Frozen grapes used to make a sweet dessert wine known as ice wine were harvested early Wednesday morning in Ikeda, Hokkaido.
Grapes for ice wine are frozen to increase their sugar content. If the grapes begin to thaw, they lose some of their sweetness, so the fruits are harvested in the intense cold before dawn.
Wednesday's temperature in Ikeda dropped as low as minus 19.2 C. About 30 employees from Tokachi Wine, a winery owned by the local government, went out in masks and harvested 318 kilograms of frozen grapes in about 30 minutes.
Tokachi Wine grew the Yamasachi grapes, which were registered as a brand with the International Organisation of Vine and Wine last autumn. In one year, these grapes will be used in about 500 bottles of ice wine, which has a 40% sugar content.
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