Inniskillin 2023 Niagara Estate Cabernet Franc Icewine VQA 375ml

In 1991,Inniskillin arrived at Vinexpo — theworld's largest wine trade fair,held in Bordeaux — carrying their 1989Vidal Icewine and anambition to show the world what Canadacould produce. They leftcarrying the Grand Prix d'Honneur,Vinexpo's highest award. In a singleafternoon, Canadian icewine went froma curious regional specialty to aglobally recognized luxury winecategory. And Inniskillin, founded in1975 by Austrian-bornwinemaker Karl Kaiser and businessmanDonald Ziraldo as the first legalestate winery in Ontario,went from a pioneering local operationto the international face of one ofwine's most genuinely unusual andmost specifically climate-dependentstyles.

The science is simple and theexecution is extraordinarilydemanding. When temperatures in theNiagara Peninsula drop to -8°C or colder — a natural occurrence in this corner of Ontario that can happen anywhere from November to February, but that cannot be predicted or controlled — the frozen grapes on the vine are harvested by hand, often in the early hours of the morning by workers wearing headlamps, pressing frozen fruit immediately to extract anextraordinarily concentrated juice beforethe grapes have any chance to warm anddilute. The water in the grape freezesand remains in the press as ice; theconcentrated sugar, acid, and flavorcompounds flow freely as the mostviscous, the most intensely flavoredgrape juice imaginable. The result,after cold settling, cool slowfermentation, and stainless steelmaturation, is wine that cannot be madeanywhere else in the world the sameway.

The Cabernet FrancIcewine is entirely different fromInniskillin's celebrated Vidal Icewine— not just invariety but in philosophy. The colorcomes from pressing only,with no skin contact duringfermentation, giving it abrilliant pink that carries theCabernet Franc's red fruitcharacter without the tannins andphenolic structure of a conventionalred wine. Harvested at approximately -10°C in2023, the wine received 95 Points fromthe International Wine Challenge in2025: "exquisitely concentrated, withvibrant red raspberry and crushedstrawberry notes — the rich, focusedpalate is perfectly balanced by asubtle leafy character, adding depthand complexity to this exceptionalwine." Wine Enthusiast also awarded 95Points, calling it "a perfect sweet andtart one-two punch." Jammystrawberries, raspberries, and rhubarbon the nose, opening into strawberrygelato, rose petals, guava, and quincepaste. On the palate: strawberry,cherry, raspberry, rhubarb, with sweetpastry richness dancing alongside crèmetones and strong core acidity thatlifts the sweetness into somethinggenuinely and specifically elegant.Canada's greatest contribution to theworld's dessert wine tradition, in the2023 vintage, from the producer whogave it to the world.

Origins & Craftsmanship

Inniskillin was founded in 1975 by Karl Kaiser— an Austrian-born winemaker trained inchemistry and oenology — and DonaldZiraldo, following the granting ofOntario's first estate winery licensesince Prohibition. The partners werespecifically interested in proving thatthe Niagara Peninsula's climate,dismissed by many as too cold forserious viticulture, was in factuniquely suited to producingworld-class wines — and mostspecifically, wines that no warmerclimate on earth could replicate. Thewinery is located on the NiagaraParkway in Niagara-on-the-Lake, in theheart of the Niagara Peninsula betweenLake Ontario and the NiagaraEscarpment.

Icewine production atInniskillin requires VQA Ontariocertification of the harvesttemperature and conditions — the grapesmust be naturally frozen on the vine ata minimum of -8°C before harvesting, aregulatory requirement that preventsany artificial freeze-thawmanipulation. The Cabernet Franc grapesfor the 2023 vintage were harvestedfrom select Niagara Estate vineyards atapproximately -10°C — colder than theVQA minimum, producing an even moreconcentrated juice than the minimumthreshold requires. The frozen grapesare pressed immediately after harvest,with the water remaining as ice inthe press and the concentratedjuice flowing separately — a naturalcryoconcentration process that requiresno artificialintervention. The thick, viscous juice is cold-settled forseven days before racking andinoculation, then fermented at cooltemperatures for approximately 21 days,allowing the glacial fermentation pacerequired by the high sugar levels toproceed without disruption. The wine isfiltered and transferred to stainlesssteel tanks to await bottling.

Crucially, no skin contact occurs duringfermentation — the wine's color comesentirely from the gentle pressing ofthe Cabernet Franc skins, producing thebrilliant, luminous pink thatcharacterizes red icewine without anyof the tannin or phenolic structurethat extended skin contact would add.The earlier the harvest, the darker thecolor and the deeper the flavors — aproduction detail that Inniskillinspecifically uses to manage theexpression's intensity from vintage tovintage.

Critics Reviews

International Wine Challenge 2025 — 95 Points (2023 vintage):
"Exquisitely concentrated, with vibrantred raspberry and crushed strawberrynotes. The rich, focused palate isperfectly balanced by a subtle leafycharacter, adding depth and complexityto this exceptional wine."

Wine Enthusiast — 95 Points:
"Aperfect sweet and tart one-two punch."

Inniskillin official tasting notes:
"This decadent Niagara PeninsulaIcewine shows an abundance of rhubarb,and raspberry aromatics, with plenty offlavours of cherry, and strawberriesand cream. This wine shows a beautifulbalance of richness and acidity."

Matt Steeves, Quercus Vino:
"Rich and refreshing, with incrediblecomplexity and perfect balance, itbursts with layers of brandied cherry,stewed plum and rhubarb, and thesweetest red strawberries you'veever tasted. Luscious with preciseacidity that is the hallmark ofthe finest Canadian Icewines."

Tasting Profile

Nose
Brilliant, luminouspink — the color derivedentirely from pressing, with no skincontact during fermentation, producingone of the most visuallystriking and the most specificallyunusual colors in the dessert winecategory. Jammy strawberries lead thenose with vivid, exuberant redfruit intensity — the CabernetFranc's most immediatelyrecognizable varietal qualitytranslated through the concentratinglens of icewine production intosomething that smells like thepurest distillation of a field ofsun-ripened strawberries. Raspberriesand rhubarb add additionalred fruit dimension. Hints ofstrawberry-rhubarb crumble and guavaadd warm, slightly baked complexity.Rose petals add delicate florallift. White chocolate andvanilla bean add the mostluxurious and the most memorablyindulgent secondary aromatics. As thewine warms in the glass, classicCabernet Franc markers emerge:hints of tobacco leaf and bellpepper adding a specifically savorydimension that no white icewine candeliver.

Palate
Exquisitelyconcentrated — the -10°C harvest's mostdirect palate contribution in anintensity of flavor that isgenuinely unlike any other style ofwine. Vibrant red raspberryand crushed strawberrydominate with joyful, focusedclarity. Cherry and rhubarb adddepth alongside the primarystrawberry character. Sweet pastryrichness dances alongside guavaand crème tones. The strongcore acidity — the hallmark ofthe finest Canadian icewines— lifts the sweetnesscontinuously, preventing theconcentration from becoming cloyingand keeping the wine genuinelyfresh and elegantthroughout. A subtle leafy characteradds depth and complexity, theCabernet Franc's own vegetalcharacter emerging as an integratingsavory counterpoint to thefruit's sweetness.

Finish
Long, sweet, and tart — theIWC's "perfect sweet and tartone-two punch" characterizationconfirmed on the close. Strawberry andraspberry carry through alongside therhubarb's tart complexity. The coreacidity persists, leaving the palategenuinely refreshed rather than cloyed— the quality that makes this icewineexceptional rather than merelysweet.

Quick Overview

Food Pairings

• Dark chocolateand chocolate mousse with berries — themost natural pairing for theconcentrated red fruit sweetness
• Chocolate-covered strawberries — thewine's primary flavor mirrored directly
• Black Forest cake
• Aged cheddar andÉpoisses — the sweet-savory contrast
• Duck breast with cherry sauce
• Rhubarbpie
• Crème brûlée
• On its own as adigestif