Terroir & Craft
Born of frost,
on the Niagara bench
Where Lake Ontario, the Escarpment and the deep Canadian winter conspire to make the world's most concentrated wine.
The place
The Niagara Peninsula
Between Lake Ontario and the limestone spine of the Niagara Escarpment lies a narrow bench of vineyards. The lake moderates the growing season and the Escarpment circulates the air — but it is the reliable, brutal cold of the Canadian winter that makes this one of the only places on earth where icewine can be made, vintage after vintage.
About three-quarters of all Canadian icewine is born here, in Ontario.
The craft
How icewine is made
Netted & waited
Healthy grapes are netted and left on the vine long after the ordinary harvest, deep into winter.
Frozen on the vine
Only when the temperature falls below −8 °C — often −11 to −13 °C — are the grapes hand-picked, frozen solid.
Pressed frozen
Pressed while still frozen, the water stays as ice; only a few drops of intensely concentrated nectar are released.
Slowly fermented
A long, cool fermentation preserves the vivid fruit and racy acidity that balance the natural sweetness.
It takes an entire vine to fill a single glass.
The standard
Guaranteed by the VQA
Every bottle we carry is certified by Canada's Vintners Quality Alliance — the appellation system that governs how icewine is made. Artificial freezing is strictly prohibited; the grapes must freeze naturally on the vine. When you read VQA Niagara Peninsula on the label, you are holding the real thing.
Explore the CollectionThe grapes
Four expressions of the frozen harvest
Thick-skinned and winter-hardy — the flagship icewine grape. Mango, apricot and honey.
Racy and aromatic, with electric acidity. Lime, peach and mineral tension.
Pressed frozen into jewel-red icewine. Strawberry, cherry and rhubarb.
Vidal icewine given a fine, celebratory sparkle — one of the rarest wines on earth.
Distributors of choice
Our portfolio
Two worlds of wine — the sun-soaked vineyards of Italy and the frozen benches of Niagara. Tap any bottle for its tasting notes.