Inniskillin Riesling Icewine 375ML

Inniskillin Riesling Icewine 375ML is a Canadian dessert wine made from 100% Riesling grapes frozen naturally on the vine, bottled at 9.5% ABV in a 375ml half-bottle. Awarded 96 points by Wine Enthusiast and named #65 in its Top 100 Cellar Selections 2023, this icewine stands among the most critically acclaimed dessert wines produced in Canada.

Quick Facts: ABV: 9.5%  |  Origin: Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada  |  100% Riesling Icewine  |  Winery: Inniskillin, Niagara-on-the-Lake

Production & Heritage

Inniskillin, founded in 1975 in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, holds a pivotal place in Canadian wine history as the first estate winery licensed in the province since Prohibition. The Riesling Icewine is produced under strict VQA (Vintners Quality Alliance) regulation: grapes must reach a minimum 35° Brix sugar concentration and are harvested only when temperatures fall to −8°C or below, with VQA inspectors monitoring continuously to ensure compliance. The juice is pressed from the still-frozen grapes, yielding minute quantities of intensely concentrated liquid that ferments unoaked, preserving the Riesling grape's signature acidity. The finished wine carries approximately 219 grams per litre of residual sugar balanced against 10.2 g/L of total acidity — a tension that defines its character.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: The nose opens with bright lemon and lime zest before expanding into layers of tropical peach, dried apricot, and honeycomb. Underneath, delicate notes of candied ginger and honeysuckle add complexity.

Taste: The entry is immediately lush, with concentrated apricot jam and poached peach flooding the palate. At mid-palate, pineapple, mango, and lemon drop flavors emerge alongside candied orange peel and warm baking spice. Electric acidity surges through the sweetness, keeping each sip taut and focused rather than cloying.

Finish: Long and persistent, with lingering notes of kumquat, toasted walnut, and a thread of ginger-spiced honey. The acidity carries through to the very end, leaving the palate clean despite the wine's remarkable concentration.

How to Drink Inniskillin Riesling Icewine

Serve well chilled, between 8–10°C (46–50°F), in a small tulip-shaped glass that concentrates the aromatics. This icewine is most rewarding on its own as a dessert course or alongside food. For cocktail applications, it brings extraordinary depth to an Icewine Bellini, where its viscous sweetness and acidity replace prosecco's role with dramatic effect. An Icewine Spritz — icewine over ice topped with sparkling water and a citrus twist — makes a refreshing warm-weather aperitif. It also shines in an Icewine Martini, shaken with premium vodka, where the residual sugar and acid create a balanced, silky cocktail without added syrups.

Best For

• Gifting a wine collector or enthusiast who values critically acclaimed producers
• Concluding a formal dinner party with a show-stopping dessert wine
• Pairing with a holiday cheese course featuring aged blue or soft triple-cream varieties
• Adding a distinctive Canadian luxury wine to a curated cellar

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Inniskillin Riesling Icewine taste like? It delivers concentrated apricot jam, peach, mango, and lemon drop flavors woven with candied orange peel and warm spice. High acidity balances the intense sweetness, keeping the palate clean and vibrant rather than heavy.

How does Inniskillin Riesling Icewine compare to Jackson-Triggs Vidal Icewine Reserve? The key difference is the grape variety: Inniskillin uses 100% Riesling, which contributes a more pronounced, piercing acidity and citrus-driven aromatic profile, while Jackson-Triggs uses Vidal, a French hybrid that tends toward rounder mango and peach preserve sweetness. Inniskillin's Riesling expression generally shows more tension between sugar and acid, a quality reflected in its 96-point Wine Enthusiast rating.

Is Inniskillin Riesling Icewine good for sipping neat? Absolutely — it is designed primarily as a sipping dessert wine, and its balance of 219 g/L residual sugar against 10.2 g/L total acidity makes it one of the most structured and drinkable icewines available. Serve it chilled in small pours of 2–3 ounces.

Where is Inniskillin Riesling Icewine made? It is produced by Inniskillin at their estate winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada, within the Niagara Peninsula — one of the world's premier icewine-producing regions due to its reliable winter freezes and temperate growing seasons.

What foods pair well with Inniskillin Riesling Icewine? Aged blue cheese like Roquefort or Stilton, where the wine's sweetness counters the salt; foie gras or duck liver pâté, which mirrors the wine's richness; crème brûlée or fruit tarts, where the acidity cuts through custard; fresh stone fruits like peaches or apricots that echo the wine's core flavors; and spiced desserts like gingerbread or pumpkin pie that complement its warm spice notes.

What sizes does Inniskillin Riesling Icewine come in? The standard format is a 375ml half-bottle, which is the industry-standard size for icewine due to the extremely low grape yields required in production.

Is Inniskillin Riesling Icewine worth the price? Inniskillin positions as a premium icewine producer, and the price reflects the inherently labor-intensive, low-yield harvest required — it can take an entire vine's crop to fill a single 375ml bottle. With a 96-point Wine Enthusiast score and consistent critical acclaim across major publications, it represents strong value within the upper tier of Canadian icewine.

Why Inniskillin Riesling Icewine?

What separates this bottling from the broader icewine category is the use of Riesling rather than the more common Vidal grape. Riesling's naturally high acidity creates a wire of tension against the extreme residual sugar, resulting in a dessert wine that tastes alive rather than simply sweet. Scoring 96 points from Wine Enthusiast, 94 points from both Wine Spectator and Wine Advocate, and earning a place on the Top 100 Cellar Selections list, it has been validated across every major wine publication. For anyone serious about icewine, this is the benchmark Riesling expression from the producer that put Canadian icewine on the world stage.