Foxy Wines

I know I have been away for a while, but no I'm not talking about Christmas. I'm talking about the Niagara Ice Wine Festival. That fantastic celebration that takes place during the coldest, darkest, dreariest time of the year, January. What better time to take a mid-winter break and head out into wine country to taste the wine that Canada is known for worldwide?

To me ice wine conjures up some great memories. Just a few months after my husband and I got married we decided to take a short weekend trip to Niagara. When I travel I like to keep myself busy, so I decided to search around on the web for something to do. I came across an ad for an ice wine seminar at Konzelmann Estates. Knowing nothing about ice wine I thought I would sign us up and see what we could learn. Well, it was that event that started my passion for wine. As it turned out, by chance alone, the night before this seminar was the one and only night of the year that the frozen grapes were picked from the vine. The opportunity for me to taste the fresh pressed grape juice that was still cold from the freezing temperatures where the grapes came from was an eye opening experience. Wine and wine production has fascinated me ever since.

If you have the opportunity to visit the Niagara region from January 15 - 31, I highly recommend participating in the festival. Take part in some tours or seminars, enjoy some great food and find out why Niagara ice wines are highly sought after both here in Ontario and on the other side of the world.