Wine tastings and tours might be a summer pastime, but when it comes to icewines, think winter. Ontario's Niagara region is a large producer of the country's icewines, and according to Wine Country Ontario, the province's selection is considered to be some of the best icewine in the world. Jillian Nero of travel agency Niagara Canada notes January is also icewine month in Niagara — so it may be a good time to start booking those tours and tastings during the holiday season. Icewine, often called dessert wine (generally it is sweet and served at the end of a meal), is made from frozen grapes. Icewines come in a range of flavours from fruits to chocolate, and taste best with rich flavoured foods like foie gras and aged blue cheese. If you're looking for a quick weekend getaway in Ontario or some winter date ideas, an icewine tasting is the perfect way to indulge and enjoy some of Canada's sweetest wines.Below are some of our and Nero's picks of some of the best ways to experience icewines in Niagara this holiday season.

Peller Estates Winery (Niagara-on-the-Lake) Peller Estates Winery offers various ways to sip icewine all-season long.red wine glass cake On this popular tour, Nero says wine lovers get to explore the winery and end the tour by stepping into the 10Below Lounge dressed in warm parkas. buy wine from europeThe lounge is made with more than 13 thousand kilos of ice and visitors can enjoy a tasting surrounded by the cold stuff.best bc red wine under 20 You can also head down to the lounge first. top wine destinations 2015The 10Below experience offers three icewines available until the end of December. buy new zealand wine online uk

And if you are a club member, you can also check out the outdoor seated sour cocktail experience starting January 2017.best wine for special occasions Inniskillin dessert wines are a classic in Ontario's wine country, and the winery has two activities for wine lovers. A photo posted by Mrs. Alice Marie Gunawan (@aliceismarie) on Jun 14, 2015 at 7:03pm PDT "They have created a dedicated icewine tasting bar where guests can learn about the many icewines Inniskillin produces," Nero says. Icewine flights range from $15 to $20. A photo posted by - C h r i s t i n e - (@delicate.affairs) on Jan 23, 2016 at 8:42am PST In this public tour, learn about the origins of icewine in Niagara and get a history lesson of some of Inniskillin’s most adorned wines. Pillitteri Estates Winery (Niagara-on-the-Lake) A winery in the family business for generations, the estate's grapes are frozen in -8 C weather or colder.

The winery offers two activities for those of you looking to sip on icewines. Private Icewine Tour and Tasting Program Designed for groups of 10 and more, Nero says this includes a peek into Pillitteri’s production facilities and unique barrel cellar. "Tastings include three award-winning icewines, including one of their rare red [ones]." The tasting also includes a chocolate icewine. For those who want to head straight to drinking, the winery also offers an icewine tasting flight including three icewine samples for $10. The Ice House Winery (Niagara-on-the-Lake) "As Niagara’s only winery solely dedicated to the production of icewine, The Ice House is a great place to visit if you are interested in immersing yourself in the history and tastes of various icewines," Nero says. The Ice House Winery is known for icewine cocktails and slushies (yes, boozy slushies). "You can try the slushies as part of the 'Niagara Icewine Experience' of The Icewine Legacy Tour available year-round."

Open Daily from 11am to 5:30pm: No Reservations Necessary Open Daily from 11:00am to 5:30 pm Five Northern Ice Premium Icewines Available for Tasting! Jamie Macfarlane, wine master and his wife Karen King, a sensory specialist are dedicated to taking Icewine out of the box and sharing how to toast everyday celebrations with Icewine! Jamie and Karen have garnered International favour with their extensive experimentation with Northern Ice Premium Icewine. Jamie has been creating Icewine commercially for over 30 years and now at The Ice House Winery, he is dedicated to perfecting this complex process. Icewine is a concentrated wine and visitors to the winery learn the “Art of Blending Icewine” by making cocktails and sipping The Ice House N'Ice Slushies. "The focus of Icewine as a dessert wine have been altered and guests are amazed how easy it is to capture long lasting, fresh fruit-forward nuances when Northern Ice is added to other drinks or foods." - Jamie Macfarlane, The Wizard of Icewine at The Ice House Niagara Winery

Northern Ice Signature Series Gewürztraminer Northern Ice Signature Series Gewürztraminer Icewine 2013 Grape Variety: 100% Gewürztraminer. 11.5 % alcohol Gewürztraminer cool climate grapes are an aromatic variety that develop remarkable fresh fruit complexities when they are left on the vine to create Icewine.  This Northern Ice Signature Series 2013 Gewürztraminer has a brilliant yellow sapphire colour with noticeable citrus aromatics of pineapple, citrus […] Northern Ice Cabernet Sauvignon Icewine This Cabernet Sauvignon begins smooth then opens up to a medley of dark fruit complexity of red cherry, plum, fig, raspberry, blackcurrant & honey nuances that slowly end with a warm, Port style finish.  – Jamie Macfarlane Northern Ice Cabernet Sauvignon Icewine Price: TBA Grape Variety: 86% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Cabernet Franc. Chill to 10º C/50º F Flavour Profile: […] Northern Ice Cabernet Franc Icewine 2014 Food Pairing: Our Northern Ice Cabernet Franc has fresh red berry top notes plus a refreshing crispness.

The trick is to pair Northern Ice Cabernet Franc’s balanced sweet and crisp, acidic notes with salty, and fresh garlic and herb notes that stir fry Thai or Chinese dishes excel in. The crispness of this Cabernet Franc marries well with rich cheeses […] Northern Ice Vidal Icewine 2013 Northern Ice is created from grapes left on the vine, hand-picked in the dark of winter while still naturally frozen. This toasting style of Icewine has the golden glow of candlelight and captures a complex intensity of peach and apricot with a harmonious balance of fresh acidity and honey. Serve chilled (6-8 °C) with full […] Northern Ice 2014 Icewine Riesling White Jamie Macfarlane’s Northern Ice Riesling Icewine is made from his specially selected naturally frozen grapes, hand-picked in the dark of the winter. Watch how this Riesling Icewine explodes in your mouth with a poetic pear and crisp citrus dance that transforms into a surprising creamy, velvety mouthfeel. – Jamie Macfarlane Northern Ice 2014 Icewine Riesling White The Ice House Winery Signature Series […]

"THE ICE HOUSE WINERY, CANADA" We leave the Toronto one day and the family goes along with Sirkka and Caroline against Niagara Falls.Some stops on the way fills the day with amazing experiences and tastes. Canada is the world's largest producer of ice wine (or Icewine as it describes it in Canada) due to their stable cold winters. Ice wine is a wine made ​​from grapes harvested and pressed while frozen, -8 degrees when it is manufactured in Canada. Ice wine is a sweet dessert with a high acid content, the taste fresh and not too sweet. The harvest is very labor intensive and the amount of harvested often small, which makes isviner is relatively expensive. The Germans were the first production of ice wine, already in 1794, they came up with the idea. "4 Years in a Row” The Ice House  Winery has received TripAdvisors' Certificate of Excellence 4 years in a row! Thank-you to all our visitors who made this possible When our plan to ride the Whirlpool Aero Car got cancelled due to high winds, we needed something else to do.

I knew about the Ice Wines in the area, but had never tried them before. We just happened upon The Ice House on our way around the Niagara On The Lake area. The place from the outside is not inviting like many other wineries, but don’t let that stop you. I loved the original look on the inside and quickly made our way over to the wine tasting area. We tasted all 5 wine options (including a Riesling) and I think I might have overused the word “Yum” during the tasting. The Cabernet Slushie was one of my favorites and I can’t wait to make it at home! My husband and I splurged and bought one of their 5 wine packages (this is EXPENSIVE wine), but I do not regret it for a minute! We were given a lot of great educational knowledge on how the ice wines are made (lending to the understanding of why these are so expensive) and we were also told several recipes. I Highly recommend this winery! We stopped by The Ice House and sampled their delicious ice wine. We really enjoyed our time there.