What makes icewine special?

Grapes are picked frozen on the vine

How cold must it be for an official icewine harvest in Canada?

At least minus 8 degrees Celsius

What does a VQA label show?

The wine meets Ontario quality and origin rules

Niagara Wine Country Quiz: Icewine and Lakeshore Vineyards

This Niagara wine country quiz tours the vineyards between Lake Ontario and the Niagara Escarpment. Play 10 interactive questions on the lake's warming effect, how icewine is made, freezing harvest rules, Vidal and Riesling grapes, Inniskillin's 1991 win, Niagara-on-the-Lake, VQA labels and the winter icewine festival.

Start Niagara Wine Country Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Province
Which Canadian province is the Niagara wine region in?
Between
Between which features do many vineyards lie?
Lake
How does Lake Ontario help grapes grow?
Icewine
What makes icewine special?
Cold
How cold must it be for an official icewine harvest in Canada?
Grape
Which grape is widely used for Niagara icewine?
Win
Which winery's icewine won a major prize at Vinexpo in 1991?
Town
Which historic town is a hub for wineries?
VQA
What does a VQA label show?
Festival
When is the Niagara Icewine Festival held?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Which Canadian province is the Niagara wine region in?
Answer: Ontario
It sits near the US border.
Q2: Between which features do many vineyards lie?
Answer: Lake Ontario and the Niagara Escarpment
The ridge traps lake air.
Q3: How does Lake Ontario help grapes grow?
Answer: It moderates temperatures
Warmer air reduces frost.
Q4: What makes icewine special?
Answer: Grapes are picked frozen on the vine
Sugars become concentrated.
Q5: How cold must it be for an official icewine harvest in Canada?
Answer: At least minus 8 degrees Celsius
Pickers often work at night.
Q6: Which grape is widely used for Niagara icewine?
Answer: Vidal
Riesling is also common.
Q7: Which winery's icewine won a major prize at Vinexpo in 1991?
Answer: Inniskillin
It put Canadian icewine on the map.
Q8: Which historic town is a hub for wineries?
Answer: Niagara-on-the-Lake
It has many tasting rooms.
Q9: What does a VQA label show?
Answer: The wine meets Ontario quality and origin rules
It stands for Vintners Quality Alliance.
Q10: When is the Niagara Icewine Festival held?
Answer: In January
Winter is icewine season.

Niagara Wine Country Quiz – Icewine and Lakeshore Vineyards

The Niagara wine region lies on a peninsula in Ontario between Lake Ontario and the Niagara Escarpment. The lake warms the air in fall and cools it in spring, protecting grapes from frost.

Niagara is famous for icewine, made from grapes left to freeze on the vine and picked at minus 8 degrees Celsius or colder. Pressing the frozen grapes yields small amounts of very sweet juice.

Vidal and Riesling are common icewine grapes, and Inniskillin's win at Vinexpo in 1991 made the world notice. Niagara-on-the-Lake is a hub for wineries, VQA labels guarantee local origin, and a festival celebrates icewine every January.

What This Quiz Teaches

Wine fans will enjoy these questions.

Where the region is
How the lake helps
How icewine is made
Which grapes are used
How the region celebrates

Did You Know?

Canada is one of the world's leading icewine producers.
Nets protect grapes from birds before the freeze.
Cabernet Franc icewine has a red color.
Many wineries offer cycling tours.
Icewine is usually sold in small bottles.