Eiswein

Eiswein, known in English as ice wine, belongs to the sweet dessert wines crafted from grapes left to freeze naturally on the vine, then hand-picked and pressed while still frozen so that ice crystals remain in the press and only concentrated juice flows. The resulting must is exceptionally rich in sugars, acids, and aroma compounds, and the naturally high acidity keeps the intense sweetness fresh and balanced through long aging. Production centers on Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Canada, where reliable winter frosts arrive before rot can take hold, making each vintage a gamble that commands premium prices. Traditional regulations set minimum must weights and prohibit artificial freezing or chaptalization, preserving the wine’s hard-won authenticity.