With Temperatures Just Right, Quails’ Gate Anticipating Icewine Grape Harvest This Week

The GOODS from Quails’ Gate

West Kelowna, BC | The harvest of this season’s Icewine grapes is expected to take place this week on the Quails’ Gate Estate. Temperatures are anticipated to meet the required -8°C, and our Icewine harvest team is expected to start picking the frozen grapes on our Riesling block on DeHart Road in South Kelowna on the evening of Thursday, November 28. If the temperatures do not drop sufficiently on Thursday, harvest will likely take place the following night: Friday November 29. Once started, the harvest will continue through the night until it is complete.

The Quails’ Gate Icewine harvest team is an intrepid group of vineyard, winemaking, culinary and administrative staff who have volunteered for the task of picking frozen grapes once the temperatures drop (and are expected to stay) below -8°C.

Icewine harvest is a highly anticipated event each year. Completely dependent on perfect climate conditions, the winemakers at Quails’ Gate leave grapes on the vine of select varietals long after the typical harvest season has ended. These grapes can only be used to make Icewine if the temperature drops to -8°C and stays at least that cold through the entire picking and pressing process of several hours. This freezing process concentrates the natural sugars in the grapes and contributes to the very low yield – one of the reasons that Icewine is so coveted. The BC Wine Authority oversees the harvest and production to ensure strict standards are followed: only then can the resulting liquid gold bear the label of ‘Icewine’.

ABOUT QUAILS’ GATE WINERY | As one of Canada’s foremost family owned and operated estate wine producers, we are dedicated to crafting outstanding quality wines while offering memorable wine and food experiences. We strive to deliver exceptional guest experiences in our award-winning restaurant, at our luxurious lake front accommodations and with every estate tour and wine tasting.