Below-freezing temperatures didn’t put a damper on this year’s icewine kick-off.

The Outlet Collection at Niagara’s Curbside space hosted one of the first weekend events of the Icewine Festival season, featuring tastings from more than 18 Niagara wineries. 

With temperatures dropping to -12 C, Claudia Ope said the cold didn’t scare too many wine fans away.

“I think a lot of people came out because it’s hard to find all of these different wineries in one place. If you are looking to do a tasting of all these wineries otherwise, it would cost a lot of money,” Ope told The Lake Report. 

Icewine samples available on Sunday included Bella Terra Vineyard, Byland Estates Winery, Château Des Charmes, Inniskillin, Ironwood, Jackson-Triggs, Konzelmann, Pillitteri and more. 

Rodney and Cindy Hartley come to the Icewine Festival every year from Sudbury and the cold in Niagara-on-the-Lake certainly wasn’t a deterrent for them.

“We left a blizzard to come here,” Rodney Hartley said. 

The couple spent the day completing the icewine tasting pass before warming up by the fire with a glass of icewine at the outlets. 

Icewine festivities continue along Queen Street this coming weekend with the Niagara-on-the-Lake Icewine Festival, beginning on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. 

Admission is free and the festival is now cashless.