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Late Harvest wines are made from grapes that are usually picked after the normal harvest and well before Icewine grapes are harvested. As the Late Harvest grapes are waiting to be picked, they start to lose some of their moisture and shrivel on the vine. This causes the sugars in the grape to concentrate and it creates the flavours Late Harvest grapes are famous for.
The process is a balancing act and requires that the grapes be carefully monitored on the vine. The longer the fruit remains on the vine the higher the chance they will fall prey to birds, poor weather conditions, rain, humidity, as well as mold and mildew infection.
Late Harvest wines are categorized according to sweetness, which is a measurement of the amount of sugar in the grape at harvest. In the wine world this is called the Brix level and is measured in degrees of Brix:
- Late Harvest Wine - must reach a minimum of 23 degrees Brix.
- Select Late Harvest Wine - must reach a minimum of 26 degrees Brix.
- Special Select Late Harvest Wine - must reach a minimum of 32 degrees Brix.
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