2004 Celebrity Icewine Picking

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario

January 27, 2004 - Inniskillin was pleased to host the Fifth Celebrity Icewine Picking on January 16, 2004. President Donald Ziraldo greeted Celebrity Guests at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto to prepare the group to board the VIA Icewine Train.

It was a great opportunity to profile traveling to Niagara by train and visiting the wine region. VIA and Royal York Hotel announced their partnership with selected wineries to package day trips to selected Niagara wineries.

Travelling with Ziraldo and Vine's Magazine Publisher Walter Sendzik on the Glen Frazer Club Car were VIA Executives and this years Celebrity Guests - Rush's Getty Lee, Olympian Marnie McBean, Canada AM's, Seamus O'Regan, Daniel Richler from Book Television-CHUM and The Food Network's Christine Cushing. Additional guests included Canadian Photographer Yuri Dojc, Author Martin O'Malley, Wine Authors Tony Aspler and Alex Eberspaecher and well known Toronto Sun Food Critic Sara Waxman. Top sommeliers were present with Guenael Revel, President, Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers and Gilberto Bojaca, President, Ontario Chapter Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers.

A crisp cold day-perfect for Icewine picking!!! A good day was had by all. Left to right: Daniel Richler, Donald Ziraldo, Getty Lee.

The hearty group of 30 warmly dressed pickers arrived at Inniskillin by 2:00 pm where they hand harvested the last of the frozen Vidal grapes and observed the pressing outdoors in the basket presses. They braved the minus 14 degrees Celsius temperatures amidst the thick snow cover under a sunny sky. This was a unique experience for many who had only sampled the end product before.

With the extreme cold temperatures, the juice from the basket presses was slow to trickle out. The juice was sampled with the Icewine tasting that followed in the warmth of the Loft of the old restored barn. Besides the freshly pressed Vidal juice, the guests sampled various Icewines including the 1986 Vidal Icewine carefully removed from the underground Library. Vintage Inns partnered with Inniskillin by providing a savoury lunch that paired well with the variety of Icewines featured for this winter event.

Inniskillin was fortunate to complete the regular 2003 Icewine Harvest by January 9th amidst ideal conditions which have provided top quality.

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