Laura Kittmer
After last vintage’s second-earliest start on record on November 12, 2014, the majority of British Columbia’s 2015 Icewine harvest happened on December 31 and into the early morning of New Year’s Day in the Okanagan. However, the first Icewine grapes for this vintage were picked on November 25, as winemakers and viticulturists north of Penticton rejoiced at the early arrival of freezing temperatures.
Harvested at -8°C (17.6°F) or below, the wine made from these frozen grapes must reach quality standards including 35 brix of sugar to be called Icewine.
The first 2015 Icewine grapes were brought in on Wednesday, November 25 just after 6:00 AM with temperatures at -13°C (9°F), when Volcanic Hills Estate Winery in West Kelowna collected four tons of Chardonnay and four tons of Pinot Noir. The following night they resumed picking, bringing in another five tons of Riesling. President Bobby Gidda reported that the overall quality is very good with very sweet characters, noting they got over 40 brix in their Chardonnay. “Being such a hot year, I thought a lot of the crop would’ve fallen off, but the large clusters of grapes hung in there and I’m seeing nice sugars in the fruit. It looks like it will be a very good vintage for Icewine,” notes Gidda.
This is the third consecutive year BC’s Icewine harvest started as early as November and between the six wineries picking that early, just over 100 tons of grapes were collected. The majority of grapes were picked from December 26 finishing on January 2 with temperatures well below -8°C (17.6°F) and averaging around -10°C (14°F) throughout the Okanagan Valley.
Nk’Mip Cellars in Osoyoos began picking their Icewine at 2:00 AM on New Year’s Day with temperatures at -14°C (7°F) when the inner cluster berries were still frozen. The team brought in over eight tons of Riesling and finished pressing at 40.5 brix. Assistant Winemaker at Nk’Mip Cellars, Justin Hall noted, “Last year we were picking in early November so we did see a smaller crop this year, but the overall quality of the juice is still really good and I’m looking forward to this vintage.” Hall estimates they lost about 5.5 tons of grapes to dehydration, birds and fallen grapes.
The BC Wine Authority noted that 16 of the 20 registered wineries picked this year, collecting approximately 376 tons of grapes throughout the Okanagan Valley.
The Icewine varieties picked are diverse in the Okanagan Valley, ranging from aromatic whites to tannic reds. This vintage saw the following grapes picked for Icewine: Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, Ehrenfelser, Gamay Noir, Gewürztraminier, Merlot, Oraniensteiner, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah, Vidal, Viognier and Zweigelt.
With the completion of the Icewine harvest, wine lovers across BC can look forward to an excellent crop of new Icewine releases in 2016.
Wineries that have decided to forgo the Icewine designation started picking grapes for Late Harvest wines on October 1, 2015. Seven confirmed wineries have picked and pressed 100 tons of grapes for Late Harvest wines.
To keep up-to-date on the harvest, follow @WineBCdotcom, #BCHarvest2015 and #Icewine on Twitter.