Red Stone Winery - NIFF Filmalicious

When I visited RED STONE WINERY last week for "Filmalicious" part of the Niagara Integrated Film Festival's programming it had only been open for 2 weeks.  The film festival group were the first group of people that they served in the restaurant so I am sure they were eager to please us.

It was a total VIP night.  The Filmalicious package includes a shuttle bus ride to the winery and a 3 course meal with wine pairing and then a screening of one of the Festival's films afterward outside in this case under a tent.  The whole Filmalicious package costs $159.  It's a bit steep but I suppose if you factor in all the elements it is worth the experience.

The first thing I must say is that when the shuttle bus arrived at the Winery I was immediately struck with how modern the Restaurant building looked.  Most of the Niagara Region wineries look very traditional or vintage.  This was a beautiful glass structure with stone foundation.  The vineyard itself does not appear to be massive but it's 38 acres and because it's new I would imagine it will grow in time.  The outdoor patio is beautiful with lovely seating and a nice water feature.  There is a BBQ area although it wasn't in use for this event.

We were greeted with Champagne from Tawse Wines.  I am not a champagne drinker but my friends loved it.

There was a 2 piece group playing music while we waited on the patio for our dinner to begin.

When all the guests arrived we were then seated in the restaurant for our dinner.

The Menu included:

First

Chilled Digby Scallops, Pickled Strawberries Almond, Buttermilk
Paired with 2013 Red stone Viognier

Main

Roasted Heritage Chicken, Wild Mushrooms (they substituted asparagus for me), Sweet Peas, Lemon & Garlic
Paired with 2011 Red Stone Reserve Chardonnay

Dessert

Upper Canada Ricotta Cheesecake, Glazed Berries, Lemon Emulsion
Paired with 2010 Cabernet Franc Icewine

It was a very fresh spring menu that owner Moray Tawse created that was a reflection of the Niagara Region.  His philosophy is to showcase as much local products as possible including their specially made local pottery for their dishes.  It is very farm to table with all of the farms within miles of the Niagara Wineries which makes them great for so many reasons.  Great for the local economy, great for the local community, great for the environment and great as a way for tourists to experience true Canadian meals.

I am not a wine drinker but I did take a sip of each of the wines and I think the 2013 Red Stone Viognier was the best one.

My favourite part of the meal was the dessert, it was light and fresh and creamy.

After the dinner we returned to the patio where they had fancy snacks available for purchase and more beer and wines available.  The snacks included Oysters, Maple bacon popcorn and spiced nuts.  I didn't try and of them but thought that was pretty interesting for movie snacks.

The film that screened was Match starring Sir Patrick Stewart.  I will review the film in a separate post.

I have said for a long time after going to many film festivals that there needs to be a festival that combines food into the festival.   It is only the second year for this festival so I am looking forward to seeing how it grows.

The whole Filmalicious experience was fantastic.  The most beautifully perfect weather with a fabulous sunset and it wasn't too chilly when the sun went down.   The only thing missing was comfortable theatre seats.

Red Stone Winery http://www.redstonewines.ca/index.html

Niagara Integrated Film Festival http://www.niagarafilmfest.com

*disclaimer:  I was invited as media to the dinner and screening so the meal was complimentary but the opinions on this blog are my own.