Sip, sample and savor at the ice wine event Valentine's Weekend in Fairport.
The 9th annual New York Ice Wine & Culinary Festival will take place on Saturday, February 11. The festival showcases wineries from across the state that produce the delicacy called ice wine in the traditional manner. Ice wine and its creator - winter - are at the forefront of all the activities: from tastings and infused cuisine to sleigh rides and cocktails.
Ice wines at the festival are made in the traditional German eiswein method of leaving grapes on the vine through the winter months to freeze. This natural process of freezing is a high-risk, high-reward undertaking for the wineries. Freezing reduces the amount of water in the grapes, producing a sweeter, more concentrated juice when they are pressed.
"Our goal in hosting this festival each year is to celebrate ice wine as one of New York's most delicate and prized wines," says Andrea Colaruotolo-O'Neill, Director of Marketing at Casa Larga. "It is a very special, handcrafted product. New York State is one of the few regions of the world that can produce this wine in the traditional method. At the festival, guests are able to experience the world of ice wine - from tastings to eating ice wine infused foods, talking to the winemakers and more."
Nine makers of traditional ice wines will attend, sampling both their ice wines as well as their other award-winning wines: Barnstormer Wintery, Boundary Breaks Vineyard, Casa Larga Vineyards, Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards, Hunt Country Vineyards, Leonard Oakes Estate Winery, Mazza Chautauqua Cellars, Midnight Run Wine Cellars, Schulze Vineyards & Winery.
Guests can enjoy traditional ice wine samples from the New York State wineries, Valentine-themed foods infused with ice wine and activities both indoors and out. Inside the winery, guests will also have the chance to shop, taste spirits from Black Button Distilling and Honeoye Falls Distilling and ciders from Blue Toad Hard Cider. All festival purchases are available upon exit at the shopping valet. Outside, head to the "Luv Shack" warming tent with an ice wine cocktail luge, hot chocolate and mulled wine and wait for the next horse-drawn sleigh ride through the vineyards.
This year, the festival has expanded its seminars, where guests can dive into the world of ice wine and become true connoisseurs. Six seminar topics introduce guests to ice wine in 45 Minutes at 8 Below with Lorraine Hems, see ice wine in action at a Chef Cook-Off, meet the Warriors of Winter aka winemakers, and learn to work with ice wine themselves in pairing and cocktail seminars.
RIT's Brick City Catering has created an ice wine-infused menu for the fourth year in a row. Developed by Chef de Cuisine Autumn Geer, the foods also have a Valentine theme. The dessert was developed and will be prepared by Chef Lindsay White of Artesano Bakery & Cafe.
Bowl Me Over Salad: Greek chopped salad in a phyllo shell with ice wine infused dressing.
Heavenly Seafood Bisque: Seafood bisque with a heart garnish infused with ice wine.
Red Hot Duck Banh Mi: Pulled duck banh mi with spicy plum ice wine sauce on a mini baguette with pickled vegetables.
Lover's Linguine: Seared scallops on a bed of red linguine topped with an ice wine beurre blanc sauce.
Always Room for Macaroons: Black pepper almond macaroon filled with sweetened mascarpone and taleggio cheese with ice wine infused dried apricot segments and a candied almond garnish.
The festival is made possible by support from its sponsors: Eastview Mall, Renewal by Andersen, The Delmonte Hotel Group, Cabot Creamery, Lyons National Bank, Rhino Concrete, Crush Beer & Wine Tours, Jack Greco, Nolan's Rental, Inc, The Wine Buzz, Dorschel Automotive Group and Airquip.
Tickets are $55 through January 31 at Wegmans, the Casa Larga Wine Shop, and online at www.casalarga.com. Tickets are $65 starting February 1 and at the door. For group sales, call Cathy Fabretti at 585-223-4210 x121. For event updates and more information, go to www.NYIceWineFestival.com or follow NY State Ice Wines on Facebook.
