It’s ice wine time in the Finger Lakes

A version of this column was published was published 1/26/22 in The Observer and The Review & Express.

It was six degrees when the Sheldrake Point Winery team woke up on ice wine harvest day. They initially planned to pick before sunrise, but temperatures were so cold they had to wait.

Sheldrake follows the Canadian based Vintners Quality Alliance (VQA) standards for the production of ice wine. “The grapes intended for a true ice wine must be left on the vine for an extended period of time and picked only when a sustained temperature of 17° Fahrenheit or lower is reached,” the brand explains. “In upstate New York, this can occur anytime between November and February.” And typically at four in the morning.

With January temperatures reaching extreme colds, this year was a bit different. “We originally planned to start picking in the dark at 6:00am, but we waited until 10:00am for the sun to come out and raise the temperature.” For the first time ever, staff traded headlamps for sunglasses while they picked grapes. Their day peaked at a balmy 10 degrees.

It’s become tradition for employees across various departments “from the office and tasting room, to the winery and vineyard crew” to arrive bundled up and ready to harvest. With only four people in their year-round vineyard team–and cold temperatures to compete against–the extra hands and good company seem very welcome this time of year.

On the frigid harvest days, owners Chuck Tauck and Fran Littin help mitigate the chilly weather with hot cocoa and cookies. Undoubtedly, much of the appeal must also be the chance to spend time with colleagues who have become close friends. As a wine aficionado looking in, it seems like a memory you’d never forget.

Sheldrake Point has been making ice wines since 2000, and kosher wine for the last two years in partnership with Ari Lockspeiser of KosherWine.com. Their ‘21 kosher vintage will also feature a Dry Riesling and Gewürztraminer, alongside the juice harvested on this very cold day. This is the first kosher ice wine for the brand, who will also produce a Riesling Ice Wine for their in-house line.

Image by Sheldrake Point.

Making ice wine is not for the faint of heart. Unlike sweet or dessert wines, the process uses frozen grapes hand-harvested from the vine. It is climate and vintage dependent, and the Finger Lakes is one of few regions that lends itself easily to the style alongside Germany, Austria, and Canada.

The grapes are pressed while still frozen, leading to a highly concentrated juice rich in both flavor and experience. The final product requires more vines to produce a much smaller amount of wine–hence the 375mL bottles. And, unlike late harvest wines which must achieve a minimum ripeness of 29 brix, ice wines range from 35 - 39 brix while standard wines typically sit between 20 - 24.

Mr. Dunn & I have dropped a pretty penny on a couple of bottles we’ve come to cherish. They hold the memories of some of our favorite wine tasting adventures and I can’t recommend enough that you do the same. Save them for a day worth celebrating (even if that day is just a random Wednesday).

Pairs perfectly with apple crisp a la mode and your favorite company.