Icewine Tasting with Famed Vintner Donald Ziraldo

This was a treat to be able to sip on some fabulous Icewine from the Godfather of Icewine and also the man behind Inniskilin, (his former label) Donald Ziraldo.
Along with a very potent cocktail, he showcased his Riesling and Vidal Icewines, and some lucky guests were treated a «sneak» taste of his third Icewine, the Cabernet Franc.
We also had assorted chocolates, potato-​duck egg rolls and crabcakes to enjoy with each sip.
Overall, a great Unilocal event filled with Unilocalers, Icewine, and tasty bites and it didn’t even cost a cent… ALOHA!!!

A free event with Unilocalers, wine, food, and a swanky setting is like a gift!
My main goal was to celebrate turning in the first half of my comprehensive exam that day, and then to relax. The absolute best part of the event was hanging out with various awesome Unilocalers and their guests, admiring Nelson Q.‘s youthfulness, and meeting Donald Ziraldo. Considering all of these people were here to admire him and his wine, he gave me a few minutes of banter (he was recruited to play NCAA football from Canada, and got drafted to the CFL) and gave me his card to visit the winery when I am in the Buffalo/​Niagara area next year.
I am not partial to sweet wines, but try to be open-​minded. The cocktail (icewine/​vodka) was waaaaay too strong for me, so poor Paolo D. got a bit drunk at my expense. Then, the vidal and riesling varietals — I actually liked both flavors. The crab cakes were lukewarm but very generous with crab (and lobster I believe), and the duck spring rolls so-​so. The waitress told me they were vegetarian when I asked, but they had meat so I spit it out thinking it was pork and then found out they were duck so I ate one later. Oy. After that, standing around in plats and all, Eric R. and I were hungry so we bid ado to our Unilocal friends and went off to Grind Burger.
It was neat to visit the Trump for the first time and hear about Equifera’s partnership with Kruger to bring icewine to Vegas.

Sweet event that helps bridge the gap between all forms of media. Wine is a great social lubricant that aided in quite a few groups (including MeetUp and Unilocal) to have a good time and learn about this ambrosial beverage.
The two ice wines offered at this event, a Riesling and Vidal, were exquisite. The Riesling was the softer and lighter of the two, while the Vidal was stronger in taste and aromatics. The lychee scent and flavor of the latter was prevalent as soon as it met with the senses. The viscosity had a similar thickness of a good balsamic vinegar, or syrup, which made me want to drizzle some on top of ice cream. This might be a good ice wine to experiment in making a sorbet. Time to bust out the ice cream maker. The mixed drink was heavy on the vodka and drowned out the flavor of the ice wine. The ratio of one ounce of wine to three parts vodka was uneven. The appetizers were a delicious pairing to our drinks. The duck spring rolls and lobster/​crab cakes were generous on the protein. Not to forget about the phenomenal chocolate truffles that warranted multiple tries. By the end I had eaten three; the peanut butter and jelly, a salted caramel, and a ganache. Each of them were decadently superb and complimented the wines well.
If in the Niagara area, this vineyard is a must stop destination. It is no surprise that Donald Ziraldo is heralded as a king of ice wine. This man was very knowledgeable about the subject and is interested in imparting his knowledge upon others.
The staff were hospitable and did well with our swarming. The company of other Unilocalers was fantastic. Now this is what sweet dreams are made of!

Equifera icewine tasting event at the beautiful Trump International Hotel was a huge success. The setting was fabulous. The Equifera Icewines (Riesling and Vidal) + Icewine Martini were fantastic, especially paired with the hors d’oeuvres (mini crab cakes, potato and duck egg rolls, and assorted chocolate truffles).
The brief presentation by the father of modern icewine making, Donald Ziraldo, was informative and insightful. I love dessert wines, so hearing about the microclimate, harvesting the grapes, and non-​traditional pairings for the exquisite icewine was especially interesting. Donald was definitely the right man for the job of Global Ambassador for Canadian Icewine.
The sampling of the icewine was a nice treat. I really enjoyed the Vidal Icewine, which has a really nice bouquet of tropical fruits flavor notes. And getting a sip of the Cabernet Frac Icewine was really a nice treat (Thanks Dean!) I am for sure going to Total Wines to get me a few bottles.
Thank you Unilocal (Misti) and Patricia Nims (Kruger Wines and Spirits) for partnering up and offering this wonderful evening of extreme icewine tasting, and providing a great function for networking with other professionals. The banquet staff at the Trump International Hotel. And a big shout out to Donald Ziraldo and the folks at Equifera for creating this awesome wine!
5 stars all the way! Now go out and treat yourself to a nice bottle of Equifera Icewine :)