ICE WINE FESTIVAL - Niagara-on-the-Lake

SeaBreez

SeaBreez

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see post #20 for...

the 2012 Icewine Festival...

We had a blast... what else is there to do on a cold winter's day? (Festival on until the end of January).

http://www.icewinefestival.com/page/icewine_home

Frozen grapes on a bar made of ice:

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Cheers:


Seabreez
 
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Tried it once, can't drink the stuff - WAY too sweet. In fact, we still have a bottle of it in the fridge, been there over a year now. Looks like you had a good time, though. We visited there in the summer a few years ago (along with several other wineries in the region), that's a good way to spend a warm summer day on a bike!
 
Ya, not too many people like sweet wine. I particularly like ice wine and port. I was in Ice Wine Heaven. My wife and I took the Vulcan along the senic route (Lakeshore to Niagara) last summer and learned of the Ice Wine Festival.

The Tour was fantastic - learned a bit about ice wine, food paring, the region, and had such a great time socializing. We did not meet any "wine snobs" and found everyone to be instantly friendly. The ice breaker started on the bus when we began introducing ourselves and by the end of the day some of us were exchanging contact info to meet up at the next tasting (regular wines).

http://iyellowwineclub.com/

February - Taste 7 wines for $35.00? (Drake Hotel, Toronto) I'm in on that - anyone else? It is much cheaper than buying a $35.00 bottle of wine you don't like.

SeaBreez

(BTW so looking forward to the Summer Party at the CNE) http://www.gtamotorcycle.com/vbforum/showthread.php?132645-Summer-Party-at-CNE)

and stroking off skydiving from my bucket list: http://www.gtamotorcycle.com/vbforum/showthread.php?132756-Sky-Diving-this-summer-are-you-in
 
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Ah yes, a smile usually comes back brighter then when given...(Old chinese proverb - sorta).

rafiki911 said:
What a charmer:) You got all the ladies smiling for you.
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I think we all got friendly on the way over from Toronto when our tour guide asked us all to introduce ourselves. "I like to Drink"...shouted out one of the co-partiers...once we started drinking it all went downhill. Or uphill depending on your opinion. None of us had to drive - what a blast.

While taking a picture of our tour guide getting her Wine book autographed this ultra pretty girl (apparently a wine lover like myself) asks me if I could take a picture of her with Jim Cuddy when I was finished photographing my daughter. I told her it was my sexy young wife - and I'd be happy to. OMG do I look that old? LOL X2 (Sometimes one forgets the outside ages faster than the inside).

Boy was I wrong about the type of folks who like wine. Not your typical crowd.

Anyone care to share their wine experiences....or suggest an outing??


SeaBreez
 
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If you like Ice Wine and chocolate, I strongly encourage you to attend this event: http://www.niagaracollege.ca/decadence/

Canada’s Premier Student Pastry Competition Chocolate and Icewine Event

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The Canadian Food and Wine Institute at Niagara College is proud to host Decadence, Canada’s only national student pastry competition. This unique event will draw the best and brightest pastry students from across the country for a competition that will showcase two wonderful theme ingredients: chocolate and Icewine.
Decadence offers a weekend of fun and competition, and a chance to meet culinary and wine leaders in the heart of Niagara – one of Canada’s leading food and wine destinations and the home of Icewine. The event will also feature a range of events that celebrate Icewine and chocolate, and offer the opportunity to learn more about Canada’s wine regions.
 
Great to see other wine lovers on here!

I do wine reviews for Newstalk 1010 at 8:30 on sundays (shameless plug)

I'm usually down there once a month it's a quick drive from the city there are so many wineries that you can pretty much throw a dart at a map of the niagara peninsula and find somewhere you haven't been. We will usually pick 3 or 4 for a day and go down for a few hours and it's just a matter of planning based on where they are located.

The ice wine festival is nice and occasionally some of the restaurants will do similar menus to summerlicious/winterlicious.
 
andredadatsun said:
Great to see other wine lovers on here!

I do wine reviews for Newstalk 1010 at 8:30 on sundays (shameless plug)

.
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Im a fan of Ontario whites.

May I have a top 10 list of your highly recommended Ontario whites?

.
 
andredadatsun said:
Great to see other wine lovers on here!
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Amazing what kind of people you can find on a motorcycle forum these days, eh? :)

Have you ever traveled outside the Niagara region? There are a lot of quality wineries in the Prince Edward County region, south of Belleville on the island. The wife and I were regulars at a lot of them when we used to live out that way; our personal favourite being The Grange. Most of them started out using grapes from the Niagara region until their own vines were ready, but when they started using their own we found the quality to be just as good - and in some cases better - than the best of the Niagara.
 
one of my friends family has a vineyard down there doing the icewine thing...tried it, bit too sweet for me, but i sure love the ice wine jelly on crackers, i like the wine tasting in the summer when you can grab barbeque food too...shot a few events so i got a bunch of free tastings, good stuff...lots of fun...although i recommend driving to them if you're gonna drink and not ride, lol...
 
andredadatsun said:
Great to see other wine lovers on here!

I do wine reviews for Newstalk 1010 at 8:30 on sundays (shameless plug)

I'm usually down there once a month it's a quick drive from the city there are so many wineries that you can pretty much throw a dart at a map of the niagara peninsula and find somewhere you haven't been. We will usually pick 3 or 4 for a day and go down for a few hours and it's just a matter of planning based on where they are located.

The ice wine festival is nice and occasionally some of the restaurants will do similar menus to summerlicious/winterlicious.
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Nice to see fellow bikers interested in wine too. I will try to catch your show. (shameless plug). The chocolate and Ice Wine (KMT250SX) sounds awesome too. My wife and I met several seasoned wine enthusiasts at the Ice Wine festival and look forward to several more get togethers in the near future. BTW I too would be interested in a list of recommended wines (MotoStark).


 
GayManLoveIsOK said:
...although i recommend driving to them if you're gonna drink and not ride, lol...
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Actually, you're not supposed to consume the wine at tastings - you just take a sip, swish it around so it flows across the tastebuds, then spit it out into the handy "spitoon" close by, nibble a piece of cheese to clean the palate while looking thoughtfully into the empty glass and then make a few pretentious comments about the wine's character and body before moving on to the next sample. Some people make the mistake of swallowing every sample they're offered, what that does is numb the tastebuds so that the subtle nuances of each different wine are lost. Plus, you end up getting hammered, which is so totally not the point of wine tasting events in the first place.
 
Gummiente said:
Actually, you're not supposed to consume the wine at tastings - you just take a sip, swish it around so it flows across the tastebuds, then spit it out into the handy "spitoon" close by, nibble a piece of cheese to clean the palate while looking thoughtfully into the empty glass and then make a few pretentious comments about the wine's character and body before moving on to the next sample. Some people make the mistake of swallowing every sample they're offered, what that does is numb the tastebuds so that the subtle nuances of each different wine are lost. Plus, you end up getting hammered, which is so totally not the point of wine tasting events in the first place.
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lol he suggests to drive a car and not ride and all you got to say is that your supposed to spit it out??? How about if your going to drink it and not spit it out don't ride or drive!!!
 
rafiki911 said:
lol he suggests to drive a car and not ride and all you got to say is that your supposed to spit it out??? How about if your going to drink it and not spit it out don't ride or drive!!!
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No ****, Sherlock. The not drinking and riding/driving part is a given and shouldn't have to be mentioned.
 
ok girls, stop fighting...yes, i didn't elaborate on the tasting part...but some of the events i go to down there aren't just wine tasting, they are are full on park events with food and wine galour, all meant for consumption...and all this talk about spitting...i like to swallow too you know every now and then...cheers
 
GayManLoveIsOK said:
ok girls, stop fighting...yes, i didn't elaborate on the tasting part...but some of the events i go to down there aren't just wine tasting, they are are full on park events with food and wine galour, all meant for consumption...and all this talk about spitting...i like to swallow too you know every now and then...cheers
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I would like to thank everyone for posting....:D

LMAO.. I agree with both posters, there is a time for full out partying...and a time for swirl and spit...take the 2010 wine show at the convention center for example...lots of ppl **** faced...me included...yes my taste buds were impaired and couldn't tell the difference between a Shiraz and Riesling...but what the heck...It was party central...and we left the car at home. :D

On another note when tasting to stock the cellar there is no place for an impaired palate.

IMHO...wine is to be enjoyed with friends (new and old) no matter how, as long as no one is driving...even if swallowing from time to time :confused1:
 
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Gummiente said:
No ****, Sherlock. The not drinking and riding/driving part is a given and shouldn't have to be mentioned.
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Mkay... clearly it's not a given for everyone since we still have drunk people driving around....
 
Hey Guys!

sorry for taking so long to reply. things have been crazy at work lining up some more stuff to talk about on the show. and there are a lot more posts to look through on this forum than the clubs back home

May I have a top 10 list of your highly recommended Ontario whites?
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I will fire a few affordable ones that I really like that should cover a few tastes. It would be hard to just give a general 10.

IMHO there are A LOT of really great cheap Ontario white blends. They all have a little bit of sweetness to them so if your usual White wine of choice is a dry chardonnay you might turn your nose up at these.

Henry of Pelham - Sibling Rivalry - This is the only of the three Sibling Rivalry wines that I really enjoy. (Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Chardonnay)
Trius - White - This is comparable to the sibling rivalry but a little more money and a little smoother.(33% Gewurztraminer, 30% Riesling, 24% Pinot Gris, 7% Chardonnay and 6% Savagnin)
Chateau des Charmes - Generation Seven - Didn't even know this was a Chateau des Charmes the bottle is really nifty looking and it's a little dryer than the previous two mentioned. (Sauvignon Blanc/Riesling/Gewürztraminer)

for something more straight up
2009 Malivoire Pinot Gris - It's a little sweet and winery only but very crisp clean and rolls right off the tongue. This wine leaves a clean fruity taste in the mouth, probably my favourite on a hot day.
2009 Henry of Pelham Unoaked Charonnay - A very versatile dry Chardonnay with a hint of heavier citrus (think Grapefruit). I cooked with this making a garlic roasted chicken... I would highly recommend this one as well.

if you guys wanted to see what I talk about on the show you can find me on facebook through "the wine review with andre proulx"... if you check out the discussions page for anyone going down to Niagara as well I have been getting offers from the wineries to offer to listeners and I post them there.

I'll be heading down to Niagara next weekend too on Sunday... hopefully should be a calm day with everyone staying in to watch the superbowl.
 
Thanks for the suggestions, and the details of the wines - I look forward to trying them.
 
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Ok, as another riding season is rapidly coming to a close...


The 17th Annual Icewine Festival is on at Niagara-On-The-Lake; January 13 - 29th 2012.
http://www.icewinefestival.com/page/icewine_home


Last year we had a blast with Angie of iyellow wine club http://iyellowwineclub.com/about.

She is offering an early bird price on a bus tour with tastings at 3 Niagara Wineries.

My wife and I welcome any GTAMer's to join us on the January 21st tour.

http://iyellowwineclub.com/upcoming...ne-tour-1?regevent_action=register&event_id=1


Date: SATURDAY JANUARY 21, 2012
Depart: Liberty Village 10am ~ Return to Toronto at 7pm

EARLY BIRD PRICE UNTIL JANUARY 1st
$99 per person (REGULAR PRICE IS $125)

Book now - tickets sell fast!

Photos of our last years tour...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/iyellowwineclub/sets/72157625782504875





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