MADISON TOWNSHIP – Throughout March, wineries in the Grand River Valley winemaking region will be hosting the 2026 Ice Wine Festival by opening their 2024 vintages for visitors to sample and offering paired appetizers, music, entertainment and showcasing local vendors.
Cindy Lindberg, president of the Wine Growers of the Grand River Valley, said the six participating wineries will showcase ice wines, pressed from grapes left on the vine until winter temperatures drop below 17 degrees, then harvested and pressed while frozen to create sweet, rich dessert wines.
This year’s festival features six wineries offering ice wine tastings and one distillery debuting a signature ice wine cocktail. Locations have also expanded their menus to include specialty cocktails created for the festival.
Guests can explore a range of specialty ice wine expressions, according to Lindberg.
These cocktails are fortified with another product to give it a different flavor, such as a maple ice wine made with real maple syrup at Grand River Cellars, an espresso ice wine at Cask 307 – made in partnership with Scribblers Coffee Co. in Geneva, a cherry bourbon ice wine at Debonné Vineyards and a habanero ice wine available at Laurello Vineyards.
A $10 per-person admission includes two samples of ice wine, a paired appetizer unique to each winery and a logo glass to keep as a memento, according to Lindberg. Each location will also host vendors and feature live music and entertainment on Festival Saturdays.
Ice wine is a dessert wine made from grapes that have been left on the vine during fall harvest and allowed to go through a freeze at 17 degrees Fahrenheit. This locks up the water inside the grape so that, when they’re put under pressure, what’s extracted is a concentrated juice with a high sugar content, high acidity and what fans say is a more complex flavor.
Grapes pressed for ice wine are traditionally vidal blanc, which already yields a sweet white wine under normal pressings. Some vineyards use chambourcin, which typically yields a dry, medium-bodied red wine. Gene Sigel of South River Vineyards produces a blush ice wine as well, according to Lindberg.
Typical table wines have around 20 percent residual sugar, whereas ice wine sits at around 40 percent. The wine is typically taken in smaller portions and sold in smaller, 375 milliliter bottles, sold at around $35-40 a bottle.
It’s also a low yield proposition – a ton of grapes harvested in the autumn for table wine yields around 175 gallons of fresh juice. The ice wine pressing yields 35 gallons per ton. There’s also a significant amount of risk involved in leaving a substantial portion of the harvest on the vine in the hope it will get cold enough to press ice wine.
“You have the risk of the grapes rotting on the vine, which is why it’s so expensive – because it’s such as risk,” Lindberg said. “Ice wine can only be grown in a few parts of the world, and we’re one of them.”
The Ice Wine Festival runs daily in March, with tastings available from 12-5 p.m., though hours vary by location.
Participating businesses include Debonné Vineyards, Grand River Cellars Winery & Restaurant, Laurello Vineyards, Cask 307 Winery, South River Vineyards, Ferrante Winery & Ristorante and Red Eagle Distillery.
This year’s theme, “Stay & Play,” highlights a full calendar of winery events such as live music, music bingo, opera night, specialty tastings and dinners and Sunday brunches. Area hotels also offer overnight packages with special midweek rates, according to a WGGRV press release.
A $5 designated driver ticket is available and includes a nonalcoholic beverage and appetizer.
While ice wine is available year-round, the Ice Wine Festival is very popular, bringing in locals, as well as visitors from surrounding communities and neighboring states, according to Lindberg.
“It’s because it can only be done in a few parts of the world, so it’s something to celebrate when we do it,” she said.
For event details, hours and participating winery information, visit www.wggrv.com.`
