points
Reif Estate Winery
Offering Cabernet Franc, Gewurztraminer, Riesling, more...0 points
Peninsula Ridge Estates Winery
Committed to producing the finest wines Niagara ha more...0 points
Jackson Triggs Winery
Every bottle of Jackson-Triggs wine proudly bears more...0 points
Spotlight on...
Icewine: The Complete Story
Icewine: The Complete Story
Amazon Price: $27.06 (as of 06/01/2012)
List Price: $18.95
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Icewine on Amazon
More Icewine Links
- Wines of Canada - Icewine
- Wines of Canada was developed and designed by Robert amd Barbara Bell of Delta, British Columbia in 1992.
- How to Drink Icewine
- Icewine gets its name from the German "Eiswein" and is made by leaving grapes on the vine and waiting for a freeze before harvesting. Because of the rare climate needed to make icewine, only a few countries produce it, with Canada, Germany and Austria among them.
- What is icewine?
- by WiseGeek. The first ice wine was produced in Germany in 1794, the result of an accident.
- Buy Icewine
- Winebuys.com offers white icewine, red icewine, icewine from Canada, icewine from Germany, icewine from Austria, and icewine from Michigan to name a few.
- What are the best icewines?
- Welcome to the only independent information resource exclusively devoted to Icewines. We offer you information about Icewines and how to enjoy them. You'll find reviews, food and Icewine matching ideas, recipes, news, events and other useful information.
- VQA (Vintners Quality Alliance) Ontario
- Icewine - Canada's sweet wine
- Icewine and Food Pairings
- From the Inniskillen website - includes recipes.
- The Long Weekend - Touring Ice Wine Country
- By Christina Talcott for the Washington Post, December 2008
- Icewine Imports
- A place to buy icewine online.
Take Our Poll
Have you tried icewine?
Thank you for visiting my page on Niagara Icewine!
Please share your thoughts.
-
-
justin42
Mar 30, 2012 @ 2:00 pm | delete
- Nice lens. I was just in the Niagara region last week. I was going to the falls and was planning on driving through but it was too late. Oh well, casinos and margaritas are fun too.
-
-
-
Miska29
Mar 7, 2012 @ 3:37 pm | delete
- Mmm.... icewine... sweet and expensive.
-
-
-
WorldVisionary
May 28, 2011 @ 10:57 pm | delete
- Fantastic lens, so interesting! Blessed by a Squid Angel
-
-
-
lindarandall Feb 8, 2011 @ 6:16 am | delete
- inskillin iced brandied wine is my choice of drink every new years eve and christmas time :)
-
-
-
JaguarJulie Dec 24, 2010 @ 11:38 am | delete
- Ah, my liquid gold, for the moment, is a very special Reisling from Germany.
-
- Load More
About the Author
Latest Posts from my blog, Be Inspired
by kimmanleyort
Mother, wife and photographer who never stops learning. Squidoo allows me to explore my interests and the fabulous community is an added bonus.
Please...
more »
- 132 featured lenses
- Winner of 23 trophies!
- Top lens » 25 Ways to Teach Kids Compassion
Explore related pages
- How to Choose a Pinot Noir How to Choose a Pinot Noir
- Niagara Wine Region in Ontario Niagara Wine Region in Ontario
- Wine Pictures for Your Home or Office Wine Pictures for Your Home or Office
- Touring the Vineyards of the Willamette Valley Touring the Vineyards of the Willamette Valley
- Hiking and Wine in the Italian Alps Hiking and Wine in the Italian Alps
- Three Days in Napa Valley Three Days in Napa Valley
Riedel Icewine Glasses
Available on Amazon
Riedel Vinum Extreme Icewine/Dessert Wine Glass, Set of 2
Amazon Price: $49.99 (as of 06/01/2012)
Amazon Spotlight
Vacu Vin Guy Buffet Rapid Ice Wine Chiller, Sommeliers
Amazon Price: $6.99 (as of 06/01/2012)
Chill your icewine so that it's just right.
More Wine Pages
