Ice Vines

When wine enthusiasts talk about the virtues of ice wine they are not talking about wine taken from frozen vines like these.  Instead they are talking about grapes that are harvested late in the season when temperatures drop low enough to freeze the late hanging fruit.  While the grapes are frozen, the winemaker presses the frozen fruit in a hydrolic press which exerts enough pressure to extract the high sugar juice which remains unfrozen.  The high sugar content of the juice then allows a very sweet, concentrated wine to be crafted for our enjoyment.  

     Our vines have been frozen several times this winter.  Although they look beautiful the haven't produced any ice wine yet.