Who’s picking Icewine early this year?

While most of us were getting buried under snow this past weekend in Ontario, did you know that it was actually cold enough to pick Icewine?   Yes, we hit that magic number last weekend, -8 degrees Celsius and some Niagara wineries have been known to pick early in the season.  If my memory serves me correctly, Henry of Pelham, who make fabulous Riesling and Vidal Icewines, picked some of their grapes in the fall of 2005 when we had a cold snap in late November/early December. According to VQA standards, Icewine can be picked when the temperature drops under -8 degrees Celsius and that temperature must remain constant (or get colder). This is explains why most picking of Icewine grapes occurs overnight—and why wineries are always looking for help picking, too.  Both Inniskillin and Henry of Pelham have had Icewine picking events in the past, so check out their websites or contact the winery for more information.  Get your friends together for a truly fun all night party!