RemyScalza.com: Independent Journalism

RemyScalza.com: Independent Journalism Travel + People + Culture <![CDATA[Frozen grapes glow in the sunset in Canada's Okanagan Valley. The ice wine harvest takes place after dark, on the coldest days of the season.]]> <![CDATA[A stone arch opens to the grounds of Mission Hill Family Estate, a winery high above the shores of 90-mile Okanagan Lake. Mission Hill's ice wines have earned international acclaim.]]> <![CDATA[Intensely sweet but not cloying, ice wine is served chilled with dessert. ]]> <![CDATA[Director of wine education, Ingo Grady, pours a sample of freshly crushed grapes from December's ice wine harvest at Mission Hill winery. The grapes were picked by hand in the early dawn, when temperatures dipped to more than 20 degrees below freezing.]]> <![CDATA[Leafless vines climb the walls of Mission Hill Family Estate, one of the leading ice wine producers in the Okanagan Valley. Though close to 100,000 guests visited the winery last year, winter tastings are uncrowded and intimate.]]> <![CDATA[Just beyond the lakeside vineyards, the Okanagan Valley gives way to alpine terrain.]]> <![CDATA[A snowshoer treks through new powder at Big White, one of three major ski mountains in the Okanagan Valley.]]> <![CDATA[Guide Ed Kruger consults a field guide while on a backcountry snowshoe tour of Big White, a ski resort whose peaks top 7,000 feet.]]> <![CDATA[The Okanagan Valley in western Canada yields some of the world's best ice wines. Grapes must be picked and pressed at least 15 degrees below freezing to earn the distinction.]]> <![CDATA[Intensely sweet but not cloying, ice wine is served chilled with dessert. ]]>