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2006 BC Icewine Harvest News

All smiles over early icewine harvest
By John Moorhouse, The Penticton Herald
Tuesday, November 28, 2006, 12:01 AM

OLIVER – The mercury dropped low enough for one of the earliest ice wine grape harvests in recent memory Monday.

Bruce Nicholson, winemaker for Jackson-Triggs Vintners winery, said crews were busy for close to eight hours at a vineyard south of Oliver, as temperatures remained below the necessary -10C mark throughout the day.
“It’s been a great day for it,” he said. “The wind was brutal, but there’s something to said about doing it during the daytime.”

Most years, wineries have to call out their picking crews in the middle of the night to take advantage of temperatures low enough to pick the grapes in a frozen state.

Nicholson said a crew of 15 to 20 pickers started work at about 8 a.m. and harvested an estimated 15 to 20 tonnes of riesling grapes. Another 12 workers were kept busy processing the grapes around the clock at the Jackson-Triggs winery in Oliver.

“We’ve started the pressing and we’ve got some great sugar levels already,” he said.

Although the temperature is expected to drop even lower, to about -20C early Wednesday, Nicholson said that might be too cold for good ice wine since the sugar-laden juice would freeze solid in addition to the water inside the grapes.

Being able to pick ice wine grapes in November is definitely a rarity in the Okanagan.

“I think a few years ago, we picked a little bit. But this is the earliest year that I can remember us being finished,” he said. “I think it’s going to be a great ice wine year for everybody.”

Only a limited number of Okanagan wineries process ice wine, with many smaller operations opting to pick all their grapes for standard vintages. The Okanagan is among the few wine regions that can produce ice wine, which sells for a premium price as a very sweet dessert wine.

© Tuesday, November 28, 2006Copyright PentictonHerald.ca