Cold snap produces optimal grape picking conditions for Okanagan’s newest Icewine
December 1, 2006, Vernon, B.C. - (www.TheRise.ca) While the mass of arctic air currently hovering over the West is causing havoc everywhere, in Okanagan wine country they are jumping for joy. Leona Snider, President and CEO of The Rise Cellars, one of Canada’s most elaborate and ambitious winery & vineyard projects, and winemaker Tilman Hainle are ecstatic, as the unseasonably cold temperatures in the Okanagan have produced the perfect conditions for picking grapes for its flagship Icewine.
This week, when temperatures plummeted to around -10º C, it was clear the next few days would be more than cold enough to pick, crush and press the roughly 10 tonnes of Riesling, Muscat and Kerner grapes that The Rise Cellars had set aside for Icewine in a Summerland vineyard. A warmly dressed harvest crew of 20 picked all the grapes and currently they are being pressed out at a custom winemaking facility in Summerland, under Tilman Hainle’s supervision.
“We knew something special was happening when Tilman was practically giddy about the prospect of being knee deep in snow, with -10º C temperatures and picking grapes,” says Leona Snider, “The cold weather conditions give us a great opportunity to add a beautiful dessert wine to our portfolio.”
The relatively early Icewine harvest will result in brighter, fruitier characteristics in the resulting dessert wine, while the cold temperatures will mean more concentration. When all the pressing is complete, he expects between 1,200 l – 2,000 l of highly concentrated juice ready for fermentation, with an average sugar concentration of over 42%.
Winemaker Tilman Hainle says, “The Rise Cellars 2006 Riesling Icewine has the potential of being one of the best examples of Canadian Icewine – fruity, rich, complex and balanced. With that amount of intensity it will last for many years. I’m really looking forward to seeing this wine evolve.”
Tilman and his father, Walter Hainle, made North America’s first official Icewine in 1978, when Walter quickly realized Okanagan’s continental climate was ideal for this specialty. The Hainle family have been making Icewine in the Okanagan Valley ever since. Icewine, the most famous of Canada’s wines, was first made in Germany in the late 18th century, but could only be made once or twice a decade there, due to the milder winters.
Hainle joined The Rise Cellars in spring of 2005 as winemaker and consultant to one of Canada’s most elaborate and ambitious winery & vineyard projects, after having sold his family’s winery. Slated to be a 35,000 case, state-of-the-art gravity-fed facility, The Rise Cellars will have a significant underground component with a winery visitor facility, barrel caves, VIP tasting room, wine and cooking seminar facility, and private wine storage. 2005 was the pilot vintage for The Rise Cellars, and is expected to be released in 2007.
The Rise (www.TheRise.ca)
Okanagan Hills Development Corporation
Okanagan Hills Development Corporation (OHDC) is building The Rise, Okanagan’s premier golf and winery resort. Perched on a south facing hillside overlooking Okanagan Lake, The Rise is 735-acres and located 3.5 km west of the city centre in Vernon , British Columbia . The Rise offers spectacular views down the throat of Okanagan Lake and will feature a winery, vineyards, lakeside beach club, several enclave neighbourhoods consisting of home-sites and villas, hotel and village centre, and Western Canada’s only Fred Couples Signature Golf Course.
dHz Media
Scott Henderson
+1.403.921.2001
scott.henderson@dhzmedia.ca
Online Media centre: www.TheRise.ca/News
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