Ontario’s secret weapon
By Elizabeth Licata
Photos courtesy of Niagara Grape & Wine Festival.
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Creekside Winemakers Rob Power and
Craig McDonald. |
You don’t have to be a wine connoisseur to appreciate icewine. This is entry level oenology, but without the stigma. Icewine is sweet and scrumptious, like dessert in a glass, and fun to drink anytime. Icewine also has a distinguished history and the cachet of being valued by discriminating palates everywhere. Bruce Sanderson, senior editor of the respected wine journal Wine Spectator, gives the 2002 Cave Springs Reisling Icewine a 92, enthusing:
“Serious stuff here, with a sweet/tart component that has my dentist rubbing his hands with glee. Unctuous and packed with apricot, mandarin orange, and ruby grapefruit flavors that remain focused and vivid, then melt away on the lingering finish.”
And Spree’s wine writer Mark Criden says, “Icewine is the wine world’s demonstration that whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. The grapes that eventually cede their juice are survivors, of winds, rains, and cold. They’ve escaped birds and other predators as they’ve clung to their vines waiting to be rescued. The newly picked grapes aren’t pretty, but at their pinnacle, they make some of the greatest wines in the world.”
Starting January 18, the Niagara Grape and Wine Festival puts on a magnificent celebration of icewine throughout Ontario.
It’s possible to taste over 100 different icewines
during the ten days of events, which are too
numerous to describe completely.
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Xerox Fire and Ice Icewine Gala,
Friday, January 18, 8–11 p.m.,
Fallsview Casino.
This is the kick-off, where over thirty Canadian wineries will be offering tastes of the new vintage. There is also a large seafood buffet and a variety of food stations.
Twenty Valley Ice-wine Bar,
January 19–20, 11:30 a.m.–5 p.m., Jordan.
Visit this nineteen-foot decorative block of ice first for your first festive tasting and then visit surrounding wineries for more in-depth samplings.
The Fallsview Casino Icewine Lounge,
January 26–27, 11:30 a.m.–7 p.m., Niagara on the Lake.
The first two weekends of the festival are anchored by massive ice bars, one in Jordan, and one in NOTL. Both feature live ice-carving demonstrations, carriage rides, and entertainment at the ice bar, as well as tastings at surrounding wineries.
Founder’s Feast, Friday, February 1;
Winterfest, Saturday, February 2, both in St. Catherines.
The festival ends with a banquet and an outdoor evening celebration in St. Catharines, featuring an extravaganza of fine cuisine and wines from the best Ontario has to offer.
There are various ticket packages available for this, ranging from a $30 (CDN) pass that includes admission to winery events and the ice bars to a $795 (CDN) weekend package that includes everything, including the galas and dinners, as well as lodging and transportation.
Visit niagaraicewinefestival.com to learn more.
Elizabeth Licata is editor of Buffalo Spree.
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