by Sylene Argent
Over the weekend, Colio Estate Winery welcomed the public to its facility as it hosted an Ice Wine Fest.
From the outdoor pavilion onsite, Colio’s staff welcomed guests to the event, which offered an ice-luge, and the opportunity to enjoy a hotdog and sweet treats at the bonfire pit, all while learning more about product lines and the wine industry.
While enjoying the event’s festivities, the event participants were also able to enjoy live music from Leamington’s Justin Latam, while enjoying the view of over 200 acres of vineyard.
Colio’s Store Manager, Cindy Lee Kok, said the event helped give area residents something to do during the cooler months of the year and raise funds to help those in need. The event’s hot dog sales would be forwarded to benefit the Harrow chapter of the St. Vincent de Paul.
In the past, Colio used this time of year to host the annual Ice Festival, but since this winery will host the 25th anniversary of the annual EPIC Vintage Tasting in August, which will be a large event, Kok said staff tried something a little different for its annual winter festival.
Kok estimated around 100 individuals, dressed in their warmest winter gear, enjoyed the event on Saturday, with even more coming in to participate on Sunday.
“I think it is very important to interact with the community,” Kok said. This is a fun event. It is something to do in the middle of the winter.”
A neat attraction of the day is how one of the Colio staff members opened bottles of wine, using the blunt-side of a sabre to remove the top. This technique is called, “sabrage.” It was said, during the event, the art of opening a wine bottle this way became popular in the past with Napoleon wanting to celebrate with his troops.