Students welcome cold for Icewine experience

Snow falling matched the flurry of activity at NC Teaching Winery on the morning of January 16 as students and staff embarked on the Icewine harvest

The temperature finally dipped below minus eight degrees —  reaching  the minimum temperature for the harvested grapes to be labelled ‘Icewine by the Vintage Quality Alliance (VQA) – after the start of an unseasonably mild winter, giving the Teaching Winery a green light to proceed with its annual Icewine harvest and students the chance to gain the experience of a lifetime.

The  Icewine harvest has become an annual rite of passage for NC wine students who gain an experience like no other with the opportunity to harvest grapes for what is known as Canada’s ‘liquid gold’ on campus, home to Canada’s first and only commercial teaching winery.

Bundled up in their warm layers, about 50 students —  from the Winery and Viticulture Technician, Beverage Business Management, along with other volunteers other programs from the School of Wine, Beer and Spirits – not only braved the frigid temperatures but welcomed  the opportunity  to  participate in the Icewine harvest.

After brief instructions from wine professor Gavin Robertson, they filed into rows of Vidal grapes behind the Teaching Winery where it didn’t take much to shake the frozen, snow-coated  grapes from vines which they would soon transform into Icewine. Container after container filled with frozen grapes made their way into the winery where the juice was pressed.

For Wine student Joel Droogh,  a third-generation dairy farmer from Ottawa, it was his first time participating in Icewine harvest. He noted that last year’s harvest took place during a cold snap while the students were on break.

“It can’t get any more Canadian, being outside out in the cold,  picking frozen grapes, ” he said. “You couldn’t ask for a better day it’s not too windy. It’s fun!”

The experience was truly a taste of the great white north for several international students who took time to pose for photos using the snowy vineyard as a backdrop. One was seen conducting a  video chat with a family member overseas.

“I would tell everyone at home that they have to come to Canada to try this,” said student Jayynet Nyambura from Kenya.

The NC Icewine harvest  captured  the attention of local media. CHCH Morning Live featured live coverage from the NC Teaching Winery every half hour starting 6:30 a.m. and aired highlights on its evening news.

YourTV Niagara was also on the scene along with the St. Catharines Standard.

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