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While many residents opted to stay indoors during last week’s deep freeze, winemakers were enthusiastically heading outside. The Rise Cellars, Vernon’s newest winery, took advantage of the bitter temperatures to harvest grapes for ice wine.

"The Rise Cellars 2006 Riesling ice wine has the potential of being one of the best examples of Canadian Icewine – fruity, rich, complex and balanced," said winemaker Tilman Hainle, in a release.

"With that amount of intensity it will last for many years. I’m really looking forward to seeing this wine evolve."

When temperatures dropped to around minus 10, it was clear the next few days would be cold enough to pick, crush and press the roughly 10 tonnes of Riesling, Muscat and Kerner grapes that the Rise Cellars had set aside for ice wine in a Summerland vineyard.

A warmly dressed harvest crew of 20 picked all the grapes and currently they are being pressed out at a custom winemaking facility in Summerland.

"We knew something special was happening when Tilman was practically giddy about the prospect of being knee deep in snow, with minus 10 temperatures and picking grapes," said Leona Snider, owner of the Rise Cellars.

"The cold weather conditions give us a great opportunity to add a beautiful dessert wine to our portfolio."