Ice wine, which is also sometimes indicated as ‘icewine’, is a unique wine blend that is crafted through innovative methods. The grapes used to make ice wine are frozen before harvesting. While the grapes are still clinging to the vine they are frozen solid to produce a very sweet dessert wine since the sugars within the grapes can’t be frozen. In a way, it’s like creating a wine from a concentrated grape. By pressing the grapes while they are still frozen, very little liquid is released in comparison to a pressed grape that is not frozen.

Of course, the quality of the grapes dictates almost everything when it comes to ice wine. Any grape that is not at the peak of its health is likely to be unusable from damage during the freezing process. Technically an ice wine is created from the natural freezing that a grape endures during cold temperatures. In some countries, such as Australia, Canada, and Germany, the law requires that each grape used in the production of ice wine freezes naturally. This means that a harvest is at the mercy of the weather patterns and a late frost could mean that the grapes either drop off the vine, are eaten by birds and other small fruit eating creatures, or eventually rot and the entire crop is then destroyed. The riskiness implored with the creation of this unique sweet wine and the excessive amount of grapes required to produce the wine is responsible for the elevated price of ice wine.

Since nature is usually responsible for the freezing of the grapes, the harvesting process is done during the predawn hours while the grapes are still frozen. Additionally, the cellar workers that press the grapes are not permitted heat in their work area despite the freezing temperatures. To help combat this problem that makes employees harder to find some ice wines are created from a synthetic freezing process known as cryoextraction. Most people refer to this type of wine as ice box wine rather than ice wine. For the unique taste and the sweet earthiness of an ice wine, only naturally frozen grapes are worth the price.

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