Wonders of Wine and Food

Late Harvest Wines

Growing grapes for the production of icewine( Ice wine) is not an easy adventure.  To meet the high standard Grapes are left on the vine well into the winter months. The resulting freezing and thawing of the grapes dehydrates the fruit and concentrates the sugars, acids, and extracts in the fruit, thereby intensifying the flavours and adding complexity to the wine. This juice is then fermented very slowly for several months, stopping naturally. Genuine Icewine must be naturally produced; no artificial freezing is permitted.

However the weather does not always co-operate, birds also enjoy the grapes as do the deer. Sometimes it is necessary for the winery to harvest what they can before the conditions arre met to make icewine. This is an opportunity to make a Late Harvest wine.

Late Harvest Wines are usually sweet and therefore are classified as a dessert wine

Some wineries actually decide at the start of the season that they will make Late Harvest wines not icewine.

Late, Select Late and Special Select Late Harvest Wine

1. Each category must be produced entirely from Fresh ripe grapes of which a significant portion has been desiccated under natural conditions. Producing a high sugar concentration.

2. For each category the residual sugar and actual alcohol shall result exclusively from the natural sugar of the grapes

Late Harvest Wine - shall be a wine produced exclusively from fresh grapes that have been natural harvest on a vine after achieving a min 23 ° Brix

Select Late Harvest - enhances to 32° brix

Special Late Harvest Wine - enhances to 32° brix