Niagara Falls Fun - Clifton Hill, Niagara Falls Canada

Printed by the Review

Gretzky the vintner scores
Wine brand sales brisk after only a year on the market
Posted By BY MONIQUE BEECH, OSPREY NEWS NETWORK

Hockey’s Great One, Wayne Gretzky, was met with friendly catcalls Tuesday afternoon as he strolled into his new Vineland winery for the first time.

In turn, the Canadian sports superstar, who hung up his skates in 1999, greeted the throng of fans who packed the recently renovated King Street villa-style building, former home to Willow Heights Estate Winery.

“I never thought that I would ever be in the wine business, but Laura and Peter (Jensen) talked me into it about a year and a half ago and, really, that’s why I’m standing here. I’ve got great partners,” Gretzky, 47, told the cheering crowd gathered for the unofficial launch of the winery.

“I tell people all the time, they ask me if I know anything about wine, and I’m really honest and I go, ‘No, I don’t know a whole lot,’ but I’ll tell you one thing: When you taste it, you go, ‘You know what? It’s pretty good.’” (more…)

Printed by the Review

Helicopters on stand-by to protect Niagara’s next vintages
Posted By Jennifer Pellegrini

Residents living in Niagara-on-the-Lake and Virgil who were roused from their slumber in the wee small hours to the sound of choppers whirring overhead might appreciate the early-morning wake-up call next time they look for a vintage vino.

The sudden drop in temperatures – not uncommon in April – caused grape growers to call in some reinforcements to protect their tender vines. (more…)

Printed by the Review

Seven-year itch brings just rewards; Winemaker honoured for lifetime of achievements
Posted By MONIQUE BEECH

John Howard, a noted Niagara wine industry leader, broke his seven-year rule just once.

For seven years, he ran a Burlington office product and technology company, O.E. Hamilton, which he co-founded in the late 1970s.

Seven years he worked as a top executive with Canon at its New York office.

Then 1993 rolled around.

“And then I bought Vineland (Estates Winery). The little winery up the road.” (more…)

Printed by the Review

Ice sculptures wrap up wine festival
Posted By SAMANTHA CRAGGS
Posted 2 hours ago

Market Square was transformed into a garden of ice sculptures and mood lighting this weekend as people sipped wine around candlelit ice globes and held their glasses under the “ice luge.”

More than 500 people filled the downtown venue Saturday for the first St. Catharines instalment of the Niagara Icewine Festival.

It was heartwarming support from a city getting its first taste of hosting the festival, said Ken Weir, president of the Niagara Grape and Wine Festival.

“A lot of people commented on how beautiful Market Square looked at night,” Weir said. “We had a lot of positive feedback. It was a good first step.” (more…)

Printed by the Review

Ice-swine: Popping the cork for pork
Winery chef serves pigs that were fed icewine for 40 days
Posted By MONIQUE BEECH

As a premier chef at one of Niagara’s top wineries, Frank Dodd routinely braises pork in fine wine.

Recently, two pigs arrived at Niagara-on-the-Lake’s Hillebrand restaurant already soused.

For more than 40 days, the pair of Berkshire pigs reared at an Ingersoll-area farm were fed a barley soybean mixture doused in 200 mililitres of icewine per day.

Starting in December, farmer Kevin Rivers religiously poured his young pampered pigs a serving of a 2006 Trius Vidal icewine, which sells for $49.95 per 375 mL bottle.

Not a cheap food source. (more…)

Printed by the Review

Fine food – and plenty of it – showcased at Winter Delights
Posted By JOHN LAW

If stuffing your face is a cure for the winter blues, about 150 people got just what they needed Sunday at Queenston Heights Restaurant.

Plates and glasses were overflowing for the second annual Showcase of Winter Delights, offering samples of the region’s finest wines and cuisine. Chefs from all eight Niagara Parks Commission restaurants whipped up delights like pepper berry-rubbed rainbow trout and pan-fried smoked duck breast.

Hungry patrons could go back for seconds or thirds. And if they still had room, they were serving Peach Ice Cream Crepes downstairs. “This is pretty much a sell-out,” said Mark Gienow, director of food services for the Niagara Parks Commission.

“The nature of this event is to roam around and discover.” (more…)

Printed by the Review

Winemakers toast frigid weather
Posted By ALISON LANGLEY

Winemakers made the most of the Niagara Icewine Festival kickoff Friday knowing they’d have to trade in their tuxedos for warm layers of clothes tonight.

“This time tomorrow (Saturday), I’ll be picking grapes,” said Kevin Watson, who grows 12 varieties of grapes for Inniskillin and Jackson Triggs.

“We’ll be rocking and rolling all night long tonight and tomorrow. But tomorrow it will be with balaclavas and strong coffee.”

That was the sentiment of many of the vendors at the Xerox Fire and Ice Icewine Gala, held at the Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort. (more…)

Printed by the Review

New icewine highlights festival
Posted By MONIQUE BEECH

It started a few years ago with two acres of hard to grow Semillon grapes, planted as an experiment on Pillitteri Estates Winery’s Niagara-on-the-Lake property.

A golden-skinned grape, prone to rot, the variety is tough to grow in the cooler climes of Canada. Grown primarily in Bordeaux, France, in the region of Sauterne, the thinner-skinned fruit is typically used for sweet wine.

A few Niagara wineries use the grape, typically blended with other white grapes. (more…)

Printed by the Review

Earthy details a wine trend for 2008
Posted By Waters, Christopher

The big stories in the world of wine for 2008 will likely be a continuation of the emerging trends of 2007. The focus of which lands squarely on the Earth: Where the grapes were grown and how they were grown. The flipside to that will involve packaging and delivery methods.

We can expect to see a growing number of wines marketed and presented as organic, specifically in terms of grape growing.

The story of wine in the age of global warming will increasingly include tales of environmental stewardship, Earth-friendly principles and holistic approaches to grape growing, winemaking and marketing. (more…)

Printed from the Review

Winery turning grape waste into energy
Posted By MATTHEW VAN DONGEN

It’s a giant stomach, waiting to digest all the nasty stuff we won’t eat.

Goopy grape skins and seeds from wineries. Corn husks from farms, or unusable bits from slaughterhouses.

The stomach wants it all – and Ryan Little wants the end result.

Little’s company, StormFisher Biogas, has teamed up with Inniskillin Wines in Niagara-on-the-Lake to turn grape waste into energy. (more…)