Wayne Gretzky Estates Winery & Distillery Opens its Doors
NIAGARA, ON, May 17, 2017 /CNW/ - Wayne Gretzky and Andrew Peller Limited are pleased to announce the opening of the new Wayne Gretzky Estates Winery & Distillery.
"We are gearing up for our official Grand Opening weekend June 9th and 10th but want to provide our friends, families and neighbours an advance invite to our beautiful new Wayne Gretzky Estates Winery & Distillery," said Wayne Gretzky. "We are still working on some finishing touches but invite everyone to come down and enjoy Niagara's first combined winery and distillery."
The modern barn-like structure, designed by award-winning architect Gren Weis, features stone, metal, and stained wood to reflect the surrounding landscape and immense glass walls to allow for uninterrupted views of the vineyards.
Constructed over two years, the 23,000 square foot facility includes a winery, distillery, tasting areas, retail and hospitality spaces, fermentation facilities, offices and barrel storage areas.
"We are so excited to celebrate the legacy of Wayne Gretzky at the new winery and distillery. Guests will get to experience The Great Canadian Whisky Tour and Whisky Bartending:Cocktails 101 as well as enjoy family photos and defining hockey moments that celebrate Wayne's incredible contribution to Canada. The Great One himself even placed a loonie at centre ice on our new hockey pond to celebrate our new home," said John Peller, Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Peller Limited.
Introducing new exclusive Ice Cask and Ninety Nine Proof Whisky
Following the success of Wayne Gretzky No. 99 "Red Cask" Canadian Whisky launched in October last year, the distillery is now launching a new Ice Cask premium whisky and Ninety Nine Proof, a small batch premium whisky that are now available exclusively at the distillery for purchase.
According to master distiller Joshua Beach, Ice Cask is a golden bronze coloured whisky that has been finished in Wayne Gretzky Vidal Blanc Icewine barrels resulting in a long and lingering smooth texture with a hint of sweetness and flavours of toffee, carmelized apple, smoke and allspice. The Ninety Nine Proof is a deep amber bronze coloured whisky that has been finished in Wayne Gretzky Cabernet Sauvignon barrels adding rich oak and baked fruit notes, along with a more pronounced rye-forward spice to produce a refined and smooth whisky.
"We invite you to come in and try our new premium whiskys made the Canadian way with locally sourced grains that are individually distilled, matured and blended and then finished in Wayne Gretzky wine barrels – it's our unique process that delivers a refined and smooth taste," said Beach.
New Artisanal Spirited Wine
In addition to the premium Wayne Gretzky wines available in the winery, award-winning winemaker Craig McDonald selected the finest Muscat and Vidal grapes from Niagara and worked with master distiller Beach to distill two artisanal spirited wines – Muscat Artisanal Spirited Wine and Vidal Artisanal Spirited Wine. Both can be enjoyed neat, on the rocks or mixed with soda water or sparkling wine, with added mint or lime to create a refreshing seasonal cocktail.
Wayne Gretzky Estates Tours and Experiences
Enjoy Wayne Gretzky Estates wines and whisky at the new winery tasting room and distillery whisky bar during these opening hours:
Friday & Saturday: 10am – 9pm
Sunday to Thursday: 10am – 7pm
In addition, guests can experience 45-minute guided tours and interactive sessions with our bartenders and hosts on the history of whisky making, insider tips on how to create the ultimate whisky cocktail and learn about Wayne's dream of opening a world-class winery as well as wine and food pairing. Guests can pre-book the following experiences on www.waynegretzkyestates.com
The Great Canadian Whisky Tour – Hourly from 11:30 – 7:30pm at $25
The Whisky Bartender: Cocktails 101 – Held at 12 noon at $35
The Canadian Winery Tour – Hourly from 11am-7pm at $25
The Red Line – wine and food pairing experience – Held at 3pm at $30.
Investment in Niagara-on-the-lake
For over 50 years, Andrew Peller Limited (APL) has been making wine in Canada – and long been part of the Niagara-on-the-Lake wine community with the Trius Winery (founded in 1979) and the Peller Estates Winery (founded 2001). APL has two other wineries in Ontario including Thirty Bench, which was founded in 1990. The company owns approximately 300 acres of land that is in agriculture production and is used to supply winery operations. The new Wayne Gretzky Winery & Distillery adds to APL's significant investment and commitment to the Niagara-on-the-Lake wine region. Niagara-on-the-Lake was chosen specifically for the permanent home of the Wayne Gretzky Winery & Distillery because of its rich history in wine excellence, the growth in wine tourism in the area and Wayne's personal connection to Southern Ontario.
SOURCE Wayne Gretzky Estates Winery & Distillery
Chantal Smith, Wayne Gretzky Estates Winery& Distillery, Office: 905.468.6552, [email protected]
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