The Niagara Icewine Festival kicked off its 2013 celebration in Jordan Village with an event that despite the unseasonably warm weather, maintained the Icewine tradition in style! The event featured Niagara’s favourite food trucks, with Canadian classic cuisine in the Beavertail, wood-fired pizzas, and more!

Live music brought an undeniable energy to the crowd that carried through the evening with USS taking the stage to close out the Saturday night festivities. Full bellies and culinary creativity hit an all-time high following an afternoon with Food Network celebrities Chuck Hughes, and Anna Olson, a Chef Professor of the Canadian Food & Wine Institute of Michael Olson, doing cooking demonstrations for the large crowds that gathered around the mobile culinary theatre.

Winemakers were called on for the annual barrel racing competition with a new champion crowned: Dan Stouck hailing from Malivoire in Beamsville. The winemakers were also in full swing at the fashion show that featured the haute styles of Jack and Tintern on Main.

With the icewine flowing, the cocktails from , a new micro-distillery in Beamsville, gracing the glasses of many eager festival goers and the decadent nibbles of Niagara’s culinary culture, it was surely a weekend to experience! Rest assured that you didn’t miss out on the whole festival –  there is still plenty more to come over the next two weekends… check out the schedule here.