Noshing Out – Niagara Falls Ice Wine Festival

                The temperature drops and the sky goes to a steel gray. Grapes, what used to be firm-fleshed juicy orbs, have deflated in the cold, drooping on their vines or hanging in nets strung up below. The area around Niagara Falls is known for its ice wine production, pressing dehydrated grapes (yet not quite raisins) to create a delicate dessert wine. Usually made from pinot gris, vidal blanc, or cabernet franc grapes, ice wine comes in 375ml bottles and has the viscosity of a light syrup. My girlfriend and I were there for the first weekend of the ice wine festival. Tickets came with eight tear-off tabs used to sample an ice wine along with a food pairing at participating wineries throughout the region.

                Having experienced the spray, the roar, and the glow of the Canadian Horseshoe falls the night before, we set out Saturday morning to sample. Bundled up in our winter jackets, we, along with a small army of other tasters, crisscrossed the region. Our cell phones not working in Canada, we unfolded a map across the dashboard and ticked off our sweet and savory destinations. While delectable options were everywhere, as ever, a few stood out from the crowd.

                Reif Estates, the German flag flying proudly outside next to a tour bus. The tasting room was packed with people, and the smokey scent of spit roasted porketta wafted from the back room. The whole hog was being torn apart and served into buns, the skin making and audibly loud crack as the culinary shears cut through. It was lightly adorned with an ice wine infused apple sauce, bringing sweetness to the warm and succulent pork. The video to come will give you a better idea of the crunch of the crackling.

                Our favorite tasting experience came at Kacaba Vineyards. They served an al dente barley risotto, flavored with duck stock from the rillete that was mixed in. The meat fell apart in in my mouth. The savory flavors highlighted by a berry coulis that dolloped the top, along with the cabernet franc ice wine, a reddish brown hugh and subtle sweetness as compared to the vidal ice wines. We were also shown around the unbottled wines, and led through a personalized tasting from the staff, working our way through young whites to spicy and meat friendly reds.

My favorite food paring was reminiscent of molecular gastronomy. Flat Rock Cellars, two, circular, glass and metal buildings overlooked a vast, frozen field of hibernating vines, poured a 2013 Late Harvest Gewurztraminer. Still sweet and light gold in color, the viscosity of the wine was significantly less. Paired with this was a small chalice filled with a shredded pork belly flavored with maple and a winter herb relish. This sat atop a creamy parsnip puree and was finally dotted with wine caviar. Each component could be tasted on its own, or all could be loaded on the spoon for a symphony of flavors and textures.