by Tony Aspler
The 2006 Icewine harvest began early in Ontario this year. Henry of Pelham Family Estate Winery began picking in the early hours of December 7th when the mercury dropped below minus 8 degrees Centigrade. At this temperature the grapes freeze solid on the vine. The Niagara Peninsula appellation, close to Niagara Falls, produces the most Icewine in the world and unlike Europe s regions it can do so without fail year after year.
According to Matthew Speck, Vice President of Viticulture at Henry of Pelham, This looks like the largest Icewine harvest on record in Niagara and certainly is for us. Ontario´s vintners are happy with the size of the harvest this year after a disastrously short crop in 2005. In that year Henry of Pelham only crushed 50 tonnes of grapes for their late harvest and Icewines because of rot and breakdown in their vineyards. This year they expect to crush 150 tonnes.
