Wollersheim Winery & Distillery harvests frozen grapes for Ice Wine

PRAIRIE DU SAC, Wis. (WMTV) - Earlier this week, a local winery harvested over 2,900 pounds of frozen grapes to produce a Wisconsin delicacy: Ice Wine.

Over 40 people showed up for the harvest at Wollersheim Winery & Distillery Sunday morning.

“A special thank you goes out to all our friends, family, and staff,” Wollersheim’s Winemaker Philippe Coquard said. “It was a very heartwarming feeling to see so many people willing to help.”

Wollersheim Winery said ice wine is a unique dessert wine that is produced from grapes that were frozen while they were still on the vine. Part of Wollersheim’s vineyard is set aside for this purpose each fall. The grapes are then picked when the temperatures fall between 10 and 12 degrees and the water inside the fruit is completely frozen.

Winemakers say while the water in the grapes freezes, the sugars don’t, which creates a highly concentrated juice from the pressed frozen grapes. When the juice is fermented, it produces a sweet wine that is like liquid honey.

Wollersheim Winery & Distillery has been making Ice Wine since 2004 from the St. Pepin grapes on the estate.

“St. Pepin has shown itself to be such a versatile wine grape for us, all while withstanding the various climate extremes Wisconsin has to offer,” Wollersheim’s Enologist Celine Coquard said.

Wollersheim says the dessert wine pairs well with cheesecake, pecans or your favorite dessert. It can be aged for up to 15 years or more if properly stored.

The 2021 Ice Wine is currently available at the winery in Prairie du Sac or online at Wollersheim.com.

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