Visiting the Icewine Gallery at Richmond’s O Zone

February 13, 2010 Mike Klassen

Mike & Stacey are served Inniskillin Icewine at Richmond's O Zone

This afternoon we got to make a stop at one of the "2010 Free" sites we've been promoting over at CityCaucus.com. The Inniskillin Icewine Gallery is right next to the impressive Ice Gate art display at Richmond's O Zone. Three icewines are being poured here, one from Okanagan Inniskillin, and two from Inniskillin's Niagara winery.

What's not to like about icewine, even on a cold day? The long smooth finish of each wine made them a joy for the entire palate. If we really had to choose one of the three (a tough decision) we were both partial to the Okanagan Reisling icewine, which we all agreed was the more "elegant" of the three due to the stronger acidity which allowed the fruit to come through.

The Niagara selections were both from a Vidal grape varietal. One was 2006 Vidal, and the other was a 2006 Vidal Commemorative Edition (in tribute of the Olympics). Each of the Vidal icewines had peachy/apricot notes on the nose, and a soft, full flavour and a mild hint of oak.

Open from February 12-28, 2010, the Icewine Gallery hours of operation are 3:00pm – 11:00pm Monday to Friday, and 12:00pm – 11:00pm on Saturday and Sunday. Costs are $5 for half oz sample, or $10 for three half oz tastes.

It's been so great to enjoy wine as part of the 2010 Games experience here in Vancouver. There are more great stories to come in the days ahead.

Author

Mike Klassen

Mike is a communications and public affairs professional in addition to being a BC wine industry booster. He and his wife Stacey launched the BC Wine Lover brand in 2007 to share stories about their experiences with people, places and wines on their BC wine country travels. In 2015, Mike was hired as Executive Director of the BC Wine Appellation Task Group, and undertook a comprehensive industry-wide consultation involving hundreds of stakeholders to reform regulations governing wine-making in B.C. The resulting recommendations were overwhelmingly endorsed through a plebiscite, and are leading to the creation of new sub-appellations in the province. In addition to his blog, Mike’s articles on BC wine have been featured in Huffington Post, Vancity Buzz (now Daily Hive), and Vancouver Sun. Mike now works for BC Care Providers Association as Vice President, Communications and Stakeholder Relations, and continues to be engaged on the future of Canada’s wine industry.