What is the shelf life of a bottle of ice wine, and how should it be stored?

Question

How long can I keep an unopened bottle of Ice Wine for? Months? Years?
And what if the bottle was in the fridge for a few weeks, but then taken out and stored at room temp.? Will that alter the flavour or quality?
Thanks.

Answer 1

Ice wine will keep well for many years, thanks to its high sugar content.

If your ice wine comes from Canada, then I think you'll find that it is ready to drink now and you do not need to mature it, but if it is German Eiswein, then I find these have quite piercing acidity and keeping them a decade or more will see the acidity soften.

Don't worry about having had it in the fridge, it won't have harmed it -- wine is a lot more robust than many give it credit for.

For long term storage, keep the bottle in a cool dark place on its side.

Answer 2

All wine SHOULD be kept at 60 degrees. When wine temperature fluctuates it loses quality. A wine that is kept at 60 degrees (like ice wine) will be fine for 5 yr or so. Why wait, have a great dinner and a wonderful dessert and serve your ice wine.