| Photo Credit: Courtesy, Tinhorn Creek Winery, CHBC News |
Kerner grapes for Icewine are harvested Monday morning at Tinhorn Creek in Oliver, the second earliest on record. The 2010 Icewine harvest is underway in the Okanagan, with an Oliver winery making the second ealiest pick Monday morning.The record for early Icewine harvest was November 5th, 2003. Tinhorn Creek Vineyards began harvesting one acre of Kerner varietal grapes Monday when the temperatures dropped to -11°C (12°F). The grapes were pressed for juice by early afternoon. Mission Hill Family Estate Winery will be picking their Icewine grapes at their Naramata Ranch and at the winery’s West Kelowna property Tuesday morning, forgoing picking Monday night due to a forecast wind chill of -25°C. Spokesperson Lori Raffan says picking in the sub-zero temperatures forecast for the night, a traditional time to pick Icewine grapes, will cause pickers to suffer frost bite. Summerhill Pyramid Organic Winery is expected to brave the chill and pick Monday night. Quail’s Gate Estate Winery in West and Van Westen Vineyards in Naramata will be picking Icewine grapes Tuesday.Icewine was first picked by Peachland’s Hainle Vineyards in 1974. This year, 23 wineries expressed interest in making the golden beverage, according to the BC Wine Institute.
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