ice wine, a grape from the cold of the mountains

The Morgex (Italy) harvests are the highest in Europe, at nearly 1,300 meters. The harvest is done in the middle of the night, in the middle of winter. We must first remove the snow, which has fallen in abundance. They are about ten winegrowers, in ski clothes, around Nicolas Bovard, the young president of the cooperative “Cave du Mont-Blanc”.

The Chaudelune area covers only a few hectares. The ice wine harvest is done overnight, as every year for nearly 200 years. “It is a tradition that we must maintain. Not many of us know how to work this type of vines”, believes Alcide Veticoz, winemaker in Morgex. The grapes are picked very ripe, so that their sugar content is high. To flourish, it waits for the winter cold. The crates are then taken to the cooperative cellar, where the pressing of the grapes takes place, which must be done before the fruits heat up. The wine then ages for a year in barrels.