Kelowna, B.C.—The British Columbia Wine Institute reports that 20 wineries plan to produce Icewine this year after freezing temperatures arrived in the region on Nov. 25 and 26. The Icewine harvest is expected to yield 722 tons from 169 acres, according to a statement released by the institute.

This is the third Icewine harvest to begin in November, which earlier than normal. “It's awesome when we get Icewine in November," said David Paterson the winemaker at Tantalus Vineyards in Kelowna. "This is my seventh Icewine harvest so I've done late picks in January and early picks in November and I love the purity of the fruit we get in an earlier pick. The early freeze condenses the vintage allowing us to capture the ripe flavours of pure juice with wonderful natural acidity in the wines."

The first 2015 Icewine grapes were brought in by Volcanic Hills Estate Winery in West Kelowna on Nov. 25 just after 6 a.m. with temperatures at -13°C (8.6°F), bringing in 4 tons of Chardonnay and 4 tons of Pinot Noir. Winery employees resumed picking at midnight on Nov. 30 and brought in another 5 tons of Riesling. Winery president Bobby Gidda said overall quality is very good with very sweet characters, noting the Chardonnay grapes reached more than 40 Brix. "Being such a hot year, I thought a lot of the crop would've fallen off, but the large clusters of grapes were all hanging in there and I'm seeing nice sugars in the fruit. I think it's going to be a very good vintage for Icewine."