Icewine and other libations
I didn’t get a moment to blog yesterday – it was a 13 hour day at the BC Media Centre for me! Why, you ask? After my working shift at the centre, I had the priviledge of hosting a wine and Icewine tasting event for the media accredited at the BC Media Centre. We decorated the hospitality area in wine country fashion to give the media there an idea of what Kelowna looks like, since many are international media who wouldn’t have heard about Kelowna.
Rainer from Gray Monk Vineyards preps his table before the event.
Here’s the thing: in Torino, the must-try drink that generated quite a buzz was a local chocolate drink. In Canada, that special “nowhere but here” drink has to be Icewine. Not only is Canada a real leader in Icewine, but we also have some rare varieties, like red Icewine made with Zweigelt, Pinot Noir, or Merlot grapes. And then there’s Mission Hill Family Estate, who won the title of Best Icewine in the World at the London International Wine & Spirits Competition in 2008.
Made at temperatures of -8 Celsius or below, pickers are often summoned in the middle of the night to pick at the absolute perfect time. The tiny droplet of juice pressed from these marble-hard grapes is its purest essence devoid of water content. The result is a pure and fascinating taste, created in the winter by a dedicated community of people: the quintessential Canadian winter drink. This is why so many members of the international press are so fascinated by Icewine, and why we hosted this special event to present it and our other beautiful wines to them.
Let's Get This Party Started: media arrive at the Kelowna Wine Tasting