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Niagara Wine Country Kicks off Icewine Season January 12 through 28

By Joe Wehinger — 12 months ago

Wine Lovers: Niagara Wine Country Kicks off Icewine Season January 12 through 28

January temperatures may be cold, but excitement is heating up across Niagara as the region prepares to celebrate its annual Icewine harvest season in style.

From January 12 through 28, Niagara wine country raises a glass to Canada’s liquid gold with glitzy galas, a wine and culinary touring program at 32 different wineries, a sparkling Niagara-on-the-Lake street festival, and more.

Niagara Icewine Festival fun kicks off on Friday January 12

Niagara Icewine Festival fun kicks off on Friday, January 12, with the return of the popular Discovery Pass Touring Program, sponsored by CAA Travel.

Niagara Wine Country Kicks off Icewine Season

For one low price, passport holders can visit their choice of three or six Niagara wineries on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in January to enjoy delicious wine and food pairings that simply can’t be found anywhere else on the planet. A new optional shuttle service offered this year makes it easier than ever for wine lovers to spend a January day sipping and savouring their way around Niagara wine country.

This year’s 32 winery partners are providing Discovery Pass guests with an extensive range of choices, including red, white and sparkling wines, Icewines, and non-alcoholic beverages, as well as vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, and dairy-free food pairings. Purchase Discovery Pass Touring Passports.

Wine lovers looking for an experience that embraces Icewine’s luxurious nature won’t want to miss the all-inclusive Cool As Ice Gala at the Niagara Parks Power Station on January 13. Presented by Fallsview Casino Resort, the dazzling evening event will showcase twenty-five of Niagara’s top wineries as they pour a diverse array of fine wines, cocktails, and mocktails.

Niagara Wine Country Kicks off Icewine Season

Eight of wine country’s most buzzed-about restaurants will showcase their skills through bold culinary experiences that will include everything from Indian street food to a decadent oyster bar and Icewine-kissed culinary delights like smoked salmon, pork belly, and wood-fired mushrooms. As Cool As Ice Gala guests savour these flavours, they will enjoy exclusive access to the Niagara Parks Power Station, which will ignite additional Icewine excitement with live music, art installations, show-stopping circus-style performances, and the opportunity to descend 180 feet in a glass-panelled elevator and walk a 2,200-foot-long tunnel for the ultimate sub-zero selfie at the edge of Niagara Falls. Browse the Cool As Ice Gala food pairings.

Last year’s Cool As Ice Gala guests were so wowed by the wine, food, and fun at the Niagara Park Power Station that ticket sales for this year’s event have been brisk. Cool As Ice Gala Tickets are already 85% sold, so those wanting to secure a spot on the guest list for January 13 should act quickly to avoid disappointment. Purchase Cool As Ice Gala tickets.

According to Niagara Wine Festival Executive Director Dorian Anderson, “There is no such thing as post-holiday hibernation in Niagara wine country! With 32 winery partners, three weekends of Discovery Pass touring and one unforgettable Cool As Ice Gala, the Niagara Icewine Festival offers wine lovers countless ways to experience the excitement of the Icewine harvest.”

The Niagara Icewine Festival

The Niagara Icewine Festival is part of the Niagara Grape & Wine Festival and takes place January 12 through 28 across Niagara. This year’s Niagara Icewine Festival includes a weekend Discovery Pass self-guided touring program, the Cool As Ice immersive experience on January 13 and the Niagara-on-the-Lake Icewine Festival on January 13, 14, 20, 21, 26, 27 and 28.

The Niagara Grape and Wine Festival is celebrating its 74th year with support from generous sponsors, including VQA Wines of Ontario, the Wine Marketing Association of Ontario, The Grape Growers of Ontario, the City of St. Catharines, Fallsview Casino Resort, Niagara Falls Tourism, Niagara College, CAA Travel, The Province of Ontario and the Tourism Partnership of Niagara.

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Taste History and Enjoy Finger Lakes Most Delicious Wineries

By Joe Wehinger — 3 years ago

Most Delicious Finger Laker Wineries

If you enjoy wine – especially white wine – a visit to the Finger Lakes should be your next trip.

The region, which includes 11 lakes in New York, makes a great escape from New York City and other Mid-Atlantic and New England areas for a weekend or more – the Finger Lakes is also a great cross-country flight.

The Finger Lakes is also an especially popular destination for romantic getaways and girls trips like bachelorette parties.

The best Finger Lakes for wineries

Look for wineries on Canandaigua, Keuka, Seneca and Cayuga lakes.

The heart of Finger Lakes wine country, these lakes each have a designated wine trail – though new growth and wine tasting rooms are popping up elsewhere in the region too.

Boundary Breaks

Grapes will grow almost anywhere. But to make the finest wines, you need to choose the grape varieties that are suited to the climate of the region and to your vineyard location.

In the cool climate of the Finger Lakes, the best place to grow grapes is close to the lake. And the deeper the lake, the better.

Seneca Lake is the deepest of the eleven Finger Lakes in Central New York. Even though winter temperatures can fall below zero, Seneca Lake rarely freezes over.

Cool-climate varieties include Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Cabernet Franc.

At Boundary Breaks, they grow each of these varieties and produce wines that express the full range styles that are possible from such classic grapes.

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Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery

Dr. Konstantin Frank ignited the “Vinifera Revolution” a movement that forever changed the course of wine growing in the Finger Lakes and the United States.

Dr. Frank’s vision, knowledge and determination are credited with elevating the New York wine industry from a state of happy mediocrity to a level that today commands world attention.

Their philosophy is to maintain the legacy built by our founder by continuously producing the highest quality wines from our vinifera vines.

Varieties such as Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and most recently, Gruner Veltliner are prized and beloved at our winery.

Our pioneering spirit pushes us to build upon our traditional foundation constantly innovating our methods.

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O-Neh-Da and Eagle Crest Vineyards

Hemlock Lake is home to O-Neh-Da and Eagle Crest Vineyards.

Nature inspires their wine making today.

They honor each unique cool-climate harvest, producing unadulterated local wines at a fair price. Amidst 6,684 acres of State Forest Land, come find their vineyard and winery, home to New York State’s oldest Bald Eagle nests.

A spirit of good stewardship informs their vineyard practices and packaging choices today. Eagle Crest wines are perfectly preserved and packaged in recycled glass, with soy-based inks and resealable Stelvin® closures.

They hope their wines bring Joy to your daily life and increasing discernment and appreciation for Balance and Beauty.

Varietals include chardonnay, riesling, red blends and more!

Element Winery at F.L.X. Provisions

Made by Christopher Bates—Winemaker, Master Sommelier & Executive Chef

Element Winery is a small production winery founded in 2009 with a mission to create high quality wines that are distinctively Finger Lakes.

With over 25 years of experience in the wine and hospitality industry, Master Sommelier and restauranteur, Christopher Bates is pushing the limits of expectations and expanding the definition of what is possible in the Finger Lakes.

Working with grapes from different soils, sites, and growers, Element aims to create world-class wines that are wholly representative of the extreme climate and terroir.

In addition to producing white wines, Element is focused on producing red wines that have the potential to redefine the Finger Lakes region.

Fox Run Vineyards

Long before the hundreds of travelers, wine-tasters, and oenophiles graced the tables and tasting bars of Fox Run, it was cows that explored the property.

Fox Run was a dairy farm for more than a century.

It wasn’t until 1984 that the first grapes were planted. Fox Run founders, Larry and Adele Wildrick, transformed the Civil War-era dairy barn into a winemaking facility in 1990.

In 1994, Scott Osborn and his first business partner, Andy Hale, purchased the winery from the Wildricks. Now with 50 acres of east-facing vineyards on glacial soils, the winery produces a remarkable range of limited-production, estate wines.

Since those early days, Scott has been working closely with winemaker Peter Bell.

Peter brings a science-based, rationalist approach to winemaking. His team aims to achieve full creative expression within each variety of grape, giving Fox Run an abundance of delicious and refreshing wines.

This wouldn’t be possible without the prowess of Vineyard Manager, John Kaiser, who has worked the land at Fox Run since the first grapes were planted in 1984.