Quick links
icewine
DCHP-2 (Oct 2016)
Spelling variants:ice wine
n. — Food & Drink
a sweet wine made from grapes that are left to freeze on the vine and are harvested and pressed while frozen.
Type: 4. Culturally Significant — Icewine, known as "Eiswein" in Germany where it is reported to have originated, was first produced in Canada in 1973 (Schreiner 2001: 151). The climates of certain regions of Ontario and BC are ideal for producing icewines, a circumstance which has given Canada great prominence in the international icewine market. True icewine is processed based on strict standards, e.g. the grapes must be picked at a temperature of -8 degrees celsius or lower (see VQA Ontario reference). Canada is one of very few countries in the world where climatic conditions favour the production of icewine. In other locations, icewines may be made artificially by freezing the grapes after harvesting.
According to Schreiner (2001: 11), icewines were first produced about 200 years ago in Germany, but it was only when Canadian wineries began producing icewines in the 1990s that "consumers and the wine trade took notice" of the dessert wine that would become "Canada's signature wine" (Schreiner 2001: 163). Canada's Inniskillin winery, based in BC and Ontario, is also the world's largest icewine producer (Schreiner 2001: 17) and has won several international awards for its ice wines (see Inniskillin Winery reference).
The spelling icewine is the preferred Canadian spelling, as in other locations the spelling is generally ice wine (see Charts 1 and 2), which makes icewine a Canadianism on the grounds of frequency as well.
See also COD-2, s.v. "icewine" (1), which is marked "esp. Cdn".
According to Schreiner (2001: 11), icewines were first produced about 200 years ago in Germany, but it was only when Canadian wineries began producing icewines in the 1990s that "consumers and the wine trade took notice" of the dessert wine that would become "Canada's signature wine" (Schreiner 2001: 163). Canada's Inniskillin winery, based in BC and Ontario, is also the world's largest icewine producer (Schreiner 2001: 17) and has won several international awards for its ice wines (see Inniskillin Winery reference).
The spelling icewine is the preferred Canadian spelling, as in other locations the spelling is generally ice wine (see Charts 1 and 2), which makes icewine a Canadianism on the grounds of frequency as well.
See also COD-2, s.v. "icewine" (1), which is marked "esp. Cdn".
See: VQA
Quotations
1981
I had never considered the possibility of an Ontario Icewine, but heaven knows we have the climate for it. And Brights has made one - a Vidal 1980 Late Harvest. The grapes were left on the vine until the end of November for a maximum sugar content and then picked when frozen to concentrate the sweetness.
1991
An oenophile could work her way through a substantial number of entertaining three-ounce glasses in an evening at Tipplers, from chardonnay to icewine.
2001
The Canadian icewine industry, in particular, spent years trying to gain access to European markets.
2008
Icewine grapes are picked entirely by hand once the temperature drops below -8 C, and the Brix (sugar-to-water ratio) must meet the required minimum in order for grapes to be considered for icewine.
2013
But then, it’s not often you get to assist the birth of a Canadian product that utterly dominates the global stage. A small stage, to be sure—sales of icewine from Ontario, home to 85% of Canada’s production, amounted to about $32 million last year. But bragging rights are bragging rights, and in terms of market share, icewine may be our most successful export ever.
Images
Chart 1: Internet Domain Search, 14 Aug. 2012
