On January 9, students and faculty from NC’s Winery and Viticulture Technician program took to the vineyard at the Daniel J. Patterson Campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake at 4 a.m. in sub-zero temperatures for the annual icewine harvest, and Cogeco’s YourTV was there to interview those involved.
Craig Youdale, dean of the Canadian Food and Wine Institute, is interviewed, noting the hands-on experience that NC students have in their programs. Youdale explains that icewine is such a unique product in the industry, and how important it is that NC students have the experience of harvesting it before graduation.
Ron Giesbrecht, professor in the Winery and Viticulture Technician program, spoke about timing the harvest around both student schedules and temperatures suitable to picking icewine grapes. Following the harvest, students get exposure to pressing the grapes to examine the sugar content.
Student Jacques Gravel shares his experience picking and the mood among the students: “Morale is really high, a little bit of coffee gets the blood moving this morning and for the morning and everyone is really excited,” said Gravel.
Student Alishan Tuncay, who owned a vineyard in Turkey, explains that she chose to study at NC to learn about the process of winemaking.
