In the production of icewine, the grapes must freeze prior to fermentation and they must be clean of any mold or fungus, unlike other dessert wines such as Sauternes, Tokaji, or Trockenbeerenauslese (please see blog posted on 11/10/2007 for more on "noble rot" and "botrytis").  The residual sugar content in icewine ranges from about 180 grams per liter to 320 grams per liter.  However, this style is meant to be refreshing, not cloying, since the sweetness is balanced by the acidity (which is usually above 10 grams per liter). 

Natural icewines require a hard freeze (by law in Canada a minimum of -8 C [17 F] and in Germany a minimum of -7 C [19 F]) to occur sometime after the grapes are ripe, which means that the grapes may hang on the vines for several months following the normal harvest.  If a freeze does not come quickly enough, the grapes may rot and the crop is lost.  If the freeze is too severe, no juice can be extracted. 

The most well known producing countries for this style of wines are Germany, Canada, and Austria.  There are also some good exapmles made in the US (especially New York State). Lesser known icewine producing regions include: Croatia, Czech Republic, Italy, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Australia, France, New Zealand, and Israel. 

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