Winery owners are making individual decisions regarding when to harvest grapes for ice wines in Ashtabula County during the relatively mild early winter.
Ferrante Winery, in Austinburg Township, decided to harvest a smaller than normal amount of grapes for ice wine on Saturday, said Nick Ferrante.
“Last year we did three times the amount,” Ferrante said.
“We had a nice picking,” Ferrante said of the experience. He said there were 100 gallons of grape juice pressed.
The wine is considered a sweet delicacy and takes six to eight months to ferment, Ferrante said. He said it has been a difficult year for the area and the winery intends to donate some of the proceeds from the ice wine to an undetermined local charity.
Ferrante said there were about eight people harvesting on Saturday compared to about 15 the previous year.
The annual Ice Wine Festival is likely going to occur several weeks to a month later than normal, Ferrante said. He said the festival which was held for three weekends in March for many years is likely going to occur in April this year.
“It is going to be pretty much spread out the whole month of April,” he said. The final details will be worked out during a meeting of area winery officials after the holidays.
Gene Siegel, owner of South River Winery, said he plans to wait until mid-January to harvest ice wine grapes. He said harvesting on Saturday was an option, but concern over pickers getting stuck because of the heavy snow was one of many factors that changed his plans.
Siegel said different peaks of temperatures can also affect the dehydration of the grapes and potentially provide a sweeter wine.
“January is a good month,” he said.
Early freezes do provide the opportunity for vineyard owners to harvest early, but the cold temperatures have not provided optimal conditions to begin the process. He said six hours at 18-degree temperatures is what it takes to provide the optimal conditions for harvest.
Siegel said there have been years when ice wine grapes were all harvested in November because of extreme cold in late fall.
Ohio Wine Producers Association Executive Director Donniella Winchell said ice wines are important to area wineries for a variety of reasons. She said the ice wine festival has been especially helpful to area wineries, restaurants and hotels.
“It helps kick off an early tourism season,” Winchell said. She said area hotels, lodges and cabins would be full in March and April because of the festival.
Another benefit is the regional and national exposure provided for area vineyards because of the prizes area wine makers secure for their product. She said visitors to the ice wine festival often buy four to five bottles of ice wine and then purchase a case of red wine as well.
“It introduces these people [visitors] to these dry red [wines] so it is a real door opener,” she said.
December 30, 2020 at 12:30PM
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