2017 could be a good year for ice wine in Northeast Ohio.
The dessert wine is made from grapes that have been left on their stems for weeks after a harvest and allowed to freeze.
Donniella Winchell, the executive director of The Ohio Wine Producers Association, says that weather conditions in 2016 were perfect for ice wine.
“This year we had a warm summer…dry. The vines were producing great fruit. So the fruit went into the fall very very clean. And in addition, it was a good year because a lot of wineries were able to pick that ice wine earlier.”
Winchell says that the conditions allowed the grapes to be picked in mid-December, which is nearly a month earlier than normal.
She says that the early picking means the fruit is fresher and in a better condition than it was in past years.
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