The beginning of a new year is always an exciting time for everyone, a new year of change and a new year of experiences. So much to do, so much to look forward to and the Twenty Valley Winter WineFest is an incredible event that should absolutely start off the list.

Icewine is a really crazy concept. The grapes are picked at temperatures of −8 °C and below, which causes the water in the grape to freeze but not the sugars and other solids. When the fruit is pressed, you are left with a small amount of concentrated, very sweet wine and is kept in balance by its high acidity. Two of the largest producers of icewine in the world are Canada and Germany, with 75% of Canada’s icewine coming from Ontario.

The Festival kicks off Friday night (January 9) with an exciting Country line-up and runs until January 11. The first night will see the talented CCMA Female artist of the Year, Kira Isabella headline the stage, along with local artists The Jeff Brown Band, up and comer Dylan Menzie from PEI and Leah Daniels. Tickets can be purchased for $15 in advance and will help fund local charities.

The music keeps coming on Saturday with a rocking set of free concerts presented by 97.7HTZ-FM. The must see show of the night will be the 2013 HTZ-FM Rocksearch winners The Glorious Sons along with The Mohrs and Yukon Blonde.

The excitement doesn’t stop here as Cave Springs will be hosting the ultimate after party January 10 from 10pm – 1am. There will be plenty of beer, Dillon’s Small Batch Distillers and Cave Spring Wines along with live music and amazing appetizers.