Maybe it’s the heat wave where I am, but just the idea of Icewine makes me sigh longingly. This unique product of chilly winter is a perfect antidote to these hot summer days!

Icewine (or Eiswein as it’s famously known in Germany) is made from grapes that are literally frozen on the vine. In a nutshell, the frozen grapes are pressed quickly so that the water that has turned to ice crystals remain behind, and the juice that results has a higher concentration of sugar. Wines made this way can be deliciously pure, silky, concentrated and very long-lived.

Icewine is the most well-known specialty of the Canadian wine industry, and although the prices can be high (though not compared to Germany’s versions), so are the standards. Minimum harvest temperatures and sugar levels, minimum residual sugar levels (that’s the sugar content of the wine after fermentation is complete) and other winemaking standards are strictly controlled. Icewines must be varietal, meaning no blends, and made from either vinifera grapes (like Riesling) or the one hybrid grape allowed: Vidal.

In Icewine, Vidal, or Vidal Blanc, offers aromatic, silky orchard and stone fruit character, sometimes with a savory herbal accent. The acidity, and therefore the longevity, is not quite as high as Riesling, but the wines are still delicious. And often, Vidal Icewines are a bit less expensive than the Riesling versions.

For summer, I love a chilled glass of Icewine alongside a selection of perfectly ripe, unadorned summer fruit. Sweet berries, juicy plums, tropical melon — it all works. Here’s one Icewine I’ve tasted lately that I would definitely recommend:

Jackson-Triggs 2007 Vidal Niagara Peninsula Icewine Proprietors’ Reserve ($20, 187 ml). This one manages to be both rich and fresh, with musky melon, loads of apricot and a long, mouthwatering finish. Ready to drink now and over the next six to eight years. Locate this wine online or in your area.