I’ve used this space to comment about how travel (and to a lesser extent, our hobby of “pointing”) is not a game of who earns the most points, or gets the most stamps in their passport. Instead, our progress should be measured by the places that change us, and the memories that we collect as a result. In the spirit of celebration that this season tends to inspire, this is one of those stories.

It’s no secret that The Ice House is my favorite winery of the viticultural wonderland known as Niagara-on-the-Lake. In fact, no trip to this hidden gem of the world is complete without stopping in here for an ice wine slushie. On my last trip to the area in August, I was treated to a true surprise by one of the winery owners, Karen King.

With a vocational background in food science, Karen has always been curious not only about the foods we eat, but how the flavors are complimented and amplified by what we pair them with. Which may be why she is a perfect pair for her husband, Jamie MacFarlane. Jamie was on the first team to commercially produce Icewine in Canada. Over the resulting 30 years, his curiosity bloomed – leading him to open The Ice House, specializing in nothing but Canadian Icewine. Today, Jamie’s Icewines have garnered notoriety around the world, even being featured at the 2011 Golden Globe Awards.

Over the course of talking about wine, travel, and other pertinent topics over slushies (they really are divine), Karen and I got on the topic of celebrations – and the fact that we don’t celebrate the little things in life nearly as often as we should. Much to my surprise, that’s when we had our own mini-celebration.

Karen brought out a set of heirloom glasses, passed down from her husband’s side of the family, followed immediately by an unmarked bottle of Mr. MacFarlane’s finest homemade Chardonnay. The Chardonnay wasn’t for public sale – rather, it was a personal pet project of Jamie’s, meant for family consumption. But opening the bottle wasn’t the celebration in of itself. Instead, the celebration came when she added a drop of the valuable nectar of Icewine to the Chardonnay.

The recipe was discovered purely by accident (so they say). Although Karen enjoyed Jamie’s unoaked, buttery Chardonnay, she found it to be quite dry. Jamie’s solution was simple: add a little icewine to taste (about 2 parts Chardonnay to one part Icewine). Sure enough, the resulting mixture was enough to turn the simple Chardonnay to a sweet, sensory experience – and inadvertently gave birth to a new ice wine cocktail.

With glasses in hand, we drank a toast to celebrating, and the fact that we don’t take the time to celebrating enough. The first cocktail was made with their Chardonnay and Vidal Icewine. The result was a smooth drinking cocktail, very fruity and just a hint of sugar. Strong flavors of peach and pear came out, making it very enjoyable to drink. Next came my personal favorite: the Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon cocktail. The mixture brought out the natural sugars of the red grapes, with strong tones of red berries – strawberries and raspberry, to be exact. It was a hearty drink that I absolutely adored, and even now drink kindly.

There were other highlights of my trip to Niagara-on-the-Lake (including getting accosted coming back to the United States for not using my NEXUS card enough). But none that stick out as vividly as my stop and impromptu celebration at the Ice House Winery. Points and miles are great, but they are but the tools that I use to unlock experiences and events. As I grow older I’ll remember less about my flights in first class, or the luxury hotel rooms I’ve stayed at. But being reminded that life is a celebration, and the memories I made at the little winery next to the river, is one that I will remember for a lifetime.

My most sincere thanks goes to Karen at The Ice House Icewinery for her kind hospitality, and allowing me to share in her family experience. Should you go to Niagara Falls (which I highly recommend), be sure to pass beyond the falls and visit The Ice House and the grand wine country that lies just minutes east, in Niagara-on-the-Lake. You certainly won’t be disappointed.

Joe & Karen from The Ice House