Upgrade a Party with Unique Quebec Ice Wine

Are you throwing a fancy party for your new coworkers? Or maybe your distinguished in-laws? Maybe you would like to bring something new and unique to the table? Quebec Ice Wine is likely what you are looking for.  Offered in fancy bottles, the yellowish syrupy liquid almost looks like melted gold, a perfect accessory to impress guests!  Although Quebec is not the only producer of ice wine, the province is well-known for its harsh winters, making it a perfect location for this type of wine. 

I am all about food and booze and these are always my top priorities on vacations. Therefore, I am always into finding new foods and alcohol to diversify my tastes and experiences.  Ice wine is something unique that we do not drink frequently but enjoy during fancy dinners with friends and family. 

What is Ice Wine?

First and foremost, let’s talk about what ice wine is. As mentioned earlier, Quebec is not the only producer of ice wine, but likely the best location to proceed. Two ingredients are needed for a good ice wine: vines and winter, or at least cold. 

The Making of Ice Wine

Ice wine is made of grapes that suffered from the cold; it needs to freeze.  Let’s have a chemistry 101 lesson here. Cellulose, several minerals, water, and sugar are the main components of the fruits. However, we are mostly interested in the second half, as these two components will be responsible for the taste.  Pure water freezes at 0ᵒC.  As the temperature decreases, pure water will start to freeze, leaving a highly concentrated grape juice.  Once the grapes have had a good frost, the winegrower will extract this super sweet concentrated grape juice, leaving the ice water crystals behind by a process named cryoextraction. Ice Wine Vines result in less wine than a vine would typically give due to a portion of the liquid being left behind. Therefore, ice wine is generally more expensive than regular white wine.

The winemaker who decides to produce ice wine takes a considerable risk. Moreover, if the climate is some kind of warm, where cold can arrive late in the season or not at all, the grapes might rot on the vine before they are ripe for harvest. 

As a matter of fact, the longer you wait to harvest the grapes, to more at risk your grapes are. Nevertheless, Quebec’s intense cold weather is usually fairly early in the season, meaning that grapes generally freeze sooner than they would in the Okanagan Valley or Niagara Falls.  Quebec’s vines face another risk though. Grapes need to be harvested before the snow starts falling. Therefore, the harvest will generally take place somewhere in November. As a result, the winemaker will be able to protect the vines before snowstorms. The grapes are collected by hand to make sure the harvest does not damage the vine. 

Types of Ice Wines and Quebec Ice Wine Vineyards

There are a few types of Ice Wine on the market, and they generally differ from the region they are from. Germany, Austria, and Canada are the most well-known producers. To generate Ice Wine, winemakers use several grape varieties. Germans will typically focus on the Riesling type of grapes. However, for the sake of this post, let’s focus on Ice Wines made in Quebec. 

Quebec contains several vineyards known for its Ice Wines. Not only can you find regular ice wine in Quebec, but ice apple cider as well. Ice Apple Cider, obtained by a similar process uses apples instead of grapes. Since there are multiple orchards in Quebec, we have the opportunity to get delicious ice apple cider, and the French name is just so romantic: Cidre de glace. 

Most popular Quebec Ice Wine Vineyards

• Vignoble L’orpailleur
• Vignoble le Mitan
• Vignoble la Rivière du Chêne
• Vignoble Gagliano
• Vignoble le Marathonien

Most popular Ice Apple Cider Orchard

• Domaine Neige
• Domaine Pinnacle
• Coteau Rougement
• Domaine Cartier-Potelle
• Michel Jodoin

The Taste of Ice Wine

As we remember, the grape concentrate gets super sweet because of the water freezing.  If you have ever tried to freeze grapes or blueberries, you know what I mean (take note: it is a super snack for summer). Therefore, with this super sugary concentrate, we make super sweet wine, around 35 Brix, (between 180 and 190 g/l on average) as opposed to an Albert Bichot Chablis, which is around 2.1 g/l. Best served after dinner, Quebec Ice Wine makes a perfect dessert. Ice apple cider, as well as Quebec Ice Wine, is sweet, so sweet it is almost syrupy. 

The alcohol concentration is not very high, although the Canadian Ice Wine tends to show a higher alcohol concentration than European ice wine, as high as 13% for some varieties. 

Wine Pairing

As mentioned earlier, Ice Wines are also known as dessert wines.  This appellation is there for a reason. Such a sweet wine does not pair well with a heavy beef roast, for instance. These wines are best drank like fortified wine, during dessert, or even as a dessert.  The wine is so sweet, drinking ice wine with a chocolate cake is definitely overbearing.  You would not drink maple syrup with a red velvet cake now, would you? 

These wines, as stated in the name, has to be served ice-chilled. If not, the sugar takes over, and it is just too much. My personal favorite is to pair it with a plate of cheese and charcuterie. The combination of sweet and salty makes a complex taste and offers something unique at the end of a meal. 

Quebec ice wine is interesting drank with a couple of friends or family, not only because it makes a discovery more enjoyable, but also because of one glass of ice wine is generally enough for one person to appreciate. Do not plan on getting tipsy with ice wine. You will wish you were never born! 

In conclusion, Quebec Ice Wines are a local product that is well worth discovering on special occasions.  Paired with a fancy plate of cheese or with a light and airy dessert; your final course will impress your guests for sure! 

Interested in learning more about Canadian wines? Check out the best wine regions in Canada!

About the Cheeky Knot Lady: Audrey!

Special thanks to Audrey Bonin from The Cheeky Knot Lady for writing this article!

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