Sipping on Icewine with iYellow at #NiagaraChilled

One of things I love most about Toronto is the lifestyle here. It may be hard to pinpoint Canadian culture sometimes, but Toronto has a culture of its own: a very distinct foodie culture.



At the tail end of last year I was introduced to the iYellow Wine Club. Founder Angela Aiello's mission is to foster a community of young and eager to learn more vinophiles. iYellow is about making wine education accessible to a new generation. Wine with iYellow is social and fun. The iYellow Wine Club is a place where you can taste wines from all over the world, learn about the wines you love and meet other wine lovers! The wine club plans regular events, tours and wine school classes for you to attend a la carte and you can also learn on your own via their website You learn to better identify your tastes, how to pair what with what and make friends along the way.

The hidden iYellow Wine Club entrance

Check out past events with iYellow:
iYellow #WinemakerRaw
Touring Niagara with iYellow Wine Club

If you've been keeping up with Britton Diaries you'll know I harbor a love for Niagara. It's so close to the city, and yet being there is so starkly different. Niagara is a place where you can gain perspective, and reconnect with friends and loved ones over delicious vintages.

My first chance to escape to Niagara was last February, and unfortunately that meant I missed out on their icewine festival. All throughout January Niagara is bustling with their icewine festival. Over 3 weekends, 58 wineries and 15 amazing events you can enjoy this special harvest. Plus you can plan your getaway your way. See more at niagarachilled.com.

Niagara is beautiful any time of the year - but especially in the winter.

iYellow gave me and a few fellow bloggers a taste of what was to come when they hosted their very own #NiagaraChilled evening. Icewine is certainly unique and is a Canadian treasure. The ideal climate for reliable production of Icewine is one where the summers are warm to ripen the grapes and the winters are cold (but not too cold). It just so happens that Niagara has near perfect conditions, and Ontario has produced Icewine every year since 1984. Since the 1990s Canadian icewine has been globally recognized.

We tasted four delicious wines, my favourite among them being Peller Estates Ice Cuvée, a beautiful champagne with an icewine dosage.




What I found most interesting about the evening was learning to pair icewine with savory foods. I think most often we leap to pairing our sweet wines with something equally sweet, but I found that pairing Peller Estates delicate Signature Series Riesling Icewine with blue cheese complimented the wine beautifully.

Sweet?

Or savoury?

But of course, I have an incurable sweet tooth and quite enjoyed pairing the cuvée with Godiva chocolate. The best of both worlds was the icewine jelly - I have to get a few jars of this!

Yum, icewine jelly!

I'll be heading up to Niagara at the end of January, compliments of iYellow, to explore the icewine festival myself. Stay tuned for the full scoop and don't forget to check out the iYellow Wine Club!