Icewine

Article by Michael Fagin Meteorologist, Travel writer and Wine enthusiast

 

 

 

Niagara Icewine Festival

Icewine Festival Ontario

Most icewine experts agree that the first icewine was made in Germany.  However, if there is any question as to which is King of icewine today it is Ontario.  Sorry, British Columbia and Germany

Why is Ontario number one? Ontario has surpassed Germany in production. One reason for their success is that winter temperatures in Ontario usually drop to the benchmark of what temperature is needed to make icewine, ie; -8 C to -10 C (17 to F 14 F). This is not always the case for Germany.

However, temperatures in the icewine growing regions of Ontario and the Okanagan of British Columbia are rather similar. We’re not sure why 75% of icewine produced in Canada is produced in Ontario -- perhaps Ontario’s commitment to the hardy Vidal grape?  Another reason might be because Ontario wineries are more committed to icewine than Okanogan wineries.  Making icewine can be a risky venture as success depends upon the weather among other factors.

If anyone questions that Ontario is the King of icewine their doubt would have been erased if they had attended the fifteenth annual Icewine Gala held in the Niagara region of Ontario. This yearly event is generally held the last two or three weekends of January; we were there the first three days of this wonderful event. 

So how to best describe this event? One could describe the weekend as a sensory marathon or even described in more eloquent terms. Then one might say experiencing the weekend was akin to enjoying a majestic symphony with different movements.  A majestic symphony is a fitting simile as symphonic music has German roots in composers Mozart and Beethoven. This is a good analogy as the earliest icewine comes from Germany as well.

After relaxing and enjoying some of the local wine left for us we walked across the street to the Fallsview casino, home to the Icewine Gala. There is also a covered walkway that takes you directly into the Casino if you must brave the elements though on our visit the weather was mild.

Once we got to the ballroom we picked up our pace (allegretto-tempo). We needed to visit all 30 wine stations that were set up so we could sample the icewine and other wines produced there.  Lest we forget - the abundance of wine was balanced very well with the food

One of the many culinary highlights was pairing the chocolate (it took ten minutes just to look at all the chocolate) to find out which icewine went best with which chocolate. There was more to enjoy at the Gala than eating and drinking wine. With music in the background the atmosphere was conducive to visiting with other guests. Guests ranged from young couples making this a yearly event to others enjoying a one-time treat.

To conclude the evening and this first movement we took one last sip of icewine before retreating to our hotel.

The second movement of our icewine weekend (like many second movements) started off andante - in musical terms, a slower pace. The theme of this day was to visit some of the wineries in the Niagara-on-the Lake region. There are twenty-two wineries; sadly we could not visit them all.

One place that stood out was the Ravine Estates Winery http://www.ravinevineyard.com/ . Here Chef Paul treated us to a gourmet delight as Paul had worked under world famous chefs from New York to Germany.

Another winery that prides itself on architecture is the Stratus Vineyards http://www.stratuswines.com/ . We enjoyed their white wines in their uniquely designed glass wall conference room. Such architecture comes as no surprise since the owner is a famous furniture maker, David Feldberg. In fact Stratus became the first building in Canada to receive the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) designation, the first winery worldwide to obtain this distinction. 

Incidentally the wine is also great!  One reason is that Stratus uses thefamous Napa-based winemaker and viticulturist, consultant Paul Hobbs.

As part of the second movement our next stop was the Twenty Valley Winter Winefest held in Jordan Village, a town located on the bank of Twenty Mile Creek, a great venue.  With over 50 wines to choose from sipping wine, nibbling on food and visiting the town’s unique stores was a pleasure. Everything was nicely arranged and set out in outdoor tents. If you wanted a break from the wine and food then there are many shops to visit.

Ready for the third movement of our icewine weekend? First we needed to recharge ourselves for the Saturday evening winemakers’ dinner. We checked in at the Prince of Wales Hotel in the town of Niagara-on-the-Lake http://www.vintage-hotels.com/princeofwales/default.htm  This Victorian-style hotel provided the class and elegance of a building built in 1864 but with all the modern amenities, of course.

After a brief rest we plunged into the third movement (remember there are four) for our Saturday night; Heaven on Ice Winemaker’s Dinner. This third movement was not traditional classical music; instead we were entertained by wonderful jazz. The dinner and wine pairing was the result of a successful marriage of chefs from local Vintage Hotels. The dinner and wine were hosted by the Bosc family, the owners of Chateau des Charmes’. The owners have roots (five generations) in winemaking that can be traced back to the famous wine region of Alsace, France.

Please continue

 

 

* photo by Elizabeth Fagin

Additional Articles by Michael Fagin

For more information on Icewine

Wineries of Canada

Be a page Sponsor

e-mail to ask how you can become a page sponsor