Wisconsin Weather Dictates Timing of Ice Wine Harvest

This past Monday, while many Wisconsinites braced themselves for forecasted snow, forty pickers got to work at Wollersheim Winery harvesting grapes for Ice Wine.

"Timing is everything," notes Winemaker Philippe Coquard. "Like all agriculture crops, we closely watch the weather trying to harvest under just the right conditions. For Ice Wine, temperatures are ideally between 10 to 18 degrees. We could have waited, however, the threat of a heavy snow Monday night and Tuesday greatly influenced our decision to harvest Monday. The snow poses a greater chance for crop loss and increased difficulty maneuvering equipment in the field."

By definition, Ice Wine is made from grapes harvested after freezing in the vineyard and then, while the grape is still in its frozen state, it is pressed and the water turns to ice crystals. This leaves a highly concentrated juice, very high in sugars and aromatics. After a lengthy fermentation, the sweet nectar or "nectar of the vines" as Coquard calls it, is turned into a distinctive wine to serve icy cold with dessert on a very special occasion.

Wollersheim Winery's Ice Wine is made from estate-grown St. Pepin grapes. Beginning in September until they are harvested sometime around December, these winter-hardy and thick-skinned grapes are netted against birds plus fenced to prevent deer damage. It is the Wisconsin winter that dictates the wine's sweet taste with the multiple freezing and thawing of the grapes increasing the sugar content. The sugar is measured every other week until reaching a sweetness percentage in the mid-30's. When conditions are right, the grapes are harvested, pressed and the winemaking process begins with the finished bottles being available the following October.

This year's harvest was the largest to date producing 4,700 pounds of fruit, which will translate into about 250 gallons of Ice wine, or the equivalent of 2400 small bottles. Winemaker Philippe Coquard is pleased with the 34-percent natural sugar content this year's vintage attained. His pride for growing Ice Wine grapes and putting Wisconsin's cold weather to good use is evident. Coquard sees the agricultural possibility with his icy crop explaining that it really is no different than other Wisconsin crops.