Okanagan experiencing poorest icewine harvest in a decade

This year's icewine grape harvest is only about a quarter of last year's so far due to mild winter temperatures in the Okanagan, and conditions aren't forecast to improve for B.C.'s winemakers.

About 130 tonnes of icewine grapes have been picked, meaning this season is shaping up to be the worst harvest in a decade.

Laura Kittmer of the B.C. Wine Institute said the last time they saw numbers this low was back in 2009, with about 230 tonnes picked.

"It'll be a small vintage this year, whether or not we get the temperatures in the next couple weeks," she told CBC.

Only seven out of 20 wineries that are registered for the icewine harvest picked grapes in early December, when temperatures dropped below the –8 C needed to produce icewine, Kittmer said.

Waiting for cooler weather

Some B.C. winemakers are waiting on edge for the weather to change.

"We're just looking at our phones every day waiting for [temperatures] to drop," said Craig McCullough, vice-president of Mt. Boucherie Winery in West Kelowna, B.C.

"We got a lot of fruit hanging onto vines and it doesn't seem like it's going to happen this year."

He said waiting is a "costly gamble" — and if they can't harvest the grapes in the next three weeks, the fruit will have to stay on the vine until next year.

McCullough told Daybreak South host Chris Walker that icewine attracts customers to the winery, which makes about a thousand cases each year.

"People come and just kind of expect it," he said. "We sell out every year."

No icewine weather in forecast

Environment Canada has forecast that temperatures will not reach below –8 C in the Southwest and Central Interior over the next week.

The Southern Interior is now entering moderate drought conditions, according to CBC meteorologist Johanna Wagstaffe.

This raises concerns for the spring growing season and wildfires.

Listen to the full interviews with Laura Kittmer and Craig McCullough here: