Ice Wine in the Okanagan Valley
Canadian Ice-Wine has emerged as a must try for tourist visiting Canada. Ice-Wine is only produced in a handful of countries, including Germany and Austria, but Canada has become the single largest producer of this unique variety of wine. Over the last few decades, demand for Ice-Wine has soared all around the world from China, to Japan, America and Europe. Ice-Wine has a super sweet, refreshing taste, perfect as a dessert wine. So the big question is, what is “Ice-Wine”?, why is it a specialty wine and so expensive?
I had the chance on my road-trip through Southern British Columbia to stop in the Okanagan Valley, one of Canada’s best Ice-Wine producing regions. The hot summers and cold winters create the perfect conditions for producing high quality Ice-Wine. So I’ve picked out the top 5 vineyards and Ice-Wines from the Okanagan Valley.
What is Ice-Wine?
Canada is the world’s largest producer of Ice-Wine. So the big question is, what exactly is it?
According to Canada’s Agricultural Products Act only wine that is made exclusively from grapes naturally frozen on the vine is “icewine”, “ice wine” or “ice-wine”.
The Canadian Vintners Association represents roughly 90% of Canada’s Winemakers, including Ice-Wine producers.
As the grape freezes on the vine, the water inside the grape becomes frozen as ice, but the sugars do not. This natural process creates a very concentrated and sweet grape juice. As this all happens before the fermentation of the juice into wine, it is different from other sweet dessert wines. Ice-Wine comes in red and white varieties.
What Makes Ice-Wine so Expensive?
After the name, the second thing most people notice about Ice-Wine is the price tag. I’m not talking about a specific brand, or ridiculously outrageously priced wines. I mean Ice-Wine is expensive for the average person compared to regular dessert wines. A good bottle of Ice-Wine can cost $80 to $150 USD, and the bottles aren’t very large. The average sized Ice-Wine bottle is either 200 ml or 375 ml.
The high cost comes from the high risk of growing and producing Ice-Wine. As a naturally occurring process, the conditions have to be just right for harvesting Ice-Wine. Grapes are left on the vine until the temperatures drops to a sustained -8C or lower. This is usually the first frost of the season. If the first frost is early, the grapes won’t be mature enough to create the concentrated juice. If the frost comes too late, the grapes will start to rot and the whole harvest is lost.
Harvesting & Processing Ice-Wine Grapes
Even when conditions for harvesting Ice-Wine grapes are perfect, producing an Ice-Wine isn’t a guarantee. It becomes a race against the clock to hand pick the frozen grapes on the vine and process them before they thaw. During the harvesting process, these frozen grapes only yield 10-15% of the volume compared to a normal harvest for regular wine.
This explains why Ice-Wine can be up to 10 times more expensive, only a small amount may be produced, and not every year.
Of course, all Ice-Wine in Canada has to meet a very specific production standard. This includes no artificial refrigeration, an alcohol between 7-14.9% and a minimum sugars level of 100g/litre. The wine must be processed within the same geographic location to the harvesting. Any Wines produced that do not meet this high standard are usually called “Late Harvest” Wines.
Where is Ice-Wine Produced
Ice-Wine originated from Germany under the name “Eiswein” sometime in the late 18th century. However there is some evidence to suggest grapes have been purposefully left out until the first frost since the 1st century AD in the Roman Empire.
Today the most expensive Ice-Wines are usually produced in Germany but Canada has emerged as the largest Ice-Wine producer by volume. Due to the strict processing standards and unique climate conditions, the majority of Ice-Wines are produced in Canada are from Southern Ontario. Luckily, for travelers, the Okanagan Valley is also one of Canada’s big Ice-Wine regions!
One of Canada’s first Ice-Wine pioneering Vineyards was Inniskillin out of Niagara Ontario, they’ve since expanded into the Okanagan Valley. Ice-Wine is also produced in Quebec and Nova Scotia, but just a little!
Top 5 Okanagan Valley Ice-Wines
Here are my top 5 picks for the best Okanagan Ice-Wines. They are in no specific order. Wine taste is subjective, so I’ve picked a few brands I enjoy and a few major brands who are well recognized with a long history of producing Ice-Wine in Canada.
Inniskillin
Inniskillin Icewine is renowned as the world leader in Icewine. It is sold in over 74 countries and is the #1 distributed wine in Global Travel Retail. Inniskillin has Ice-Wine production in the Niagara Peninsula and the Okanagan Valley.They sell a delicious Riesling.
Inniskillin was one of Canada's first wineries that tried to commercially produce Ice-Wine. Apprently they lost their first batch to hungry birds in 1983. The following year, they set up bird nets and bottled their first edition of Ice-Wines.
Sommerhill Vineyards
Last year Summerhill's Ehrenfelser Ice-Wine won gold at the 24th Annual Chardonnay du Monde in Burgendy France. They beat over 700 other wines from 38 countries. The Ehrenfelse retails for $95 CAD ($80 USD) and has a vibrant honey, apricot and pear aroma. Summerhill Vinyards is located outside of Kelowna, BC in the northern part of the Okanagan Valley.
NK'MIP Cellars
NK'MIP is the first indigenous owned Winery in North America. NK'MIP, meaning "Bottomland" has a large reserve that stretches along the Okanagan Valley, from Vernon to Osoyoos. They sell a 2016 Ice-Wine Riesling with flavours of honey, baked apple, citrus and apricot. This wine won the 2018 Silver Medal and the Wine Align showing and the Gold Medal at the International Wine & Spirits Competition.
Mt. Boucherie
Mt. Boucherie is a 300 acre estate that has been growing grapes in the Okanagan Valley and Similkameen Valley since 1968. They started producing their own wine in 2001. The Vineyards are located in the West Kelowna mountain range.
Today, they produce a variety of white, red wines and two Ice-Wines: A Merlot and Zweigelt. The 2013 Merlot won Gold at the Okanagan Life Best of BC award. Bottles start at $49.99 CAD ($38 USD).
Sperling Vidal
Sperling is a family owned vineyard going back four generations. The Sperling family settled near Kelowna in the Okanagan in the 1860s and began producing wine commercially in the 1930s. The 2015 Vidal Ice-Wine won silver at the Intervin International Wine awards in 2017 and retails from $55 CAD ($42 USD).
Ice-Wine Resources
Where to Buy Ice-Wine
The best way to pick up Ice-Wine is directly from the Vineyards in the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia, or Niagara Valley in Southern Ontario. The Vineyards are usually open during the busy summer months and typically offer wine tastings and may even offer tours of the estates. Call in advance or check online for their hours of operation.
If you don’t have time to stop into a vineyard, I recommend stopping by BC Liquor Stores in British Columbia, or the LCBO in Ontario. The largest stores will carry a nice selection of local Ice-Wines. At least this way you can ask questions to the staff, some stores even offer tastings, and get a good recommendation for your tastes.
Another option is to purchase ice-wine online or at the airport. I would consider this a last resort since you probably won’t have the chance to taste or view the wine beforehand. A few good websites are:
More Info for Travel to Canada
For your pre-trip downtime, check out our List of Recommended Books, Movies and Podcasts all featuring Canada! Lastly, I recommend picking up a Prepaid SIM Card for your own hotspot device or mobile phone. You can order in advance on our Tallypack Store and have delivered to your hotel upon your arrival!
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