Why I love living in Niagara - Part 1

Being winter (still), I decided that my first reason for why I love living in Niagara should be oriented to something cold and wintery, and something that should be consumed cold.
Minus the numbingly cold winters we have all succumbed to, at least something delicious is rewarded to us from the cold; Icewine.
Niagara is the largest producer of Icewine, or as some people say "nectar from the God's." Our climate is cold enough to make a grape freeze and for that cold to stay constant for three straight nights.
In the dead of the night, when it is approximately -8 degrees Celsius, workers are bundled up and braving the elements of the cold in order for the "nectar from the God's" to be picked.
(Icewine is a very quick process, but long hours for wineries and staff.)
After the Icewine grapes are picked, they are sent back to the winery, and are pressed right away, thus leading to one drop of sweet juice from one single grape.
In the end the result is, Icewine, or "nectar from the God's" or what I like to call it "Niagara's nectar made by the beautiful vineyards that hug us."

They're many delicious Icewines in Niagara, and every year there seems to be a new kind; Red Icewine blends, White Icewine blends, Sparkling Icewine, and the list continues.

And yes, being a famer's daughter, I have participated in Icewine picking. It was an amazing experience (which I'll only ever do once), being outside in the middle of the night when the rest of the world was still. It was a very cold night, around -18 degrees Celsius (maybe thats a bit of  an exaggeration, but it was very cold), it was so peaceful, and in a way, eerie because there was not a sound, except the shuffle of our feet and the shaking of the net. The stars and moon were above us, beckoning us to continue and not to give up. But to endure the cold, and know that what we are doing is worth it in the end, because we are the only one's who can make Icewine.

Now, that I romanticised picking Icewine, what you need to do is visit a local winery and try some for yourself. May I recomend purchasing a bottle of Riesling Icewine, and pairing it with a blue cheese, my choice is Bleu Ermite from Montreal.

From my glass to yours, cheers.