For many tourists and wine connoisseurs, Niagara-on-the-Lake’s annual Icewine Village is a prime opportunity to sample as much icewine as they can in one go — and experience icewine at a more accessible price point.
Anja and Stefan Kruber come to NOTL from Oakville every year for the festival, which runs two weekends.
The red icewines are a personal favourite, Anja Kruber said.
“They are darn expensive by the bottle, so it’s great to come here and try what you like,” she said.
Katie MacCabe, Wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake’s marketing manager, said the Krubers aren’t alone in their love of taste-testing.
“What keeps bringing people out is the ability to try a bunch of different icewines in one location — that sampling atmosphere where you can try the best of Canada’s icewine all together,” she said.
Entrance to NOTL’s Icewine Village is free, with individual icewine samples available for $6, or a VIP experience pass, which offers multiple tastings and other bonuses, starting at $75.
“A bottle of icewine can be upwards of $100, so this is really the best way to figure out what you like about it,” MacCabe said.
Many of the vendors sold full bottles of the available samples as well, so tasters could purchase a bottle without “blind-buying,” she said.
Food vendors are a big draw for guests, too.
Ashley and Calvin Eidt from Niagara Falls have been coming to the village every year for more than a decade.
“This year is perfect weather, sunny — but it’s cold enough that all the ice sculptures stay sculptures,” Ashley Eidt said.
Calvin Eidt chowed down on a pulled pork parfait from PigOut catering and said he was a fan.
“We come and try some of our favourite (food and wine) — if we haven’t heard of one, we will try it,” Ashley Eidt said.
Roy Sampson and Lita Clavier are NOTL Ambassadors, volunteers responsible for welcoming and guiding NOTL visitors on the streets of Old Town, and helped out throughout the festival.
Clavier’s favourite part of it all is meeting people from around the world, she said.
“That’s why we’re ambassadors,” she said.
Jessica Ellis, Niagara College’s event coordinator, shared a similar sentiment.
“We just love to see how many people come from all over the world to come to this festival specifically. I just met a couple who come every single year,” she said.
“It’s wonderful to see people not just from Niagara-on-the-Lake but all of Ontario, Canada, the states, come to enjoy our winemakers.”