The recent cold snap may have been harsh for residents, but icewine makers in the Okanagan are celebrating the negative temperatures.

Grapes that are picked for icewine must be frozen before coming off the vines and once the ideal subzero temperature sets in, crews have mere hours to harvest the fruit.

Producing icewine is delicate and risky, and keeping the grapes from defrosting is one of the main concerns, according to Grizzli Winery91裸聊视频檚 sales coordinator Breanna Nathorst.

91裸聊视频淚t has to be -8 C minimum but we like to wait until about -10 C because you get more concentrated fruit flavours when you wait a little bit longer,91裸聊视频� Nathorst said.

Once crews harvest the grapes, they91裸聊视频檙e kept outside in large bins. Then the fruit is pressed outdoors in movable presses which are moved to a location that has coldest temperatures.

Nathorst added one bottle of white icewine has approximately 30 to 35 pounds of grapes, and a bottle of red icewine has about 50 to 55 pounds.

91裸聊视频淲hite icewines are more common and red icewines are a lot more rare, which is why they91裸聊视频檙e also more expensive,91裸聊视频� she said.

91裸聊视频淭he reason for that is because you91裸聊视频檙e getting a lot more flavour in there, and they91裸聊视频檙e riskier to produce because we wait until it91裸聊视频檚 -14 C before we pick the grapes.91裸聊视频�

In general, Nathorst said icewine is riskier and takes a bit longer to produce.

91裸聊视频淔or table wine, we harvest them in the fall. That91裸聊视频檚 when you see the vineyards full and beautiful and it91裸聊视频檚 usually in October that we harvest the grapes. It takes about 10 to 12 pounds of table grapes to make a 715 millilitre of wine.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淲ith icewine, we91裸聊视频檙e monitoring the temperature, making sure it91裸聊视频檚 cold enough. And if the temperature goes warmer than the minimum -8 C, you could lose your crop. If they do thaw, that91裸聊视频檇 be a late harvest wine. It91裸聊视频檇 be a sweeter wine, but it91裸聊视频檚 not icewine.91裸聊视频�

Andrea Sorestad leads tours at Grizzli Winery and she said once the juice is extracted from the grapes, it91裸聊视频檚 all moved into fermentation tanks.

91裸聊视频淭hat91裸聊视频檚 when the yeast is added, and that process takes four to six weeks,91裸聊视频� Sorestad said.

91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 very long and slow, and that91裸聊视频檚 because the icewine is super concentrated with sugars and it91裸聊视频檚 hard to break down so it takes a while.91裸聊视频�

She added that fermenting table wine only takes about ten to 12 days.

Grizzli Winery will be hosting its first annual icewine festival to celebrate wine and of course, icewine. The festival also coincides with the Lunar New Year.

There will be an outdoor fire, Chinese calligraphers and a chance to taste the winery91裸聊视频檚 award-winning icewines.

For more information and tickets, visit Grizzli Winery91裸聊视频檚 .

READ MORE: First annual Grizzli Winery Icewine Festival to take place late January

READ MORE: Icewine harvesting underway in Okanagan