Wine Tasting and Food Pairing by the Lake
by Icarus Rising ehf · Northern lights · Food & drink · Reykjavík
- Luxury
from €653.34 per vehicle
Next departure: Sun 25 Oct
1 / 35
Duration
3 hours
Difficulty
Easy
Season
Sep – Apr
Starts in
Hvalfjörður
Pickup
Hotel pickup included
Guide
Guided in English
Start time
Time agreed after booking
Cancellation
Cancelling costs 10% of the price within 730 days of departure.
About this experience
The Wine School by the Lake, nestled on the scenic shores of Lake Meðalfellsvatn just 45 minutes from Reykjavík, offers a unique blend of breathtaking landscapes and exceptional wine experiences. Paired with locally sourced, home-grown food, this secluded haven is a perfect retreat. Whether savoring wine under the midnight sun in summer or chasing the Northern Lights in winter, it’s a one-of-a-kind destination. Your host, Björn Ingi Knútsson, is a certified wine expert with credentials including WSET Level 3, Spanish Wine Scholar (SWS), French Wine Scholar (FWS), and ongoing studies for the Italian Wine Scholar (IWS).
Throughout this tour, your guide will also be your photographer. Meaning that they will take photos of you during this magical experience. After the tour is over, we will edit your photos and send them to you for you to keep as a memory of your epic adventure.
Description from the operator, Icarus Rising ehf. Prices and availability in the booking panel are live.
Where you go
- Wine Tasting & Food Pairing: A Symphony of Wine, Food, and Icelandic Nature
Included
- Professional Photographer
- Full education through pairing Icelandic delicacies with excellent bottles of wine
- Wine and food pairing, based on Icelandic Cuisine and Fine Drinks
- Private Group
- Photo package
All photos will be edited and sent to the client within 14 days via a downloadable drive.
Not included
Possibility to add:
- Private transportation back and forth
- Seminar Options:
- Wine Fundamentals: A 2–2.5-hour journey through the art and science of winemaking. Explore the nuances of vineyard conditions, grape varieties, and winemaking techniques while savoring premium wines that bring these concepts to life.
- Regional Emphasis: Dive deep into a specific wine region or country. With a focus on “terroir,” appellations, and the unique characteristics of local grape varieties, you’ll savor wines that exemplify the soul of the region. Perfect for those eager to explore iconic regions like Bordeaux, Rioja, or Tuscany.
- Tailor-Made Seminars: Dreaming of a wine tour abroad? Customize your learning to focus on the wines of your chosen destination. Whether it’s Italy’s rolling vineyards, Spain’s sun-kissed bodegas, or the dynamic “New World,” this bespoke seminar prepares you to fully appreciate your next wine adventure.
Good to know
- Proper Seasonal Clothing – Gloves, Hat, Wind/Rainproof Jacket, and multiple warm layers for freezing or wet conditions.
- Important Notice: Drink Responsibly in Iceland.
- Although you can book this as a self drive experience, we recommend to add the service of one of our drivers.
- In Iceland, strict laws prohibit drinking and driving. To ensure your safety and compliance, we recommend arranging a professional driver to escort you to and from the Wine School by the Lake. Enjoy your experience worry-free while leaving the transportation to the experts.
- We will charge you 125,000 ISK for the transportation service back and forth.
Cancellation for this tour
Cancelling costs 10% of the price within 730 days of departure. If the operator cancels for weather or safety, you get a full refund or a new date.
If the weather cancels this tour
Iceland's weather is real. What usually stops this one is a solid cloud forecast — most operators call it by late afternoon and let you rebook on a clearer night free of charge. Here is exactly what happens to your booking.
- 1Icarus Rising ehf decides, and tells us. Operators cancel when it is unsafe or pointless, and we back that call every time — we do not ask them to run anyway.
- 2We contact you by email, and by phone if your tour is the same or next day. You choose: another date if there is one you can make, or a full refund. There is no fee and nothing to argue.
- 3The refund goes back to the card you paid with, through Stripe, usually visible within a few working days. If this tour was one of several in your booking, the others are untouched.
What you do not get is the day back. If this is the only free day in your plan, put a spare day next to it — the planner leaves days free with the rest-day option. And if you want out because the forecast looks bad, that is your own cancellation: free until the cutoff shown above, the operator's policy after that.
Questions on the day: [email protected] · +354 497 1373. How cancellations work in Iceland →
Sold out on your date?
Seats come back — a cancellation, or the operator adding a vehicle. Tell us the date and we will check once a day and email you if one opens. One email, then we delete the address; nothing else is ever sent to it.
Who this is not for
- Priced per vehicle, so it is poor value for one or two people and good value for four or more sharing.
- Not available in summer; the operator runs it roughly September to April.
Read off the operator's own conditions. If none of it applies to you, this is a good one.
Why we list it
Icarus Rising ehf is one of 204 operators we work with — chosen for reliability, honest descriptions and how they treat guests when weather changes plans. We don't list everything; we list what we'd book ourselves. The six checks every operator passes →
Read before you book
- What to do on your arrival afternoon in ReykjavíkFood walk, whale watching or bed on the afternoon you land — which one survives a red-eye, which one wastes the day, and the combo we'd actually book.
- Best Northern Lights Tour in Iceland (2026): 5 PicksThe northern lights tours we would book ourselves from Reykjavík and Akureyri, by minibus, super jeep and boat, with real prices and honest odds.
- Best Food Tour in Reykjavík (2026): 4 PicksThe Reykjavík food tours we would book ourselves, ranked: the food and beer walk, the street-food walk, the longer all-in-one tour, and a whale watching combo.
Reviews from our travellers
Only people who booked this tour through us can write here. We publish every review in full — good or bad.
Reviews arrive the day after each trip — none yet for this one. After your tour we send one email asking how it was, and what you write goes here, unedited.
Northern lights — questions people ask
When is the best time to see the northern lights in Iceland?
September to April, when the nights are dark enough. Within that, late September to March gives the longest dark hours, and the equinox months, September and March, often have active skies. There are no lights in June or July; the sky never gets dark. Anyone selling you a June lights tour is selling you a bus ride. Give yourself at least three nights, because clouds, not the aurora, are the usual reason people miss them.
Are the northern lights guaranteed on a tour?
No. Nobody can promise them, and we will not. Two things have to line up: a clear sky and solar activity. Guides check the cloud forecast at vedur.is and drive to gaps, which is the real value of a tour over standing outside your hotel. What most operators do promise is a free second attempt if the lights do not show. Check the exact retry policy on the tour page, because the number of retries and the validity period vary.
Is a northern lights bus tour or a boat tour better?
Bus, if you want the best odds. A minibus can drive an hour inland to find a clear patch; a boat stays in Faxaflói and sees whatever sky is over Reykjavík. Boats are shorter, about two hours, and pleasant with hot chocolate, and Reykjavik Sailors' cruise (/experience/6637/) includes a free retry. For a serious hunt, a small-group minibus like BusTravel's (/experience/150646/) or a 4x4 tour (/experience/1088067/) is the better bet.
Can I see the northern lights from Reykjavík itself?
Yes, on strong nights. The city is small and the sky over the sea to the north is fairly dark. Grótta lighthouse at the western tip and the Ægisíða shoreline are the usual spots, twenty minutes' walk from the centre. On average nights the street lights drown out a faint aurora, which is why tours drive out. If the forecast shows high activity and clear sky, walk to Grótta first and save the tour money.
Hotels
Where to stay for this tour
From the cheapest to the top end of what is near Reykjavík, from our hotel partners. Rooms are booked on our hotels site.
from 16.181 kr.Lowest price
Guesthouse · Reykjavík
Old Town Reykjavík
under 1 km away · a night for two, indicative
from 41.790 kr.Mid-range
Hotel · Reykjavík
Radisson Blu 1919 Hotel
under 1 km away · a night for two, indicative
from 60.840 kr.Top end
Hotel · Reykjavik
Hótel Holt
under 1 km away · a night for two, indicative
One checkout, any number of operators
Rankings are not for sale
203 operators vetted, and not all of them accepted
If it falls short, we fix it
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