Local couple reach Kilimanjaro summit with Peller icewine to celebrate climb

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Local grape growers Lorna and Phil Tregunno are passionate about promoting Niagara products.
They also love to hike.
Their recent trek up Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa, was a totally new experience for them, but pushing local produce was not.
Phil, 54, grows peaches and grapes on a Niagara River Parkway family farm, and became a familiar face on TV last summer promoting local fruit. When he and Lorna, 53, decided climbing Kilimanjaro was something they wanted to do, they also thought they would take along something that would represent home, but it just wasn’t the right season for peaches, says Lorna.
So instead they carefully bubblewrapped a bottle of icewine and cradled it in their duffel bag, to enjoy once they had accomplished their climb up the frozen 5,800-metre mountain.
The mystique of icewine and its identification with Niagara made it the perfect product to take along, says Lorna.
It was carried by one of about 40 porters who helped lug all the necessary gear for the seven climbers, a group which included the Tregunnos, who had never met their climbing companions, along with one person from New York and two from California.
They discovered once they reached the top, where they proudly photographed the Peller Estates Vidal icewine with pink-tinged glaciers in the background, that none of the other travellers had tasted the liquid nectar so popular with tourists who visit NOTL.
They also realized that due to the cold, the thin air and the 10,000-foot descent that had to be completed by the end of the day, they would be well-advised to wait until they had finished the day’s climb before celebrating.
The couple made sure they were both fit for the ascent, having done a lot of hiking locally, and trained for the mountain-side by climbing up and down the Niagara gorge for as long as the weather permitted, but although the final stage was a challenge, they never doubted the successful outcome of their mission, she says.
“We were very prepared and very determined. We knew we would do it.”
After four days of climbing, they left their camp at midnight for the final mount to the top, says Lorna, which gave them the opportunity to see the breathtaking sights as the sun came up.
“It was unbelievable. We had no rain, just sunshine every day, and the scenery and the colours are beautiful. It was a wonderful experience.”
But it was also a challenge, especially the 18-hour day of climbing for the final ascent and then back to camp, she said, where they finally felt comfortable celebrating with their icewine.
It was a lot of fun sharing it with a international group, many who had never tasted icewine, especially one that had travelled so far and high, said Phil.
But they all seemed to enjoy it, says Lorna, and some of those who shared the bottle have emailed to ask where they can buy it—making not only their climb successful, but their efforts to promote Niagara as well.

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