With COVID and provincial stay-at-home orders, welcoming visitors to NOTL this month for the annual Icewine Festival has been derailed.

But the Wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake, an association of wine producers in the area, still wants people to pay homage to “this rare and exquisite gift from Mother Nature.”

There is now a virtual Icewine Trail, with participating wineries offering wine packages for direct delivery and virtual experiences that can be enjoyed at home, said Brianne Hawley, marketing manager for the Wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake.

At www.icewinetrail.com, wineries are featuring deals on their icewines and some include culinary treats, like dark chocolate, artisinal popcorn and icewine truffles.

And while there is no Icewine Village on Queen Street this year, wineries are hosting virtual tastings instead.

“Our member wineries are committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of the community so there was no question that we would need to be prepared for a virtual celebration of our iconic icewines in the new year,” chair Andrea Kaiser said in a news release.

“While the last nine months have been trying for all small businesses, the support across the country to buy local has been inspiring to all of us and we continue to be open to sell all of our wines, including icewine, as an essential service and will still be offering online sales with delivery as well as curbside pickup.”