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Welcome to the
BC Wine Tour.
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Welcome to British Columbia, where
winemaking has a rich and illustrious history. Here
you will find links to most BC wineries and
vineyards, along the BC Wine Route.
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british columbia wine route
Follow the Wine Route Signs
By Stephen Wong
One of the best ways to experience Southern British
Columbia is to follow the “Wine Route” signs that line
its highways and byways. You don't have to be an
oenophile or a foodie to reap the benefits of dropping in
on some of the hundred-plus wineries scattered around the
region - from Vernon to Salt Spring Island. If good food,
good wine and meeting nice folks who are eager to share
their passions are in your travel plans, these emblematic
burgundy and white beacons will lead you to discoveries
that you will savour for a long while.
Wine Route On Vancouver Island
In the Cowichan Valley south of Duncan, the Wine Route
winds through a maze of country roads amidst fertile
meadowlands where evidence of the good life are plenty.
As she drives past an artisanal cheese-maker and a farm
that rears specialty meats and poultry, Kathy McAree,
former national food company executive, now enthusiastic
culinary tourism insider and owner of Travel with Taste
Tours Ltd. explains, “This place is a treasure trove of
talents. Each year more award-winning vintners, chefs,
growers and producers set up shop on Vancouver Island.
Yet there is an organic feel and a real sense of history
and community….”
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As if to illustrate her point, rounding a corner along a
tree-lined stretch of tarmac, the landscape opens up to
gently sloping vineyards hugging a 100-year-old farm
house with a wraparound veranda that is now home to the
petite tasting room of the island's first estate winery,
Vigneti Zanatta. As Loretta Zanatta, the intense and
focused Italian-trained winemaker in the family, sampled
her uniquely-styled, aromatic, classic method sparklers -
poetically named Glenora Fantasia, Fatima and Allegria -
from behind the granite-topped bar; Fatima DeSilva,
ebullient, Mozambique-born, self-taught chef and operator
of the on-site restaurant, Vinoteca, was crafting
deeply-flavoured Mediterranean-Asian-influenced dishes
such as Ling cod with Thai basil, yam puree and rapini,
and Pinot noir-rosemary-braised lamb shanks with soft
white polenta to go with them. Suffice to say, lunch was
a treat.
In nearby Cobble Hill, at Merridale Ciderworks, a
producer of un-pasteurized ciders from local and
estate-grown cider apples (marked on the wine trail by
virtue of its active participation in the Vancouver
Island Vintners Association), history is in the making.
With the opening of their new Cider House last year,
owners Janet Docherty, a tireless champion of local
culinary tourism, and her husband Rick Pipes, lawyer and
cider-maker, have turned this 13-year-old cidery (which
they acquired in 2000) into the area's premier
destination. The new building - carefully designed to
blend in with the older barn-like buildings on the
property - with its cathedral ceilings, fieldstone
fireplace and expansive windows overlooking the
surrounding orchard and deer pond, is now home to
Merridale's tasting bar, retail shop, and the new La
Pommeraie Bistro, which served its first guests on April
30th this year. Contracted to London-born Torontonian
chef John Waller and his pastry chef spouse Tracy Croteau,
the restaurant currently features a global-inspired menu
with chalkboard specials that highlight local seasonal
ingredients.
Also in the neighbourhood, and well worth a visit, is
Cherry Point Vineyards, which underwent extensive
renovations after it was bought by the Cowichan Tribes
last year. After tasting their award-winning 2004
Gewurztraminer and the solera-style Blackberry port in
the new West Coast-inspired Longhouse wine shop, visitors
can now relax on the 1,200 square foot patio, centred
around a traditional First Nations salmon barbecue pit.
Across Brentwood Bay, near the famed Butchart Gardens,
you'll find the colouful Marley Farm Winery - the
realized dream of Jamaican-born developer Michael Marley
(second cousin to reggae legend Bob Marley) and his fruit
wine hobbyist wife Beverly. On this kids-friendly farm
populated with grazing sheep, geese, horses, chickens,
turkeys, ducks and pigeons, a sample of their grape and
fruit wines is often accompanied by a basket of Jamaican
patties, and always, some jolly good tales. Look for a
kiwi wine that is hand-squeezed by Michael and two
hundred of his closest friends, and a new line of
barrel-aged vinegars made from kiwi, blueberry, peach and
loganberry labeled with local kids' artwork.
The Naramata Bench
Community and cooperation, born of proximity, are also
bywords of another section of the BC wine route, the
Naramata Bench. Fourteen wineries and counting - members
of the Naramata Bench Wineries Association (www.naramatabench.com)
- now dot the scenic 10-mile (16 km) stretch of road that
hugs the eastern shore of the southern tip of Okanagan
Lake between Penticton and the quaint country township of
Naramata (population: 800), making it arguably the most
compact and picturesque wine touring area in the valley.
Whether one's dropping in for a day or staying a week,
visitors are greeted with such warmth and enthusiasm only
a close-knit community can offer.
At Joie's fire engine red farm house, you won't get a
wine tour replete with fermentation tanks and racks of
oak barrels. With their inaugural vintage (2004) of wines
now nearly sold out, what you will get is a choice of
weekend or five-day epicurean retreats, fashioned after
popular European-style agri-tourism experiences,
conducted in their outdoor kitchen adjacent to their
garden and apple orchard by owners, chef-sommeliers,
Heidi Noble and Michael Dinn. A typical program might
include a foray into the nearby hills for morel mushrooms
or a trip to the Penticton farmers market for baby leeks,
Jerusalem artichokes or “the best ever” pecan pie;
cooking classes and wine seminars; and an al fresco feast
on their expansive lake view deck.
Just up the road, at Elephant Island Orchard Wines,
tastings of unique, food-friendly wines made from Stellar
cherries, Barlett pears, crabapples and black currants
are offered with a personal touch by Del and Miranda
Halladay in their homey family courtyard, shaded by the
foliage of a quartet of majestic birch, eastern oak and
maple trees. Like so many other wineries in this area,
they offer accommodations onsite; in this case a
loft-like guest suite with two double beds and kitchen
facilities on the second floor of their barn-style wine
shop.
Another idyllic spot to while away a lazy afternoon is in
the meticulously landscaped compound of Lake Breeze
Vineyards. Perched on a slight bluff, this gem of a
winery commands a panoramic view of the lake and the
surrounding vineyards from its tasting room, on-site
guest cottage and busy patio restaurant, Mahdina's,
headed by ex-Vancouver chef Marcus Kharboutli. Gentle and
soft-spoken like the refreshing breeze that sweep through
his aptly named property, owner Gary Reynolds, retired
senior administrator from the Edmonton Public Schools (in
Alberta), is gracious and hands-on, and can often be
found leading discussions on their wine portfolio which
includes a unique-in-Canada Pinotage.
By contrast, Poplar Grove, whose wines and cheeses have
achieved near-cult status of late, exudes rustic, country
charm. Owner Ian Sutherland - former high pressure boiler
wielder, self-professed ex-hippie, and now self-taught
“journeyman” wine and cheese-maker (who also wielded his
own fermentation tanks) - while always seems to be
tinkering, is never too busy to chat. In June, the
expanded tasting bar with viewing window into the
refurbished cheese room opened to guests. Here,
winery-only releases of Gamay, New Block Merlot and
Gewurztraminer will be paired with rich Double Cream
Camembert, the popular Tiger Blue and the heady, new
washed rind cheese named Harvest Moon.
Novice or experienced wine tourists alike will be
impressed with the gorgeous one-year-new site and
facilities at Prudence and Beat Mahrer's Red Rooster
Winery. Flanking the central “Wishing Fountain”, a
hangar-sized winery building now houses their expanding
wine production. And the separate wine shop, with its
swooping roof line extending over a wrap-around patio, is
home to a roomy gift shop populated with, well, roosters
of all shapes and sizes. Ask to taste the wines
that were served to Queen Elizabeth during her visit to
Regina in May this year, or pick up a bottle of “Minus
13” Special Late Harvest Pinot Blanc bottled in honour of
the Year of The Rooster.
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link-back required.
Elsewhere in the Okanagan
Ongoing investments at various wineries aimed at
enhancing visitors' experience are now paying dividend.
Here are a few examples of peak experiences not to be
missed:
Near Osooyoos at Nk'Mip Cellars, North America's first
aboriginal-owned winery, construction of the first phase
of the luxurious Spirit Ridge Resort and Spa and the
nearby new Desert Heritage Centre are nearing completion.
After taking in a round of golf at the adjacent nine-hole
Sonora Desert Golf Course and perusing the beautiful
First Nations art exhibit in the wine shop, visitors can
relax on the winery's patio with its breathtaking view of
the surrounding desert landscape while enjoying
aboriginal-inspired dishes such as skewers of Caribou
juniper sausages and Bison in Saskatoon berry BBQ sauce
grilled alfresco by new winery chef Jeff Miller.
Ever-focused on wine education, the self-guided tour at
Tinhorn Creek near Oliver is a noted stop.
Well-versed, ever-evolving presentations at stations
strategically located throughout the winery, the new
barrel room and the meticulously tended demonstration
vineyards are meant to “give you a perspective of how we
relate to the region and how this region relates to the
world of wine,” says owner Kenn Oldfield. On a separate
jaunt, energetic visitors can hike up the steep trail
that leads to the historical gold mine in the hills
behind the property and continue on a three-winery tour
that includes nearby Gehringer Brothers and Hester Creek.
Along Black Sage Road South of Oliver, at the impressive
south-western mission-style Burrowing Owl Estate Winery,
Chef Dominique Couton has just started his third season
at the helm of the grandiose Sonora Room, serving
bold-flavoured dishes such as Duck Parfait with Pickled
Cherries and a Trilogy of Lamb Chop, Tenderloin and
Sausage with Garden Herb Jus and Garlic Confit to
accompany the winery's award-winning wines. Meanwhile, a
10-room guesthouse is being built adjacent the
picturesque hillside perch of the winery, and should be
ready to receive guests by Spring of 2006.
Near Westbank, at Quails' Gate Estate, the Old Vine Patio
Restaurant, with its split level decks, centerpiece stone
fireplace and new wine bar - part of a 4.5 million dollar
enhancement project - opened in July with a new menu of
Pacific-inspired dishes drawn up by Chef Judith Knight.
Across the lake at CedarCreek, a new covered heated
pavilion has been added to the amphitheatre, site of
their popular Sunset Concerts series. On the Vineyards
Terrace, next to the tasting room, new chef Geoffrey
Couper will be offering delectables such as West Coast
Mussels in Pinot Blanc and Lemon-miso Broth and Nicoise
Salad with seared Sea Scallops with Red Pepper Rouille
for lunch.
And of course, a trek along the Okanagan Wine Route would
not be complete without a visit to the iconic hilltop
Mission Hill Family Estate. Superbly designed, elegantly
appointed and run with a five-diamond hotel philosophy,
visitors are greeted by a keystone host upon stepping
across the winery's pelican-crested keystone and directed
to a choice of tours and food and wine related
experiences. An audio visual presentation in the kitchen
theatre, a unique Chagall tapestry and a collection of
centuries old wine vessels are just some of the elements
one might encounter on a guided tour. Setting a high bar
and dedicated to incorporating the best of local foods to
pair with their wines, Winery Chef Michael Allemeier,
formerly of Vancouver's Bishop's and Calgary's Teatro,
now oversees the elegant menus served on the Terrace, as
well as in the various function venues onsite. This year,
Allemeier is working on expanding his new line of
house-made preserves (only available at their wine shop)
and his off-season food and wine classes to highlight
area growers.
For more on British Columbia's destinations and travel
information, call 1-800 HELLO BC® (North America) or
visit
www.HelloBC.com
Contact Information:
Cherry Point Vineyards
250/743-1272:
Elephant Island Orchard Wines
250/496-5522
Joie Wines & Farm Cooking School
1-866-422-5643
Karamel Wedding Photography
14-3753 Lakeshore Rd
Kelowna, BC
V1W 3K3
Phone: 250.763.7111
Email:
karamelphotography@gmail.com
Lake Breeze Vineyards
250/496-5659
Marley Farm Winery
250/652-8667
Merridale Ciderworks
250/743-4293; 1-800-998-9908
Poplar Grove Winery
250/492-4575
Red Rooster Winery
250/492-2424
Travel With Taste Tours Ltd.
Kathy McAree, 250/385-1527
Zanatta Winery
250/748-2338
Add Your Winery Link to this
page to increase your Targeted Keyword Optimization and
improve your Search Engine Rankings. No reciprocal
link-back required.
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Nk'Mip Cellars,
250/495-2985:
Tinhorn Creek Vineyards,
250/498-3743:
www.tinhorn.com
Burrowing Owl Estate Winery,
250/498-6202, 1-877-498-0620:
Quails' Gate Estate Winery,
250/769-4451; 1-800-420-9463:
CedarCreek Estate Winery,
250/764-8866:
Mission Hill Family Estate Winery, 250/768-7611:
Stephen Wong is a Vancouver-based
freelance food, wine and travel writer, cookbook author
and much-sought Food and Beverage Consultant.
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