The icewine harvest in Niagara officially started early Monday with several wineries reporting perfect conditions to pick those luscious, honey-sweet berries.
And with the Niagara Icewine Festival (more on that below) just around the corner, timing couldn’t be more perfect.
Henry of Pelham, Pillitteri and Vineland Estates were just a few of the wineries reportedly bringing in the first of the icewine grapes, a small window of -8 C and colder allowed for picking and pressing icewine grapes. Another warm front is moving into Ontario later in the week making picking a frantic affair before temperatures rise again in this unusually warm winter.
Henry of Pelham Family Estate Winery began the icewine harvest (top photo) at 7 a.m. Monday. Riesling is picked first because the skins of the grapes are very thin so the fruit needs to come off the vine as soon as possible.
“This cold snap is only supposed to last until (Tuesday) morning before the weather warms up,” said Matthew Speck, co-owner and viticulturist at Henry of Pelham. “We are trying to get everything done in one shot. It’s a race against Mother Nature.”
Henry of Pelham has been making icewine since 1989 and is sold throughout Canada and around the world.
“The quality of the fruit is fantastic,” said winemaker Sandrine Bourcier. “We will have riper flavours of apricot and peach lending a jammy profile.”
This vintage will be available in wine stores worldwide in the fall of 2016.
“Our largest market outside of Canada is China followed by Japan and the U.S,” said Paul Speck, president of Henry of Pelham.
In Niagara-on-the-Lake, Pillitteri Estates Winery reported temperatures of -10 C and began harvesting early Monday morning, as well.
With the prospects of a significant El Niño winter, and temperatures predicted to be warmer, some were concerned it would be a weak icewine harvest in 2015.
Jamie Slingerland, director of viticulture for Pillitteri Estates Winery, sees it differently based upon his 29 years of harvesting icewine grapes. In significant El Niño years like 1997-98 climatologists say that temperatures tend to be warmer with some extreme variations and storms.
Slingerland explains “that almost every year most of the grapes are harvested within the first two weeks of January, a time at which we often get a cold fluctuation in temperatures.
“Although the cold spell is less severe this year compared to the last two it is still cold enough for a majority of the icewine grapes to get frozen enough to harvest.
“We know some years will be better than others, in agriculture you prepare for that. When preparing for an icewine harvest we leave bigger crops in cold years and smaller ones in the warm years.
“Icewine grapes are no doubt a high-risk crop and you have to be ready at a moment’s notice and needless to say you dare not miss that opportunity.”
During the icewine harvest vineyard workers will have to work extraordinary long hours to harvest those grapes. However, how Slingerland notes “with mechanization (see photos) we can now harvest five times the volumes of grapes per cold period than was done when the crop was only hand harvested. Thankfully, with modern technology, we can now complete a harvest within a cold spell like we are seeing this week.”
The Niagara Icewine Festival
There is no better time to celebrate the Niagara icewine harvest than with a great big party in the middle of January.
The Niagara Icewine Festival begins Jan. 15 and runs for three weeks right in the heart of Niagara’s wine growing region.
The one-of-a-kind celebration is a time when consumers have the best opportunity to discover and enjoy a wine that is quintessentially Canadian. During this time, wine enthusiasts, cocktail fans, foodies and music lovers alike will have a hard time choosing from a spectacular collection of icewine events reflecting the authentic and local flavours of Ontario.
Festivities begin on Jan. 15 with the annual Xerox Icewine Gala at the Fallsview Casino Resort and the Sparkle and Ice Diamond Gala in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Outdoor celebrations take place at street festivals in both Twenty Valley’s Jordan Village from Jan. 15-17 and Niagara-on-the-Lake from Jan. 23-24. New this year, look for the Sparkle and Ice Concert on Jan. 16 and the White on Ice Dinner on Jan. 28. Enjoy the beauty and natural wonder of Niagara Falls while you experience icewine at the transformed Scotiabank Convention Centre and Icewine Village.
Visitors can also purchase a Discovery Pass, where they can choose from dozens of wineries and culinary experiences along the Wine Route. Along with a variety of icewines, visitors will also have the opportunity to taste Ontario’s sparkling wines and VQA red and white wines.
For full details on all Icewine Festival events, go here.
Niagara wines released at Vintages Saturday
There is a limited release of Niagara wines arriving on the shelves Saturday at Vintages. Here is what to look for:
Featherstone Black Sheep Riesling 2014 ($17, 91 points) — Always a favourite Riesling of mine from Niagara. The aromas jump from the glass: Lime, apple, flint and a melange of citrus. On the palate this is all about the flinty minerality, citrus and a touch of apple. A firm bed of acidity makes this electric all the way through the finish. I tried this beside the 2013 version and can recommend that you throw a few of these Rieslings in the cellar for a year or two for even greater pleasure.
Fielding Unoaked Chardonnay 2014 ($15, 88 points) — The nose show juicy peach, citrus, pineapple and fresh green apple notes. It’s made in a fresh, pure style with apple, melon and a touch of citrus in the mouth. Good value Chardonnay.
Featherstone Cabernet Franc 2013 ($19, 89 points) — Textbook Niagara CF with a nose of cherry, herbs, pepper, cassis and spices. It’s bright and cheerful on the palate, a gorgeous food wine, with red fruits, garden herbs, chewy tannins, plums and spice.
Other wines released Saturday, but not reviewed:
- Tawse Sketches Cabernet/Merlot 2012 ($21)
- Calamus Cabernet/Merlot 2013 ($17)
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