Q: My wife and I had something called "ice wine" at a dinner party. What exactly is that?
Jeffry Foy
Atlanta

A: True ice wine is made from grapes that are allowed to freeze on the vine (some producers store grapes in the freezer after picking). Once harvested, the grapes are quickly pressed, separating frozen water from the precious juice (generally there's only about a 10% yield). The resulting wine bursts with sweetness and concentrated flavor (a little bit--usually a couple of ounces--goes a long way). As you might imagine, ice wines are also pretty rare and more expensive than most dessert wines. However, this is something to be sipped rather than gulped, so half a bottle shared among friends will be more than sufficient, especially when served alongside fruit tarts and pastries, and, of course, foie gras. Most ice wines are made in Canada and colder parts of America. Many of the best examples come from Germany (which popularized the process with native Riesling grapes), where it's called eiswein (ICE-vine).