Pillitteri 2007 Exclamation Cellar Series Reserve Cabernet Franc, VQA Niagara-on-the-Lake

What lurks behind the unique metallic label from a Canadian winery? Does this reserve Cab Franc still earn an exclamation after 10 years? We are about to uncork and find out.

A Friendly Convergence

Serendipity is when a number of seeming coincidences converge and result in a happy outcome. It happens sometimes in the wine world and, in fact, happened just the other day to me.

I was in Corks in Rossford, having dropped in to pick up a bottle of saké for a special “samurai Sunday” event for my tennis group. The Green Dragon had specifically told me not to buy any other wine – we are in the process of “drinking down” the wine cellar in preparation for an upcoming move out of state.

That was a nice idea on her part – but it just wasn’t going to happen. I grabbed my saké and then started rummaging around amongst their clearance bottles. I’ve discovered buried treasure there before.

A glint of silver caught my eye and I pulled out a bottle that seemed to have some sort of steam punk metallic label. Double goodness! It was a Cab Franc from one of the best Cab Franc regions in the world – Ontario. It was also from Pillitteri Estates, a winery we had visited in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Exclamation Indeed!

This is one of the few bottles I would buy for the bottle alone. The metal badge, in the shape of an exclamation point, is a representation of one of the 23 hanging stainless steel chairs in the barrel cellar of the winery. It depicts the original architectural drawing of the ‘King’s Chair,’ the largest of the family chairs hanging in the barrel cellar. Green Dragon and I along with tasting team members Glorious T and Cabernetor wandered down to the barrel cellar during our visit to seek shelter from a busload of tourists that just arrived at the tasting room.

In the barrel room we had the best ice wine tasting ever. We learned the secret of taking “micro-sips” of ice wine to appreciate it’s sweet magic. Pillitteri is a world-class winery with an amazing tasting room.

We uncorked this find at a wine party that featured a number of Cab Franc freaks. When you have a 10-year-old bottle from a region not typically known for long-aging, there is always a little bit of suspense. Once the oohs and aahs from the pretty bottle are over, the wine still needs to deliver. And it did.

The 2007 vintage in Ontario was outstanding for reds and the Pillitteri Exclamation Cab Franc lived up to that hype. The Exclamation series undergoes additional barrel aging and after a decade, the tannins are nicely smoothed into the wine. The Exclamation Cellar Series is made with grapes hand-selected during the best vintage years.

The Exclamation offers fragrant aromas of ripe berries. In the glass there are flavor notes of blackberry and currant. There are nice vanilla notes and a hint of pepper (but of course!).

This is a mountaintop experience for Cab Franc lovers. You’d be lucky to find the 2007, but the 2012 vintage is available for $50 (Canadian). We recommend you visit the winery in beautiful Niagara-on-the-Lake – but if you can’t, be sure to pick up the Exclamation Cab Franc.

Niagara Gets Back to Nature With Wild Fermentation

Hillebrand Wines

A report from TasteCamp North, a special Niagara wine event on both sides of the border for wine writers.

Without fermentation, you have no wine – just an expensive tank of murky grape juice. And yeast is the catalyst that transforms the fruit of the vine into the elixir so dear to our hearts.

During our recent trip to visit wineries in Niagara, we discovered that innovative winemakers there are experimenting with the use of wild fermentation techniques in place of commercial yeast cultures.

Hillebrand Wines and Southbrook are two wineries experimenting with the technique. Hillebrand winemaker Craig McDonald led the TasteCamp group through a tasting of their wild ferment Sauvignon Blanc.

Most wines use commercial yeast and the selection of particular strains can contribute to the finish of wines, enhancing aromas of wood or berries, for example.Wild fermentation means that a winemaker didn’t add commercial yeast, but that the wine started fermenting naturally from wild yeasts in the air and living on grape skins.

It is very much in line with the emphasis on terroir I observed in Niagara. Winemakers there are trying to create wines that taste like Niagara, not Napa or Italy. Wild fermentation zooms in, even more, allowing the wine to taste like the particular vineyard from which it sprang.

With the standard fermentation, a foil package of yeast culture is sprinkled into the crush and within 15 minutes the process has begun. Wild fermentation is much more mysterious and, according to McDonald, much riskier. The winemaker must crush the grapes and wait for them to ferment on their own. You don’t know what you’re going to get. Ideally, you’ll get a more complex wine that layers that express the terroir of the vineyard.

In the tastings we had a Hillebrand, the native ferment Sauvignon Blanc had a more mineral, earthy flavor. Interesting indeed, but side by side with Sauv Blanc fermented the standard (commercial yeast) way, my nod went to the “tame” fermentation. While the wild ferment may have best expressed the terroir, it wasn’t the best expression of the varietal.

It may be thus when you are pushing the envelope. All the variables with wild ferment are not in your control – but when you dial it in, the reward is an incredibly unique artisan wine.

Technorati Tags: wine,TasteCamp North

A Wine From Canada… Really? Niagara Winemakers Seek Respect on the World Stage

 The first of our reports from TasteCamp North, a special Niagara wine event on both sides of the border for international wine writers.

I can’t be the only person who is more familiar with the wines from France, Chile, Spain, Italy and Australia than with the wines of our northern neighbor. It’s simply much easier to stroll into a wine shop and bag a wine from the Loire, let’s say, than find a Chardonnay from the Niagara Peninsula, which is thousands of miles closer.

It’s a crying shame. The wine industry in Ontario has grown and matured for nearly 200 years. The fruits are now apparent in glorious wines that cover a wide spectrum, world class wineries and skilled winemakers that are trekking to this up-and-comer on the world stage. Oh yeah, the Americans are also taking advantage of the spectacular terroir with the growth of the Niagara USA wine region.



Chateau Des Charmes Vineyard

Ontario wineries take advantage of a temperate climate, enhanced by the diversity of glacial soils and the moderating effect of the Great Lakes, to produce mature fruit and complex wines. Ontario wine country is located similar in latitude to southern France. The daily temperatures fluctuate providing conditions for balance between acidity and fruitiness.

Some observations.

• The Niagara wineries offer an outstanding variety, not just ice wines. Get ready for some outstanding Merlot, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Meritage blends in addition to great Cab Franc, Riesling and Gewürztraminer.
• Many of the wineries are huge operations but unknown to us since the wines aren't widely distributed in the U.S.
• Some of the winery buildings are architectural masterpieces with a tendency toward clean, modern lines. The winery tasting rooms range from wine country casual to world class showrooms.



No one went hungry at TasteCamp

• You will enjoy a top shelf wine tasting experience. Forget cheap industrial glasses or (gasp) plastic. Most wineries we visited served samples in high end crystal stemware including Reidel.
• Much of the wine is pricey with costs of $35 to $45 Canadian very common. Sixty-nine percent of a wine’s price in Canada is taxes. It is one way the country funds its health care system.
• The quality wines are just the “cherry on top” of a great wine country experience that includes superb scenery, cultural events and top tier restaurants and dining.

More TasteCamp reports will follow. In the meanwhile,these two links will serve to whet your appetite.
Wine Country Ontario
Niagara Wine Trail USA


Special cellar tasting at Vineland

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Niagara-on-the-Lake Winery Visit: Stratus

Another in our series of Niagara-on-the-Lake winery reports.

For drama, great wine, and a “stratospheric” experience, you can doStratus Vineyards in Niagara-on-the-Lake. The winery opened in 2005 with the goal of assembling one premium blended white and one red from multiple varietals grown on the estate grounds.

no better than

During our visit we sampled the 2006 Stratus White, a Viognier/Gewürztraminer blend that had been served up at the G8 conference. This number had pineapple and orange blossom fragrances with a dash of floral. This super-cool wine was refreshing and enjoyable.

And speaking of super-cool, the tasting room at Stratus could double as a modern art gallery in Scandinavia.  With a clean black and white motif contrasting with swirling contemporary paintings and elongated straight lines, it was as enjoyable to drink in the surroundings as it was to sample the premium wines.

Although the winery is known for their Stratus Red and Stratus White blends, it has a superb line of single varietal offerings. The signature Stratus wines sell $44 Canadian each.

We had the chance to sample the 2007 Stratus Malbec, which was the first bottling for the winery. This was a smooth drinker with spice and crushed berry as well as an unusual tea-like undertone.
The 2007 Stratus Merlot was a very competent wine that also had a silky texture with cherry and vanilla. On this day, it wasn’t our favorite.

Rounding out our tasting was the 2007 Stratus Cabernet Franc. Deep purple in color, this was a favorite of tasting team member Glorious T, who commented that the back-end of the wine was remarkable. It had a kick of pepper which followed an elegant plum and toffee approach. This is a very attractive wine priced at $38.

Stratus has a number of themed food and wine seminars in the

contemporary tasting rooms and outdoor terrace. While we were there they were advertising Vertical Saturdays and Horizontal Sundays. For the verticals, they were offering side by side tastings of Stratus White and Stratus Red from the 2007, 2006 and 2005 vintages. The horizontal tastings featured their flagship icewines including Icewine White, Icewine Red, Riesling Icewine and Semillion Icewine.

Membership in their Stratus Wine Club costs $500 and entitles you to one case of wine.

This is definitely an upscale experience. With quality wines and an impressive tasting room experience, the sky is truly the limit for Stratus.

Technorati Tags: wine,Niagara-on-the-Lake

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Niagara-on-the-Lake Winery Visit: Jackson-Triggs Niagara Estate Winery

Another in our series of Niagara-on-the-Lake winery reports.
Jackson-Triggs is a heavyweight on the Niagara-on-the-Lake wine scene. Chance are you have heard of them even if you have never ventured north of the border. They are well known for their icewine, which is widely available in the US.

As we were driving to the winery we noticed an odd building in the distance and weren’t quite sure what it could be – the futuristic, industrial lines looked like it could be a power plant or something from Tron Legacy. Rolling closer we realized this was in fact our destination.

Without a doubt, this is one of the most unusual and coolest winery buildings you’ll ever see. It was past noon and we were ready for some food. We pulled out our cooler and picnic goodies and made ourselves at home at a picnic table with a good view of the winery and the vineyards.

The winery is a state-of-the-art facility and 20 times Jackson-Triggs

has been named Canadian Winery of the Year. The secret is out, however, and on the day of our visit, the facility was teeming with busloads of visitors. Jackson-Triggs is part of Vincor, which was purchased by Constellation, one of the world’s foremost wine and liquor companies.

My tasting was somewhat limited here. The tasting room was crowded and in order to pace myself (we had been visiting other wineries), I decided to sample just a couple of selections.

My first was the 2006 Niagara Peninsula Meritage. This is a blend of 37% Cabernet Franc, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon and 27% Merlot. This had some nice raspberry and plum flavor notes, but to me, it had a rough quality – perhaps due to high tannins.

My next selection was actually a Le Clos Jordanne wine. Jackson-Triggs and Le Clos Jordanne are stable mates within the Constellation brand. I sampled the 2007 Le Gran Clos Pinot Noir. This is a super premium Pinot that lists for about $70. It has dancing flavors of chocolate and cinnamon along with red fruit. 2007 was considered a top vintage and there is no doubt this is one of the premier Pinots in Ontario.

The winery is a showcase and also offers a full experience with winery tours, culinary events, and musical performances. You can also check out icewine from four different grapes: Gewürztraminer, Cabernet Franc, Riesling, and Vidal. A sparkling Riesling icewine is also offered.
This is a NOTL must-see.

Technorati Tags: wine,Niagara-on-the-Lake,Ontario

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Niagara-on-the-Lake Winery Visit: Lailey Vineyard

Continuing our series on Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, winery visits.
Lailey is a small Niagara-on-the-Lake winery that is a welcome change of pace from giants such as Inniskillin, Peller Estates, or Jackson-Triggs. In fact, the tasting room is about the size of the coatroom in these other wineries. Without the expansive grounds and the hype, this little winery can focus on producing some amazingly good wines.

Lailey Vineyards got its start back in the 1970s when David Lailey and his wife Donna converted the family fruit tree farm to growing vinifera grapes. After selling grapes to wineries for years, they obtained a winery license in 2000 and were joined by former customer Derek Barnett who took over the role of winemaker. Today Lailey is considered in the top tier of Niagara wineries and regularly wines prizes in prestigious wine competitions for their Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot.

The tasting room is a blockish, modern-looking structure with enormous windows and a high ceiling. However, there just isn’t much room. A long bar runs the length of the room and there is just a small swath of standing room between the counter and the window. While the larger NOTL wineries can handle hundreds of visitors at a time, 20 visitors at Lailey is quite a crowd.

It reminded me a bit of standing in line for concessions at Yankee Stadium. However, once you make your way to the counter, you get something much better than warm beer and an overpriced hotdog.

We started off with the 2008 Counterpoint, an interesting white blend of Gewürztraminer (37%), Sauvignon Blanc(34%), Un-oaked Chardonnay (13%), Semillon (11%), and Riesling (5%). This was pleasant, but not a show-stopper. It had citrus flavors with a touch of peach. The bottle retails for $25.

Reds were on our minds and I started with the 2007 Gamay-Zweitgelt Niagara Peninsula. This is an off-beat wine that combines the fruity Gamay with the spicy Zweigelt. This is a fun and playful wine that would be right at home on the patio for a backyard barbecue. It only costs $14 and is a nice value. A check of the Lailey website shows that it is currently sold out.

The next glass was the 2008 Syrah. I have to give props to my server. When he was asked to describe the flavor of the wine he said, “salami, pastrami, and toffee.” What a combination! The wine was indeed delightfully complex with earthiness and flavors of smoked meat. You could take time unraveling the many layers of this wine. It has sufficient tannins to lay down for several years.

The grand finale was the 2008 Pinot Noir Brickyard Vineyard. The Brickyard is a tiny 3.2-acre vineyard growing Pinot Noir & Chardonnay. In 1800 settler John McFarland, a boat builder to King George III used the clay from this site to build his brick home. This is a beautifully balanced wine. It has flavor notes of jasmine and ripe red fruit. This was the standout wine of our visit.

Donna Lailey was the only female founding member of the Vintner’s Quality Alliance (VQA), which is now the standard for quality Canadian wine. Lailey is small, but packs a powerful and tasty punch.

Technorati Tags: wine,Niagara-on-the-Lake

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Niagara-on-the-Lake Winery Visit: Peller Estates Winery

Another in our series of reports on Niagara-on-the-Lake winery visits.


Peller Estates Winery is an upscale Mecca for wine lovers and tourists. The winery, which boasts a spectacular building and a Zagat top-rated restaurant, has past honors as Canadian Winery of the Year. The wine boutique was overflowing with premium wine merchandise, tasting stations and swarming visitors.

We worked our way to a tasting station and began tasting the Private Reserve Red Flight. The Private Reserve is the mid-level line of wines, in between the Family Series and the premium Signature Series’ Ace of Bass, and I tasted through the three wines beginning with the 2007 Private Reserve Merlot. This was pleasing enough, but not remarkable. The 2008 Private Reserve Cabernet Franc was thoroughly enjoyable with a rustic taste of currants and spice.

We’re big Meritage fans and turned our attention to the 2008 Private Reserve Meritage. We rated it “decent” but not as nice as the Cab Franc.

The Signature Series Flight led off with a 2004 Signature Series Merlot. This was velvety smooth with juicy red fruit and we rated it as an all-around winner. The 2003 Signature Series Cabernet Franc, which retails for about $35 Canadian, was next. I was liking the super fragrant aroma, but Glorious T (who arrived on the scene after checking out the shop merchandise) did not like it. The pepper is the thing for her and she didn’t go for this particular taste. We wrapped up the tasting with the ‘04 Signature Series Cab Sauvignon and the general impression was that the tannins were over the top resulting in a woody taste. This was our fourth winery and we decided we were only going to spend time with the wines we really liked.

The crowds were much larger than any of the other wineries we had visited on our Niagara trip and so we prepared to leave. As we were walking out, we noticed a sign that beckoned with the promise of more bargains downstairs. Down we went and the further down we went, the higher up our opinion of Peller Estates went.



We emerged from the stairway into an amazing barrel cellar showcase. Barrels were stacked in all directions and the centerpiece was a magnificent dining space enclosed with floor to ceiling windows. The fine table linen and glassware gleamed as wait staff prepared for a special wine tasting education event.

We worked our way to a tasting bar made from wine barrels. The cellar temperature was cool and the pressing masses upstairs apparently overlooked this awesome area under their feet. While the tastings upstairs were $7 per flight, the tastings for the bargain wines were only a dollar. We had a friendly server all to ourselves and started with a ‘06 Sur Lie Chardonnay. This wine is aged in oak barrels and aged on the skins for 12 months. It had a toasted oak and citrus flavor with a nice medium body.

We moved to the 2006 Private Reserve Merlot. This really grabbed us as an elegant wine.This had a nice touch of blackberries and soft oak. It had a medium body and a round finish of chocolate and spice. The price was only $6 for a Niagara Peninsula VQA Merlot, so we were all over it.

The tasting finished as it should with some 2002 Riesling icewine. Our server coached us, telling us to chew the sweet juice for 10 seconds to truly enjoy its wonderful nuances.

Peller is a family-owned winery the should be on the radar for all wine lovers touring Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Technorati Tags: wine,niagara-on-the-lake

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Niagara-On-The-Lake Winery Visit: Reif Estate Winery

Another in our series of reports on Niagara-On-The-Lake, Ontario, wineries.

Sometimes a wine experience can reverse in a flash. A non-descript winery visit can flip with the acquaintance of a new friend, an amusing story, or a wine discovery.

The TWAV tasting team rolled into Reif Estate Winery with high expectations. The outside looked great and the wine boutique was busy with tasting tourists, displays of bottles, and a large and central tasting bar.

Reif is one of the NOTL founding family wineries. Ewald Reif planted the vineyards in 1977 and the winery opened in 1982. Today the vineyard produces a full range of varietals including Vidal icewine and premium “first growth” reds from the oldest vines.

We started with a a 2009 white wine called Trend. This was a weak and unremarkable wine that earned two thumbs down from the crew. We moved then to what we thought would be a cool group of wines, the Jera Collection. Jera is an ancient rune representative of a good harvest.

We sampled the 2008 Laguz, an off-dry white wine. The winery brochure fails to mention the actual grapes used, so the taster is left guessing (Vidal Blanc perhaps with some Chardonnay and Riesling?).
Whatever the mixture, we found it uninspired. That’s when our tasting experience changed gears.

Our server was Archie, who had a wild mustache and a great

personality. He asked how we were enjoying the wines and we leveled with him – we weren’t impressed. Then it was Archie to the rescue.

First, he told us that the Jera wines are really an attempt to create a mass-market wine that will appeal to the Millennial crowd. Despite the New Age names (like Ingwaz, Sowhilo, and Mennaz) they really aren’t sophisticated wines.

He grabbed the bottle of 2007 Meritage and we savored this elegant wine that hinted at licorice, cherry, and currant. There are almost equal parts Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon highlighted with a dash of Cabernet Franc. This brought smiles of approval from Ace of Bass and Glorious T. This bottle goes for about $27 CA.

While Archie was dispensing the wine, he was also dishing out wine knowledge, including his wine tasting tips. One notable one was that when enjoying your wine with your meal, drink some of the wine before you swallow your food so you can truly enjoy the pairing.

Our grand finale was the 2007 Shiraz. This was a beautiful pepper encrusted wine that is very soft. It has flavor notes of raspberry and black currant and is deep purple. The wine had subtle herbal tones and Archie mentioned that this would go especially well with dishes seasoned with Rosemary.

We enjoyed Archie’s company for just a while longer and then stepped out to relax on the winery’s grounds before shooting to our next stop.

Reif went from bust to blast and we recommend it highly to you.

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Niagara-On-The-Lake Winery Visit: Inniskillin Wines

Continuing our series of reports on Niagara-on-the-Lake wineries in Ontario.

The second stop in the Niagara-on-the-Lake leg of our Ontario winery tour was Inniskillin Wines. Chances are that you have seen Inniskillin wines even if you have never ventured north of the border. The winery was founded in 1975 and ushered in a new era of world recognition for Canadian wines and put Canada's icewine on the world map.

Inniskillin's Niagara Winery is located on the Brae Burn Estate Vineyard, which is home to the historic Brae Burn Barn built in the 1920s. The property includes a winery visitor center, wine tasting bar, and the wine shop. This is a big, sophisticated, and beautiful winery. Walking to the tasting room, you see row after row of icewine grapes (and can pluck a couple if no one is

looking). Just a few steps from the tasting room a load of collected grapes was being emptied into a bin for processing.

The tasting room featured an expansive bar and a “wine boutique” as they like to call it in Canada where you could choose from a multitude of wines, upscale wine glasses, or gifts.
We settled in and began with a glass of 2009 Winemaker Series Viognier. This was quite tasty with

fruit flavors of grapefruit and lime with just a dash of spice. Our second glass was of the 2009 Two Vineyards Riesling. We found this to be very balanced with a crisp minerality, nice tropical fruit, and a clean finish. We bought a bottle of this for our friends at home.

The 2008 Meritage was next as we segued into the reds. The flavor is dominated by red berries and spice, but we noted a very smooth approach and finish. We’re Meritage fans and this was a nicely put together wine.

We capped off the tasting with a sample of the 2007 Legacy Cabernet Franc. Legacy is the top tier of the Inniskillin wines, marked with a distinctive gold label and the winemaker’s signature. Each vintage the winemaker, Bruce Nicholson, chooses the most outstanding varietal from the vintage and makes one very limited wine. A wine like this is what makes a trip to a winery so rewarding. You can sip the wine, hear someone from the winery explain it, and then look outside and see the vineyards from where the grapes came.
The Cab Franc was smooth, none of the bite that you often get with this peppery grape. It had hearty black fruit, spice, and tobacco notes. It was an exclamation point at the end of our visit.

The tasting room had a great looking icewine tasting area set up, but we bypassed that as the tasting team was anxious to get moving.

Inniskillin is a topflight destination winery in the beautiful Niagara-on-the-Lake area. Inniskillin brought respect to Canadian wines and continues to produce outstanding wines.

Although it is mostly their icewine that makes it into the US, they produce a full line of beautiful wines in three different series including their premier Legacy line. This is a great destination for all wine trail travelers.

Photos by Glorious T

Technorati Tags: wine,niagara-on-the-lake

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Niagara-On-The-Lake Winery Visit: Riverview Cellars Estate Winery



Our winery report from Niagara continues with a look at wineries in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario.

After spending the night and having breakfast at Niagara Falls (Canadian side), we took a brief diversion to enjoy the spectacle of the Falls. Glorious T and Ace of Bass, our traveling companions, hadn’t been to the Falls, so  Maid of the Mist was was on their “bucket list.”

The weather cleared and we had a glorious ride. The fury of the Horseshoe Falls, unfortunately, took its toll on my camera. After the boat docked, I checked my camera and the display showed a crazy series of diagonal lines with a color palette from another planet.

Luckily Glorious T is a top photographer and I told her that she had the crucial role of snapping photos for at least the rest of the day while my camera dried out.

Niagara-on-the-Lake is a charming wine community bounded on the east by the Niagara River and on the north by Lake Ontario. We travelled north on the Niagara Parkway enjoying spectacular views along the way.



Riverview -- Our first NOTL winery stop.

Our first stop was Riverview Cellars Estate Winery. This winery opened in 2000 and is a family operation run by Sam and Lina Pillitteri. The vineyards were converted from orchards in the 1990s.Their portfolio of wines includes Gewürztraminer and Chardonnay on the white side and Cabernet Franc and Bordeaux blends on the red.

The tasting room was unassuming and encompassed a gift shop. I started with a 2009 Vidal. This was semi-sweet and seems like a good Riesling alternative. This is their best seller. The 2008 Dry Gewürztraminer was pleasantly aromatic and rated a top pick by me. This sells for $16.95.

Shifting to the reds, I sampled the 2008 Baco Noir. This has the fruit flavor of wild berries and a light body. The 2007 Cabernet Franc was light in body with forest and earthy flavor notes.

We closed with a sample of the 2007 Merlot. This was invitingly smooth.with flavors of cherries and cinnamon. This would be a nice pairing with a variety of food including chicken and turkey.

The wines were pleasant, but didn’t trigger exploding fireworks. Our trip was quick but enjoyable. We had many other wineries to visit.

Technorati Tags: wine,niagara-on-the-lake

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Niagara-On-The-Lake Icewine Festival A Cool Event For January

Image by Andy Ciordia via Flickr

Snow draped vineyards and warm hospitality collide during the Niagara-on-the-Lake Icewine Festival. Events are scheduled in this scenic Ontario town daily throughout the month of January. Icewine comes to life as each of the Wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake offer distinct events sure to leave a sweet taste in your mouth. For a full list of Winery events, click here.

In addition, the Heritage District will be the site of a variety of Icewine-inspired events, the flagship event being the Niagara-on-the-Lake Icewine Village. Held on January 22 and 23 from11 am to 5 pm, the event pairs Icewines from the 25 Wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake with jazz music and Icewine-infused delicacies from Niagara-on-the-Lake dining partners. Admission is free.

Back in September TWAV visited the wineries of NOTL and we were dazzled by the wine and beautiful "tasting boutiques" at the wineries. Ice wines are a rare treat -- and done perhaps nowhere better than in Ontario. One of the wineries we visited was Strewn. I'm sorry I won't be able to get back there to try their Icewine Shake. Sounds tasty.

Reif Winery, another one of our favorites, is offering the Icewine Experience on weekends. You can taste a flight of Icewine paired with culinary delights at their Sensory Wine Bar. Start with a butternut squash soup paired with Riesling Icewine, next taste two Vidal Icewines, one paired with duck terrine and one paired with blue cheese for a sensory explosion. Finish with a strawberry truffle paired with Cabernet Franc Icewine. Reservations are not required but strongly recommended. Cost is $30 per person.

On the evening of January 22, Wine Country’s hottest Icewine “mixologists” will compete in the Icewine Cocktail Competition, where guests can sample the innovative Icewine cocktails created. Admission is free.

Icewine Legends, a tasting series lead by Niagara-on-the-Lake’s founding and upcoming Icewinemakers, allows guests to taste the legacy of Niagara-on-the-Lake’s most precious wine. It takes place the weekends of January 15-16, 22-23 and 29-30. The cost is $35 per person. For more Niagara-on-the-Lake Icewine Festival events, including Icewine & A Movie, a celebration of Icewine and 50 Years of Shaw Festival and Goodies for Grownups, an Icewine and dessert reception hosted by celebrity Chef Anna Olson, visit the Wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake website.

Technorati Tags: wine,icewine,Niagara-on-the-Lake,Ontario

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