Though Icewine's roots can be traced to centuries-old German winemakers, there is nothing more quintessentially Canadian than this luscious luxury borne of patience and subzero bravura. Grapes are left on the vine well into the winter months to concentrate and intensify the flavors, as water content freezes, thaws and dehydrates in each precious Icewine grape. Located in Niagara-on-the-Lake at the historic Brae Burn Estate, Inniskillin has been producing world-renowned Icewines from grapes grown in the Niagara Peninsula since 1984.

Vidal is a hybrid (Ugni Blanc and Seibel) that has a thick skin suitable for harvesting late in the season. It is the grape grown most for Icewine in Ontario. Its natural acidity gives great structure to the lusciousness of its tropical aromas and flavors of mango and lychee.

With the temperature dropping to -10°C the Vidal grapes grown in the Niagara Peninsula were picked and pressed immediately upon arrival at the winery. The viscous juice was allowed to cold settle for 3 days after which time it was racked clean and inoculated with a specific strain of yeast and was fermented in new French oak at an average temperature of 15°C for 16 days. The wine was allowed to age an additional 3 months in oak before racking.

Generous amounts of ripe fruit give aromatics of peach, mango, and orange. Flavors of apricot and citrus with hints of clove and a touch of vanilla make this a classic Niagara Peninsula Icewine.

The first week of January 2022 brought ideal temperatures of -10˚C to begin Inniskillin’s Icewine harvest, which was completed by mid-January with the second and final picking. This is historically the best time to pick Icewine to avoid the risk of fruit dehydration, high winds, and birds feasting on exposed grapes. The consistently frigid weather provided the optimal harvesting temperatures, maintaining Inniskillin’s high quality standards of desired sugar levels and well-balanced acidities. At pressing, precious little concentrated juice is extracted from each bunch, roughly 10% of an autumn harvest yield, which contributes to Icewine being a unique and highly sought specialty product.

Always good with the traditional crème brule and crème caramel; try tropical fruit compote, roasted peaches or pineapple with panacotta; cheeses from fresh chèvre to parmesan with a dribbling of honey; brown butter lobster salad with baby arugala and hazelnuts.