Friday, Aug 17, 2012

It’s funny how a city can seem different simply by relocating where you are staying while you are there.  It’s like look at anything from a different angle I guess.  Being downtown in Kelowna has given an entirely different perspective that when I used to stay down on Lakeshore near my favourite beaches, wineries, and pubs. Downtown is where the action is…especially at night as the clubs, lounges, and even the waterfront is bustling with people. It was certainly a faster pace than I am used to…and a nice change after 6 years of the same routine.

What did not change, however, was how I never seem to get a good night’s sleep in Kelowna (the heat???) and I stay in bed until 9 or 10. After I finally got up, found a sandwich for breakfast, and went for a short walk I was finally ready to start my day at about 11:30.

It was another hot day expected to reach the mid- 30s. My only real agenda in Kelowna (other than all of the festivities around the wedding) was to visit a few of my favourite wineries. I even skipped prawn night at the Creekside the night before (mostly because the shine of the whole affair had worn off after a rank batch of prawns last year).

At noon I joined my mother, sister, and niece for a trip north of Kelowna to Lake Country. They were interested in visiting a jam place called the Jammery- I was interested in visiting Grey Monk winery. I had discovered Grey Monk almost by accident on the Easy Rider Tour 2006 and it has been a staple visit ever since. They have unique varietals and a huge selection, making the tasting process very interesting and the purchasing selection process very difficult.

My mother joined me for the tasting. She’s a fan of sweeter wines so she was pretty blown away by the Late Harvest Kerner and the Odyssey Port. She ended up buying a half case of the stuff, which surprised me. It must be good.  I ended up with a bottle of the Kerner, a bottle of the Siegerebbe, and the Port.

After the Grey Monk and Jammery visit we headed back to the hotel where I attempted to have a short nap. This was interrupted by an impromptu excursion to visit more wineries with my aunt, my father, and my sister.

We went to Mission Hill first- the biggest winery in the entire Okanagan valley. While impressive, I still can’t get behind their wines and after our tasting I walked out wine-less (nevermind the fact that I just bought three bottles at Grey Monk and I’m trying to cut back this year). Still, I did enjoy the scenery and the architecture and the rest of the blitz they throw out.

The second winery was Quail’s Gate…also a must visit for me as I’ve been here every single tour. The tasting was the usual Quail’s Gate fare and I even sprung for an icewine tasting at the end. I learned my lesson not to purchase icewine years ago. It is expensive, and I still have a bottle of Riesling icewine from Summerhill that I bought one Sunday morning on Ryan & Silver’s Excellent Adventure 2007. There simply aren’t any occasions where I could open it. I ended up with a bottle of their Gewurztraminer (one of my faves).

We had planned to call it quits for the day, but I made a last minute recommendation to visit Little Straw. This is a small, family owned winery that is dwarfed by both Mission Hill and Quail’s Gate in size. However, they have some amazing whites and the best Sauvignon Blanc I have ever had in my life. I don’t know if it’s the volcanic soils around the base of Mount Boucherie or if it’s the old vines, but it has a distinct flavour that tastes like lemons and freshly cut grass. I bought a bottle of that, and a blend they produce called Tapestry.

This was definitely the conclusion of the day’s wine touring as it was approaching 6:00 and it was time to plan supper. We were able to secure a spot for 15 people at Boston Pizza, and it was genuinely nice to have a big family dinner with relatives I haven’t seen in years.

After dinner I had to ride Silver through downtown Kelowna in the dark with sunglasses on. This provided its own challenge but nothing that I couldn’t handle. At around 10 I was back at the hotel and ready for bed.

I needed a good sleep. My cousin was getting married tomorrow.