On Saturday, Courtney, Chanika and I headed out to Harrow to the Festival of Ice at Colio Estates Winery. This was the 8th year for the festival but our first time attending it.
Admission to the event was free but organizers encouraged festival goers to bring in canned goods for the local food bank. We dropped off our donation and were handed a goody bag full of information about what was going at the event as well as around town. But best of all, we each received tickets for a tasting of Colio’s wine and ice wine. Of course, we immediately headed over to the boutique to indulge a little.
The festival was buzzing with activity. Ice sculpture carvings, tours through the winery and a trolley that took you into town. At the end of the day Ken Schwab, one of the organizers, estimated there were well over 1000 people that attended. The great thing about the festival was the entire community particpated in the event. The trolley departed from the vineyard every 15-20 minutes and drove guests into town to experience the local shops which were offering specials and discounts in celebration of the festival.
The trolley dropped us off at Duncan’s Furniture where a few local artisans had set up their crafts, local restaurant Kervin’s was serving up tasty bowls of soup and Muscedere Vineyards was showcasing their wines.
Normally, I opt out of ice wines, as they are a little too sweet for my palate but since I already had a glass of Colio’s Sauvignon Blanc, I decided to give Muscedere‘s Vidal Ice Wine a try. Oh my. The sweetness of the wine was definitely not overpowering. Let me tell you…it was goooooooood!
Winter festivals are always fun and it was great to see an event like this taking place in the county. Next year’s festival promises to be bigger and better and I’m definitely looking forward to it!
