Embracing the Season with iYellow's 2015 Icewine Tour

The lovely folks at the iYellow Wine Club were kind enough to extend to me an invitation for their 2015 Icewine Tour. I was introduced to iYellow by their wine blogger and icewine man Tran Bronstein who I met rather serendipitously.

The iYellow Wine Club, founded by Angela Aiello (ha, get it?) has a mission to tear away the stuffy facade of wine culture and foster a community of young and eager to learn 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. Last weekend iYellow took me and a friend under their wing and gave us an education in wine that we are sure not to forget.

Check out my last tour with iYellow here

Did you know that Canada is the biggest icewine maker in the world? But you'd be wrong to think we were the first. Whether you believe it was first created by the Germans in the 1800's, or the ancient Romans in the Valle Di Dusa icewine has a long history. However, it isn't the first known fermented beverage in the world. That title belongs to mead.

Overlooking Rosewood Estates. Coat by Calvin Klein, sweater by Vera Moda, dress by Forever 21, necklace by J.Crew. 

Hellen strikes a pose! 

Rosewood Estates Winery is Niagara's first winery-meadery. The winery, founded by Eugene & Renata Roman in 2000, begun out of a passion and respect for locally produced wines. Rosewood vineyards are sustainably farmed and together the team has over 75 years of beekeeping experience.



At Rosewood we played a little game called "guess the mead". Mead is created from fermented honey, yeast and water. It was used in sacramental ceremonies and given to newlyweds by the Celts as a sign of good luck. The couple was meant to keep the gifted bottle of mead for a lunar month (remember, this way predates the Gregorian calendar) before they could taste its sweetness. Our term "Honeymoon" dates back to this practice.

We tasted three wines, two strikingly different rieslings and an unmistakable mead with flowery undertones which was surprisingly refreshing (I guess I expected it to be a little more syrupy). Mead, I was informed, can be anywhere from very dry to very sweet, and you can create what's called a pyment if you ferment your mead with grapes.

Tran Bronstein of iYellow Wine Club and L.K. Britton at Rosewood Estates Winery

Rosewood is a stop you have to make in Niagara. It's a one-of-a-kind experience and they winery takes you on a trip back in time with their old-school practices.

Our next stop took us to Pillitteri Estates Winery. Pillitteri is unique in that the vineyard is family owned but with the means to take the adventurous route with their wines. It seems that Gary Pillitteri has a strong moral obligation to being told he can't do something. It's a challenge - say it can't be done and he will do it.

As Niagara wines began to kick off Pillitteri planted his first vineyard - an offshoot of an already bustling fruit farm. in 1988 he decided to experiment by making a batch of Vidal icewine. His family pushed him to sell his product but it wasn't until his kids stole a bottle and entered it into a wine competition where it won the gold medal that the idea to open a winery solidified for Pillitteri.

Award winning 1988 Vidal Icewine

We toured their cellar and were given an insight into the Pillitteri's lucky number 23. 23 stairs led down to the cellar, 23 settings at the long harvest table and 23 industrial-looking chairs hung from the walls made from the same steel as their wine barrels.  We tasted a delicious flight of icewines. From light and lemony to full and spicy. My favourite by far was their 2007 Sticky Beek, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Shiraz and Sangiovese. I had to pull myself away from buying the last bottle!



We had lunch in the beautiful cellar of Inniskillin, the grandfather of Niagara vineyards. Their cellar is dimly lit and atmospheric with a hint of Winterfell. They are pioneers in the wine industry. Inniskillin was the first winery to make icewine from Niagara grapes and there is nothing quite like their Cabernet Franc 2008 Icewine, though they are perhaps best known for their Vidal series.




As can be expected, iYellow had one more surprise up their sleeve, but rather than continue our education in icewine we got a first rate degree in beer! We rolled up to Oast House Brewers, a brand new brewery in Niagara and their drafts were a welcome departure from our sweet treats. After indulging in a couple tasty beers from their Farmhouse Ale Collection we took to the ping pong table and had a doubles match! A great ending to a really lovely trip.

Oast House Brewers Farmhouse Ale Collection

With Valentines around the corner iYellow is hosting a special V-day wine tasting. If you're still undecided about what to do I highly recommend you check out iYellow's I Love South Africa tasting Saturday the 14th where you can enjoy 15+ South African wines. Plus there's a chance to win a trip for two to South Africa! Tickets are limited so grab them while you can.

xo L.K.

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!

My Heart is in Amsterdam

Every time I come to visit my family and friends in Amsterdam I leave a little bit of my heart behind.

I already miss this little monster. Coat by Calvin Klein, handmade scarf

I was born here, I grew up here, and yet I no longer live here. I know the streets well, I bike like an echt Amsterdams meisje and I find my Dutch only getting better and better. I hope that one day my story will take me back home, because The Netherlands is my home. When you grow up as a third culture kid your passport country is not always the place you feel is home. I am Dutch, passport or no.

Haarlemerstraat, NL

My sister lives on the Haarlemerstraat, a trendy neighborhood of Amsterdam. Every building here is beautiful and full of character.

Likeurtje from Walter Woodbury Bar and thrifted purse

One of the first nights I got back my sister and zwager (brother-in-law) took me to the Walter Woodbury Bar, a surprisingly North American style bar. I think my sister must feel a little homesick for Canada, and this is an establishment that feels like it belongs in Queen West (minus the delicious bitterballen on the menu).

Shoes by Bandolino, jeans by American Eagle and coat by Calvin Klein

Of course, arriving so close to Christmas I was shuttled about by my sisters for some last minute shopping. The Kalverstraat (the Walking Street) is the busiest place you could shop. It's like an outdoor mall, but it has everything you could ever need. I discovered a couple new brands like Monki, Pull and Bear, and Bershka.

Sabon on the Kalverstraat

Amsterdam Museum, Amsterdam NL

Coffee at Museumcafé Mokum

One of those shopping days I stumbled upon the Amsterdam Museum looking for a good cup of coffee. I love how the Dutch do coffee. Instead of drip they serve you a deliciously creamy long shot and almost always compliment you with a cookie.

Freshly made stroopwafel from the Dappermarkt, Amsterdam

I indulged in a little taste of my childhood while hunting through the bustling Dappermarkt. You can buy stroopwafels here in Canada, but it's not the same as having a freshly made one.

At the Tuschinski. Top by Scotch and Soda, jeans by American Eagle, bag by Matt and Nat and shoes by Ralph Lauren Denim and Supply

While in Amsterdam I caught The Hobbit. I have to say that I don't like how it was filmed - this whole more frames per minute thing makes me feel like I'm watching something low-budget. How ironic, and what a waste of production money! But seeing the movie in the glorious Art Deco Pathé Tuschinski theatre made the night worthwhile. If you travel to Amsterdam you just have to see this theatre, even if you don't actually see anything playing there.

Christmas Day in Amsterdam was sunny and bright

Christmas day I took the kids to a playground to keep the chaos out of the house for a little while. On the way I got distracted by one beautiful building. Inside was a courtyard and utter stillness. It was a seniors residence, with a neatly trimmed garden and a beautiful view.

Sisters compare hands

Later that week my sisters and I checked out the Amsterdam Light Festival. After talking which side of the family Rachel's kids take after, she turned to compare each of us. We all look alike in our own way, even if we don't look strongly like mum or dad. She had us compare our hand. Mine are like my mum's with long and knobbly fingers.

At the Amsterdam Light Festival

Artis Zoo, Amsterdam

The day before we left we took the kids to the Artis Zoo. I have so many childhood memories of traipsing around this zoo. I may have more memories of playing on the playground, to be honest, but I distinctly remember the tiger that I named Rajah (Ajay tells me this name is the equivalent of the English "Alistair").

A dirty Dutch tile

And just for fun, here's a dirty Dutch tile.

What place do you call home?

Touring Niagara with iYellow Wine Club

It's no secret that I do champagne taste on a beer budget. But one of the things I learned through the iYellow Wine Club is that great booze is a matter of personal taste and fantastic wine does not need to necessarily come at a premium.



I wrote a little while ago about my experience with iYellow and their #winemakerraw event with Flat Roof Manor. As someone who feels embarrassed after spending more than 10 minutes in the wine aisle the club is my help-line. But after having been invited to travel with them to Niagara I realize that they are much more than that. Not to be dramatic but the iYellow Wine Club is a revolution in wine culture.

iYellow is about making wine education accessible to a new generation. Founder Angela Aiello's aim is to build the club members' confidence, but also to educate the wine industry about the dangers of turning young and emerging vinophiles into vinophobics. With the success of iYellow she hopes to have a positive effect on wineries' approach to newbies like me. After travelling with her and her team I can already tell that her influence is helping turn over a new leaf for wine culture.

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.





One blistery Saturday morning at the end of October we embarked on our tour. We visited three vineyards in total, and had a wee pop into Upper Canada Cheese on our way back to Toronto.

Flat Rock Cellars was our first stop, a beautiful vineyard founded in 1999. Winemaker Ed Madronich believes in progressive viticulture practices. Flat Rock is a gravity flow winery, a technique which allows for the wine to stream from winery levels whereas traditional one-level cellars use pumps or mechanical force. This allows the wine to gently extract color, flavor and tannin.

Winemaker Ed Madronich

Next we stopped for lunch at Inniskillin, the grandfather of all Niagara vineyards.



Inniskillin is perhaps best known for their icewine, the very first made from Niagara grapes. Not to brag but Canadian icewine is world renowned. My favourite was the Cab Franc, which is really no surprise as that's my favourite grape period. Lunch was served in the cellar among the vintages along a dark and dimly lit harvest table. It was gezellig, to use the Dutch word.



The last vineyard we visited was Southbrook, an impressive modern winery with a long imposing wall hiding the rows and rows of vines. The mentality at Southbrook is very holistic - their practices should benefit the land. I mean, they have sheep who roam the vineyard for goodness sakes. This holistic view is what makes their vineyard so charming, and their wines so unique. And to be quite honest I was surprised, but so very pleased that their sommelier was barely in his late 20s.





Niagara is changing. It's a destination for 20-somethings, and touring with iYellow has its perks - they can show you the ins and outs you wouldn't be able to even peek at on your own. They host these tours frequently, and the cost of tickets is always reasonably priced (especially when you factor in that a glass of delicious Inniskillin icewine can cost you $45). Check out their website and get on their mailing list! I'll meet you at the Cave.