Thursday, July 15, 2010

After conquering the Rockies and the Kootenays I was now in the desert and ready to savour what I came here for. It promised to be a fabulous day: the weather could not be beat, the birds were singing outside, and two great friends were driving up from the lower mainland to join me for Routine #5…

…today was WINE TOURING DAY!

After sleeping in I headed for me coffee, showered, packed, and shifted motels where I met my friends Scott and Gill. They had arrived around lunchtime and we immediately set out for what will be a great weekend of wine and food.

We started at Cedar Creek (one of my personal favourites) for an amazing lunch. I had a grilled rosemary chicken with pesto, green salad, and buffalo mozzarella. It was great with the bottle of Ehrenfelser we shared. It was also the perfect start to wine touring…got the tastebuds active and put us all in the right mood. It was 33 degrees out and we were ready for some vino.

This is a breakdown of the wineries we visited. My rule this year is ONE bottle per winery (no exceptions)…and I expect there will be many I do not buy from at all. Gotta watch the budget this year:

Cedar Creek: Visit here every year so this is my 5th time. Owned by retired Liberal Senator Ross Fitzpatrick. Solid winery and beautiful view. Predictably good wines and home of my favourite white from the valley: the Ehrenfelser (which I bought). Intended purpose: on a patio sometime this or next summer. Service: 8/10, Wines: 7.5/10. Will definitely go back.

St. Hubertus: Also 5th time here. Great little winery with some unique offerings (hard to find a Chasselas anywhere else) and very reasonably priced. Hosts were swiss and we talked fondu nearly the whole time. I still have a Chasselas and a Rose of theirs at home so I bought the Marechel Foch. Intended Purpose: this is a heavy, tobacco-y, fruity red so this will be paired with chocolate, blue cheese, or a cigar! Service: 7.5/10, Wines: 7/10. Will definitely go back.

Summerhill: Also 5th time here. Summerhill is an organic winery that stores their wine in a pyramid to take advantage of the magical powers within. Whatever. Still, it offers decent wine but becoming a tad predictable after 5 years. I bought the Baco Noir- a stellar heavy red. Intended purpose: wintertime, probably with a meal with red meat or a powerfully flavoured chickpizza. Service: 6.5/10 (this time…it’s been better), Wines: 7/10. Will definitely go back.

Gray Monk: 3rd time here (Easy Rider Tour 2006, Little Miss Sunshine Tour 2009 previously). Underrated winery with some very unique varietals that are VERY well done. Heavy German influence with a special emphasis on whites (as German wines tend to be)…in fact their namesake is the Pinot Gris (French for Gray Monk). I had a hard time deciding but since I still have a Kerner and a Port from this place last year, I went with a new wine: the Siegerrebe- a stunning German white which really knocked my socks off. Intended purpose: it is quite sweet and floral so this will be an after dinner sipper with special friends. Service: 9/10 (Brian our server was quite entertaining), Wines: 9/10. Will definitely go back.

Arrow Leaf: First time here! Gotta love a new find. Their wines were decent enough but far from transcendent. Still, not too bad and I was impressed with their Pinot Gris and a Vidal dessert wine they had. The reds were sub par. I bought the Pinot Gris, mostly because I don’t have any in my collection at home and this was decent! Intended purpose: this is a fruity dry white so it could be sipped on a patio in the summertime, or else with a nice salad with mix greens, goat cheese, and cranberries. Service: 4/10 (our host could have cared less that we were there), Wines: 6/10. Would go back if I was in the neighbourhood.

After the touring it was back to the motel and off to the 6th and final routine of Kelowna…drum roll please…Prawn Night at the Creekside!!!! I really look forward to this and got Scott and Gill pretty pumped up for the experience. Unfortunately, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be (I am easily impressed when it comes to seafood…more on late later in the tour!)…I mean, it’s little prawns in simple dipping sauces in a sketchy pub. Still, it’s one of my favourite things to do here. It was fun, and worth the year long wait.

After dinner we went back to the motel and soaked in the hot tub, after which Scott and I ran across the street and jumped in Lake Okanagan. It was super nice out and the cool water was refreshing. As I looked around the lake and saw the sparkles of lights all around shimmering across the dark waters, I said a quiet goodbye to the city in the desert that I love to visit. This was my last night.

Tomorrow we are heading south to Penticton.