Friday, July 16, 2010

Another hot, sunny day in the Okanagan. Another day of wine and fun. Another day on the road. Now this is starting to feel like a vacation.

After leaving the motel Scott, Gill, and I headed across Lake Okanagan to West Kelowna where we met our friends Ryan and Katherine, who had travelled from Vancouver Island to meet us. Our plan was to hit a few wineries there before heading to Penticton. Here’s a breakdown of the ones we visited:

Quail’s Gate- 5th time here. The wines here are excellent and consistent. There were few surprises but it was still a pleasure to sip their wines in the giant tasting room overlooking the lake. I purchased the Gewürztraminer- mostly because they do a good job of theirs and I just can’t have enough Gewurtz in my collection. Intended purpose: a really spicy stir fry. Service: 7/10, Wines: 7/10. Will definitely go back.

Little Straw- 5th time here. They do an excellent job of their whites and are a relatively new winery. I ended up purchasing a Riesling simply because I still have a bottle of their Sauvignon Blanc at home. The SB is definitely my favourite of theirs. I’ll drink the Riesling by itself on a patio or maybe with some light cheeses. Service: 7/10, Wines 6.5/10.

Volcano Hills Estate Winery- First time here! I was actually not too impressed with their wines but this is common for a new winery. Sometimes they take a few years to find their groove. Our host was pleasant enough though. I usually try to help out these businesses but since they are owned by a brothers group who own other wineries, and since I was on a tight budget, I showed some restraint and bought nothing. Actually that’s not true…they were selling samosas and I bought one of those! Service: 7/10, Wines: 5/10

That was it for the morning and we all headed south to Penticton. I love that ride down the west side of Lake Okanagan. Spectacular view and fast traffic! We found our motel easily, met up with our friends Arron & Erin, had lunch at a nearby pub, and then spent the rest of the day sitting by the pool, leaving the pool to go hang out at the beach, back to the pub for supper, and early to bed. Very relaxing.

Tomorrow is more wine, fun, and sun!