How is Eiswein produced?

• A. Ice wine; grapes are frozen on the vine and pressed while frozen, concentrating sugars.
• B. Sparkling wine produced by second fermentation in bottle.
• C. A dessert wine produced from botrytized berries.
• D. Wine made from raisins on the vine.

Answer: (A)

Eiswein is made by picking grapes that are naturally frozen on the vine and pressing them while still frozen. The freezing concentrates the sugars and flavors because water in the grapes is locked up as ice and remains behind in the press, leaving a very sweet, highly flavored must with high acidity. This combination of high sugar and bright acidity yields a distinct, dessert-style wine.

The other described methods produce different styles: second fermentation in the bottle creates traditional sparkling wines; botrytized berries yield noble-rot dessert wines with honeyed, oxidative character; drying grapes on the vine concentrates sugars in a raisin or passito style, which is a different technique and flavor profile.