Ok, we actually went and participated in this waaaaay back in the last weekend of January but since I have been an awful blogger, I will finally fill you in now. If you are not familiar with the wonder that is ice wine, you are missing out. I've linked to how it is made, but basically it's grapes left on the vine until they are very very sweet and harvested (usually in the middle of the night at the end of january) while still frozen. The resulting wine is super sweet, very concentrated and almost a little syrup-y. And my husband will tell you - like nectar from the gods. I love wine in all manifestations, but this stuff is truly heavenly. And a little goes a long way, which is good, because a half-bottle can cost up to $100, if not more.
The festival itself is a great day trip. Wineries were open from 11-5pm and most participated in a Discovery Pass - you purchase a pass and get 6 tickets to participate in events and tastings. The pass was $30, most events were $10/each so we saved half by doing the passes. We got to go to 6 different wineries, try their wines and also their interesting pairings. Many places had biscotti, fondue, and fruit. One even had a pork slider (complete with a whole pig, roasted on a spit - see pic below!) and icewine infused applesauce. This is the official website, in case you are interested in checking it out.
We also ended up staying overnight at a B&B in Niagara Falls. I love B&Bs so much! This was our early anniversary celebration. It was so lovely. Let me give you the tour:
This was our bed. It was the loudest bed known to man. If you looked at it funny, it creaked. The other people staying there probably thought we were animals, but what can you do?
Here is the cozy fireplace, which believe you me, we needed. Although it looks all warm and cozy, this place was no different from any old house - drafty! Add in that it was about 9 degrees Fahrenheit and that makes for one chilly room.
There's Kevin, enjoying the sitting area.... aka waiting for me to be done taking pictures of the place!
Ahh, there it is! The most glorious tub is all of creation. I love to soak in a tub! It almost didn't happen - when we got home from dinner, I went to turn on the water and it was ice cold and wouldn't warm up. Fortunately, I tried it a little later and all was well. I don't think you can tell, but in that little shelf in the middle, there are some floating flowers and a rubber ducky, which was super cute.
This is the view from the tub, beautiful bay windows. Of course, there really wasn't much to see outside, but it was still lovely.
And this was the high ceiling in the bathroom, which I completely loved. Kevin pointed out that I like things to be big because it makes me feel small, and I think he is right.
These were the windows in the middle of the sitting area, they opened into a 3 seasons room. In general, I think the whole stay would have been more enjoyable if it was a warmer season. But we thought it was beautiful just the same, even if a bit cold.
Here's Kevin, enjoying a cupcake at the Festival
He is tres sophisicated, with his pinky up
And below is the pig on a spit. I thought it wasn't real, and then the guy started cutting some off. Yipes!
