Local wineries hosting a “Caribbean Vacation”

During a long winter, some may think of warmer places to be. Well, the Niagara Wine Trail wants to help.

Ten wineries on the Trail are giving folks a “Caribbean Vacation” on Jan. 24 and 25. Each winery will be set up in a different Caribbean island theme for the wine tasting event. A $20 ticket for the event includes a wine tasting at each winery, a commemorative wine glass, and a chance to win a $2,000 gift certificate for a real vacation, sponsored by Liberty Travel. Tickets are available at the wineries or online at www.niagarawinetrail.org.

The participating wineries include Eveningside Vineyards, Freedom Run, Honeymoon Trail, Leonard Oakes, Marjim Manor, Niagara Landing, Schulze Vineyard & Winery, Spring Lake Winery, Vizcarra Vineyards and Warm Lake Estate.

“It’s really a neat event,” Mindy Vizcarra of Vizcarra Vineyards in Gasport. “We wanted to do something for the winter and give a chance to win a really fun prize.”

In order to win the prize, people have to visit each participating winery during the event. Then they have to turn in a completed ticket after visiting the last winery to enter for a chance to win the grand prize. All of the wineries don’t have to be visited in one day. “But the key is to get to all of the wineries,” Vizcarra said.

Last year, the Niagara Wine Trail held a similar Mardi Gras event. Vizcarra said the group was just thinking of an event for the winter and decided last spring what they wanted to do.

“In winter, everyone thinks of summer and the beach,” she said.

Karen Ferchen of Niagara Landing said the winery was going to be Aruba for the Caribbean Vacation. Niagara Landing also has some special things in store for the weekend.

“It’s a lot of fun,” she said. “We have Mike Smiarowski from Buffalo performing here on Saturday.”

Smiarowski was nominated six times for a Grammy Award in 2007.

Also that weekend, Spring Lake Winery is having a Pirate’s Parr-tee.”The event, in conjunction with the Caribbean Vacation, will feature wine tasting and live music by Caribbean Extravaganza from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday. Admission to the event is an additional $10. People can visit their pirate cove, pick up a key to unlock the “treasure chest” and enter the special drawing for an overnight stay at Lewiston’s Barton Hill Hotel. Every key wins a prize. Spring Lake is suggesting reservations be made.