# Ice Wine
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-wine/539918
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Tags:** wine
**Created:** [May 18, 2010, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-wine/539918 "2010-05-18T18:18:59Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2010, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-wine/539918/1 "2010-05-18T18:18:59Z")
My ex bought a bottle of this very expensive ice wine about 5 years ago. Since then, it’s been sitting in my fridge. Last week, my mother was visiting and decided to clean out the fridge. She noticed the bottle in the fridge during her last few visits. This time, she assumed it must be some old cooking wine and left it on the counter to throw out. I saw it and told her that it’s apparently a good ice wine. It must have been out of the fridge for 12 hours or so. I just stuck it back in the fridge, but now am wondering if it will still be good.
I don’t drink wine of any kind because it gives me a headache, so I won’t be the one to test it.
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### Author:  [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2010, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-wine/539918/2 "2010-05-18T18:44:29Z")
If it was good before it came out of the fridge, I doubt that 12 hrs at room temp would be a problem.
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### Author:  [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2010, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-wine/539918/3 "2010-05-18T18:57:53Z")
> [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#):
>
> My ex bought a bottle of this very expensive ice wine about 5 years ago. Since then, it’s been sitting in my fridge. Last week, my mother was visiting and decided to clean out the fridge. She noticed the bottle in the fridge during her last few visits. This time, she assumed it must be some old cooking wine and left it on the counter to throw out. I saw it and told her that it’s apparently a good ice wine. It must have been out of the fridge for 12 hours or so. I just stuck it back in the fridge, but now am wondering if it will still be good.
>
> I don’t drink wine of any kind because it gives me a headache, so I won’t be the one to test it.
It should still be fine. Make sure its laying on its side to keep the cork wet. Is it German _eiswein_ or Canadian"ice wine"?
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### Author:  [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2010, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-wine/539918/4 "2010-05-18T19:22:33Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#):
>
> It should still be fine. Make sure its laying on its side to keep the cork wet. Is it German _eiswein_ or Canadian"ice wine"?
Canadian. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been on its side all these years. The bottle is inside a wooden container that hasn’t been opened. Is it too late to put it on its side?
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### Author:  [@Fang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fang)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2010, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-wine/539918/5 "2010-05-18T19:26:18Z")
It should be fine. Is it a plastic cork (common in Canadian ice wines)? If so keeping it on the side shouldn’t make a difference.
Since it is a bit on the old side, it may be [maderized](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maderisation), which will be different than the natural flavor but still tasty of you like wines like sherry or Tokaj.
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### Author:  [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2010, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-wine/539918/6 "2010-05-18T19:35:39Z")
Is anybody ever going to drink it? That’s the only way to know for sure.
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### Author:  [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2010, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-wine/539918/7 "2010-05-18T19:43:23Z")
I don’t think that ice wine needs to be stored at a particularly cold temperature. Refrigerator temperature is perhaps better than room temperature for wine storage, but any benefit conferred by the colder temperature will probably be offset by the vibration produced when the motor is running.
Also note that most ice wine isn’t designed for long storage. My suggestion would be to free up the space in your fridge by opening that bottle the next time you have a nice dinner with friends or family.
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### Author:  [@phreesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phreesh)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2010, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-wine/539918/8 "2010-05-18T20:45:50Z")
If you’re unfamiliar with ice wines, they’re meant to be sipped and are VERY sweet. Best with a dessert of some kind.
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### Author:  [@hellpaso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hellpaso)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2010, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-wine/539918/9 "2010-05-18T20:57:01Z")
And the “ice” in the title means the grapes the wine was made from were frozen. What do you consider “very expensive”?
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### Author:  [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2010, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-wine/539918/10 "2010-05-18T21:35:40Z")
Is ice wine supposed to age well? Once I kept a bottle for 2 years before drinking it, and that wine was much better when it was new. So I’m wondering whether the bottle was still any good to begin with.
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### Author:  [@psycat90](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psycat90)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2010, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-wine/539918/11 "2010-05-18T21:53:20Z")
Being out of the fridge for 12 hours won’t hurt it. Being in the fridge for 5 would, though.
The constant vibration may have adversely affected it, but being stored upright in a low humidity environment will have certainly caused the cork to shrink.
It may very well be oxidized. It won’t be maderized, since it obviously has not been exposed to heat in the fridge.
The high sugar content does allow an ice wine to last for up to 8, 9, 10 years. But I think they reach their peak at about 2 or 3. Much more vibrant acidity and fruit when they are young, which makes them the treat they are.
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### Author:  [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2010, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-wine/539918/12 "2010-05-18T22:02:24Z")
Ice wine. Is that anything like Instant Water? I’m trying to figure out what you ferment to make it.
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### Author:  [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2010, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-wine/539918/13 "2010-05-18T22:12:52Z")
> [@Musicat](#):
>
> Ice wine. Is that anything like Instant Water? I’m trying to figure out what you ferment to make it.
The grapes are frozen when harvested and pressed, which removes a great portion of the water in the fruit, thus concentrating the intensity of flavor in the finished wine. They often have pretty low alcohol content because there’s more sugar in the juice than yeast can ferment, hence the super sweetness.
They are expensive wines because of their labor-intensiveness and narrow time window of opportunity for harvest/pressing.
ETA and low yields and production, making them scarcer
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### Author:  [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2010, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-wine/539918/14 "2010-05-18T22:18:40Z")
> [@cjepson](#):
>
> I don’t think that ice wine needs to be stored at a particularly cold temperature. Refrigerator temperature is perhaps better than room temperature for wine storage, but any benefit conferred by the colder temperature will probably be offset by the vibration produced when the motor is running.
>
> Also note that most ice wine isn’t designed for long storage. My suggestion would be to free up the space in your fridge by opening that bottle the next time you have a nice dinner with friends or family.
Cold temperatures in a refrigerator are more desirable for _all_ wine storage in lieu of a proper cellar. Vibration isn’t much of an issue with modern appliances as they don’t produce much of it.
Ice wines can also certainly be stored for long periods of time and develop tertiary qualities that add complexity to the wine, due to an ice wine’s high sugar content which acts as a preservative.
That said, I want the OP to go on ahead and crack that puppy open, drink it with some Stilton bleu and some salty high-quality nuts with some dried fruit and report back with a lengthy tasting note!
🙂
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### Author:  [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)
#### Post date: [May 19, 2010, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-wine/539918/15 "2010-05-19T15:24:17Z")
I’ll crack it open this weekend and report back. Someone asked how expensive, and I have no idea. My ex just told me it was expensive and of good quality. She’s Canadian and has experience drinking ice wines.
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### Author:  [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)
#### Post date: [May 19, 2010, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-wine/539918/16 "2010-05-19T19:35:18Z")
> [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#):
>
> I’ll crack it open this weekend and report back. Someone asked how expensive, and I have no idea. My ex just told me it was expensive and of good quality. She’s Canadian and has experience drinking ice wines.
Awesome, can’t wait to hear about it. My days of sampling great wines and food have ground to a standstill due to my budget restrictions (read: children).
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### Author:  [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)
#### Post date: [May 19, 2010, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-wine/539918/17 "2010-05-19T20:11:20Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#):
>
> Awesome, can’t wait to hear about it. My days of sampling great wines and food have ground to a standstill due to my budget restrictions (read: children).
Actually, before I do this I have a question. Even a half glass of any wine gives me a headache. A full glass causes a huge one. I can drink beer/vodka/whiskey without any problem. Would ice wine also give me a headache? If so, I may have to reconsider drinking it. If I happen to get together with friends, I will definitely have them drink it.
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### Author:  [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)
#### Post date: [May 19, 2010, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-wine/539918/18 "2010-05-19T21:20:04Z")
You’ll probably only want to drink a cordial-glass worth of the wine. As a dessert wine it’s meant to be consumed in small quantities.
I tend to get headaches from sweet wines, but just a cordial glass full of ice wine doesn’t give me problems.
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### Author:  [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)
#### Post date: [May 19, 2010, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-wine/539918/19 "2010-05-19T21:22:18Z")
Most people get headaches from the tannins in wine; there are more tannins in reds than whites in general. Icewine is still wine, and so also contains tannins. They are also very sweet wines, and so I recommend sharing with friends since most people don’t enjoy more than a small glass or two.
Which icewine is it? Is it a red or a white? The red ones are generally more expensive since apparently it’s harder to keep those grapes on the vine long enough. Another reason for the high cost is the harvesting; the grapes have to be harvested by hand rather than mechanically since they are so fragile. They are also often harvested at night, when the temperature is more ideal and stable. Back when I lived in the Niagara region, the local weather predictions would often include overnight low temperature estimates with commentary on whether the icewine harvest would be good that year.
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### Author:  [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)
#### Post date: [May 20, 2010, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-wine/539918/20 "2010-05-20T15:52:23Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#):
>
> The grapes are frozen when harvested and pressed, which removes a great portion of the water in the fruit, thus concentrating the intensity of flavor in the finished wine. They often have pretty low alcohol content because there’s more sugar in the juice than yeast can ferment, hence the super sweetness.
In beer & cider production, it’s possible to end up with beers that are VERY high in alcohol, but still sweet, but not due to “too much sugar to ferment, leading to LOW alcohol content.” Yeast will ferment out all the sugars they can, until the alcohol content kills them. Some yeasts are developed to very high alcohol tolerances.
Fermentation in wine (or beer, that will be artificially carbonated), can be stopped by chemical means, resulting in residual sugars that sweeten the wine. It can also be sweet due to unfermentable sugars (lactose is a very common one in cider production).
In the end, if it’s low in alcohol content, it’s because fermentation was stopped, or the yeast died early, not because there was “too much sugar to ferment properly” at the start.