Tuesday morning's bone-chilling cold and dusting of snow made conditions perfect for Jonathan Oakes, a fourth-generation farmer, to harvest frozen grapes for his special varieties of ice wine.

Oakes and two crews consisting of about 20 harvesters bundled up in winter clothing and began the eight-hour task of gathering the grapes at about 4 a.m. By noon, the gathering was finished but the winemakers had several more hours of work ahead before the juice could be pressed out of the grapes to begin the fermenting process.

Altogether, Oakes' two crews harvested about 3 1/2 tons of grapes at the Leonard Oakes Estate Winery in Lyndonville and about 5 tons at the Schulze Vineyards and Winery in the hamlet of Burt, in the Town of Newfane.

"It was the perfect day for harvesting for ice wine," Oakes explained. "There is only a small window of opportunity, because the water in the berries has to be frozen and the outside temperature has to be between 13 degrees and 18 degrees until the harvesting is finished."

"We shake the vines and collect the berries in nets that are taken to our winery for processing and pressing into juice," he said. "A three-week fermenting process will begin tomorrow, and we will check the sugar content and alcohol level frequently."

After more processing, the bottling will begin in about three months and the wine will be put aside for further aging. Wine made from the current crop probably will be ready for sale next year, Oakes said. Right now, his winery and the Schulze winery are selling ice wine made from grapes that were harvested a couple of years ago.

Oakes is the grower and winemaker at his family farm and is a consultant and winemaker for Martin Schulze, owner and grower at the Schulze Vineyards.

He began making wine in 2007, and by 2008 his ice wines had won half a dozen prizes. They included awards for the best dessert wine, best ice wine and two gold medals at the New York Wine and Culinary Classic, and similar awards at an international competition put on by the American Wine Society.

Oakes said other producers of ice wine on the Niagara Frontier include Niagara Landing Wine Cellars and Arrowhead Spring Vineyards on the Niagara Wine Trail. He said some producers in New York State's Southern Tier also make ice wine.

Ice wine, he said, contains about twice as much sugar as other wines and is considered to be "more of a delicacy."

Each ton of grapes produces about 150 liters of ice wine, a yield that forces wineries to charge more than for other wines.

The typical bottles are about half the size of a usual wine bottle, and sell for about $40 to $60 for a little less than a pint.

Oakes said he uses a French hybrid called Vidal grapes to produce the distinctive taste of his ice wines.

"Today was an ideal day for collecting the grapes," Oakes said Tuesday. "The temperature was just right, and the snowfall was excellent. We got into the vineyards with our tractors with no trouble. We were all bundled up in cold-weather gear, and our faces were covered for protection from the cold."

The good news is that the harvest is finished, they don't have to go back out into the vineyards again this winter, and wine connoisseurs will be enjoying the fruits of their labor for years to come.

rbaldwin@buffnews.com null