Ontario icewine guide: how it's made, best producers in Niagara and Prince Edward County, tasting notes, food pairings, and where to buy.

Ontario Icewine: What It Is, Where to Try It and Best Producers

Quick answer

What is Ontario icewine?

Icewine is a dessert wine made from grapes that have frozen naturally on the vine at -8°C or colder, then pressed while still frozen. Ontario produces more icewine than any other region in the world — Niagara and Prince Edward County are the main producing areas. A half-bottle runs CAD $30-100+.

Ontario is the world’s largest icewine-producing region — larger than Germany, Austria, and every other producer combined. The province produces roughly 80% of the world’s icewine by volume, most of it from Niagara Peninsula vineyards, with an increasing contribution from Prince Edward County. For international visitors, icewine is one of the few genuinely distinctive Canadian products — a wine style that requires the specific winter conditions of eastern Canada (or a handful of equivalent northern latitudes) and that cannot be easily replicated elsewhere. This guide explains what icewine is, how it is made, the best producers, food pairings, where to try it, and the prices you should expect.

For related guides, see Ontario wine regions, Niagara wineries guide, Prince Edward County wineries, and the Niagara Icewine Festival.

What is icewine?

Icewine (also written as “ice wine” or, in German, Eiswein) is a dessert wine made from grapes that have frozen naturally on the vine. The key word is “naturally” — in Ontario and Canada, the grapes must freeze on the vine at -8°C or colder; grapes that are picked unfrozen and then frozen in freezers produce a different style called “iced wine” or “frozen grape wine” that cannot legally be sold as icewine in Canada.

Once the grapes have frozen at -8°C or colder, they are hand-picked — almost always in the middle of the night, when temperatures are lowest — and pressed while still frozen. The water in the grapes remains frozen as crystals; only the concentrated sugars, acids, and flavour compounds flow out as a thick, intensely sweet juice. This juice is then fermented slowly (fermentation is slow because of the high sugar content) into wine.

The result is a wine with extraordinarily high sugar content (typically 200-300 grams per litre residual sugar, compared to 5-20 grams in standard wines), high acidity (which balances the sweetness), and intense concentrated fruit flavours. A properly made icewine has the texture of light syrup, the sweetness of a dessert, and the acidity to keep it from becoming cloying.

Yield and pricing

Icewine production is extremely inefficient. A vine that produces 2-3 bottles of standard wine typically produces less than a half-bottle of icewine — the frozen water in the grapes is discarded, and the concentrated juice volume is 15-25% of what unfrozen grapes would yield. Combined with the labour of night harvest, careful hand-picking of frozen berries, and the risk of losing the crop to birds, deer, or early thaw, icewine production costs are genuinely high.

Typical prices:

  • 200ml half-bottle Vidal icewine: CAD $30-50
  • 200ml half-bottle Riesling icewine: CAD $50-100
  • 200ml half-bottle Cabernet Franc or Chardonnay icewine: CAD $70-150
  • Premium single-vineyard releases: CAD $100-250+

Full 375ml bottles roughly double these prices. Icewine is served in small pours (50ml is standard).

Grape varieties used

Vidal is the workhorse grape of Ontario icewine — a hybrid variety originally developed for hardy cold-climate viticulture. Vidal holds up to the freezing and harvesting process particularly well (thick skins) and produces approachable icewines with tropical fruit, honey, and apricot notes. Most Ontario icewines you will see start here.

Riesling produces the most internationally acclaimed Ontario icewines — wines with tension, acidity, and extraordinary aromatic complexity. Riesling icewine is harder to produce (thinner skins; lower yield) and prices reflect this. Peller Estates, Henry of Pelham, and Cave Spring are notable Riesling icewine producers.

Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon produce red icewines — rare, expensive, and polarising. These icewines have bright red berry flavours with structure from the tannins; they pair differently than the white icewines (better with cheese and meat courses than desserts).

Chardonnay icewines are increasingly important, particularly from Prince Edward County and select Niagara producers.

Gewürztraminer icewines (rare) offer a distinct lychee-and-rose character.

Best producers

Inniskillin Niagara (Niagara-on-the-Lake): The pioneer. Inniskillin’s Vidal Icewine won the 1991 Vinexpo Grand Prix d’Honneur in France — the moment that put Canadian icewine on the global map. Inniskillin’s range covers all the major icewine styles at reliable quality; the entry-level Vidal is the best first icewine for a curious drinker.

Peller Estates (Niagara-on-the-Lake): The Signature Series Riesling Icewine is arguably the finest Riesling icewine produced in Ontario. The winery’s tasting experience includes an underground cellar kept at -10°C where you taste icewine while wearing parkas — a genuine experience worth the visit.

Jackson-Triggs Niagara Estate: Major producer; the Delaine Vineyard Riesling Icewine is consistently excellent and reasonably priced.

Henry of Pelham (Twenty Valley): Riesling-focused estate; excellent value across the icewine range.

Cave Spring Cellars (Twenty Valley): Another serious Riesling producer; their Riesling Icewine CSV (Cave Spring Vineyard) is a reference point.

Pillitteri Estates Winery (Niagara-on-the-Lake): The world’s largest estate producer of icewine; family-run, with an unusually wide range including varietal icewines you won’t find elsewhere.

Reif Estate Winery (Niagara-on-the-Lake): Smaller family operation; their Vidal icewine is excellent value.

Tawse Winery (Twenty Valley): Biodynamic; their icewines (Riesling and Cabernet Franc) are among the most refined in Ontario.

Stratus Vineyards (Niagara-on-the-Lake): Known for blended wines and their distinctive Cabernet Franc Icewine.

Food pairings

Icewine is a versatile food wine, despite being sweet. Classic pairings:

  • Foie gras: The canonical pairing; the richness of foie gras is cut by icewine’s acidity, and the sweetness complements the savoury fat.
  • Strong blue cheese: Roquefort, Stilton, or Canadian blue cheese (Bleu Benedictin) — the sweetness of icewine counterpoints the salinity and sharpness of strong blues.
  • Fruit tarts: Apricot, peach, or apple tarts are ideal.
  • Caramel-based desserts: Salted caramel, crème brûlée, tarte tatin.
  • Cheese plates with dried fruit and nuts.
  • Seared scallops with ginger: A Niagara chef tradition.
  • Spicy Asian cuisine: Icewine’s sweetness balances spice heat effectively; a surprising pairing that works.

Temperature: Serve icewine chilled but not ice cold — 8-10°C is ideal. Too cold and the aromatics close down; too warm and the sweetness dominates.

Glassware: Small wine glasses (traditional port or sherry glasses work) or small white wine glasses. The pour should be 50ml — you are not drinking icewine as you would a table wine.

Where to try and buy icewine

At the wineries: Most Niagara and Prince Edward County wineries offer icewine tastings as part of their regular flights. Tasting fees typically include an icewine pour; dedicated icewine tasting flights are available at the major producers.

At the LCBO: Ontario’s provincial liquor monopoly stocks a broad selection of Ontario icewines at all sizes. The LCBO Vintages section includes the premium releases.

At the Pearson Airport: The Duty-Free shops at Toronto Pearson Airport stock icewine — convenient for international visitors departing Canada who want to bring bottles home.

At Nova Scotia, BC and Quebec icewine operations: Limited icewine production exists in other Canadian regions. Ontario is still the main producer.

The Icewine Festival

The Niagara Icewine Festival runs across three weekends in January each year — the primary public event for icewine in Ontario. Outdoor wine-and-food pairings at Jordan Village, winery tastings, and chef dinners. See the full Icewine Festival guide for dates and planning.

Icewine vs Late Harvest wines

A note on terminology. Not all sweet Ontario wines are icewine:

  • Icewine (VQA): Grapes frozen on the vine at -8°C or colder; pressed frozen. Highest production cost.
  • Select Late Harvest: Grapes harvested late but not necessarily frozen; may have some botrytis (noble rot). Sweet but not technically icewine.
  • Special Select Late Harvest: Higher sugar than late harvest; partially frozen grapes possible.
  • Iced wine / Frozen grape wine: Grapes frozen after harvest in commercial freezers. Not legally icewine in Canada.

Look for the VQA Ontario Icewine designation — this guarantees the wine meets the traditional production standards.

International context

Germany and Austria are the historic icewine producers — the tradition traces to 1794 Franconia. Canadian icewine production began in the Niagara region in 1983 (Paul Bosc of Chateau des Charmes and Karl Kaiser of Inniskillin are both credited). Canadian winters are consistently cold enough that Canadian producers can make icewine virtually every year; German producers cannot. This reliable production is why Canada now dominates the global market.

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