Sunday, July 13, 2014

I nearly took Kelowna out of the trip so I could ride down the Fraser Canyon today instead.  In the end I came here out of tradition more than anything else…a motorcycle tour without Kelowna was just unthinkable…for so many years this has been the primary destination.

Kelowna always seems to have some kind of big change to it whenever I come.  A motel torn down here…a new intersection there…condo units popping up everywhere…walking paths appearing…etc…etc.   When I took my traditional walk down Lakeshore in the morning, I remembered those first walks back in 2006 and 2007 and how different the road was back then.  Even my favourite motel from 2006-2009 has since been torn down.  Gone.  Just a concrete pile left.  That was the La Mission Motor Inn.  Loved that place.

Kelowna never really disappoints in the weather department when I visit.  By the time I was done my walk at 9:30 it was already 28 degrees out and sunny. By suppertime the temperature would climb up to 37 degrees again.  This presented several problems throughout the day, which includes (but was not limited to) repeatedly sitting on a black leather seat that has been sitting in direct sunlight while wearing shorts, walking into businesses all sweaty from wearing a helmet in the heat, and a strong aversion to red wines.

Nonetheless, today was a short wine touring day to get my palette warmed up for what was in store down in Oliver. I figured I’d hit up the old standards…and first on the list was Mount Boucherie (which is usually last but I wanted to hit the Westbank wineries first before it got too hot out).  I was also on a bit of a mission to double check and scout a few wines that Heather and I hand-picked for our wedding after our visit here together last summer on the Lord of the Roads Trilogy:  Return to the Vines.

I’ve always been partial to Mount Boucherie because they probably have the best reds around Kelowna. Most Kelowna wineries rock the whites pretty hard…reds are more of a south Okanagan thing…hotter down there, which is better for the skins.  Anyway I ended up with their Reserve Chardonnay and the Zweigelt.  I don’t care for Chardonnay but this one was fruitier and I thought I’d try something new.  Same with the Zweigelt…I usually get Blaufrankish but we still have one from last year at home so this is something different.

I went across the Street to Little Straw next.  This is such a kickass little enterprise.  When I first came here in 2006 they were doing tastings in their shed. Now they have a towering wine room with art gallery in it…and a restaurant too.  I ended up grabbing a table for lunch and enjoyed a chicken club on the patio.  Met the Chef while he was using the BBQ outside to make my chicken.  He was from Edmonton and moved to West Kelowna because of the real estate prices.  Interesting. Anyway he’s also the Assistant Winemaker now so he does double duty.

Right…so back to the wineroom, I ended up grabbing a red called Southern Comfort…not so much because it was great (and it was), but because they only made it one year.  It’s a blend…they only got the right wines for it in 2009 and haven’t since.  Also grabbed a white blend called Tapestry because it’s Heather’s favourite from here and I still have a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc at home from last year.  Love that stuff…it smells like green grass.

Quail’s Gate was next. Been here every trip and for good reason.  Their Gewürztraminer is rock solid and I tasted that one first.  This particular wine will be at our wedding so I didn’t bother getting one.  Ended up with the Chasselas because it’s cheap and good and we just drank my last bottle two weeks ago.   I also did a icewine tasting there…just because.

After Quail’s Gate I took a break from the alcohol and sun for a bit and hung out in my motel room. “You Only Live Twice” was on the TV so I watched that.  That was the first Bond movie I ever bought on VHS..and I actually amassed quite a collection of them when I was in Junior High School and they sold them in the basement of Eaton’s in North Battleford.  Anyway, after 40 minutes or so I was back out in the heat and the sun.

Cedar Creek had to be first on the east side.  First winery I ever went to.  They had a free tasting promotion for the Ehrenfelser…the first wine I tasted on my first trip and one of my favourites.  This is going to be at the wedding too, so I didn’t get a bottle.  I ended up grabbing a wine called “M.” It’s a fortified pinot blanc, so think port-style white wine.  Aged for 5 years out back.  Never tried it before.  Taking it home to share.

After Cedar Creek I was wined out, and I just didn’t have it in me to go to St. Hubertus or Summerhill. I would only be going through the motions and it was too hot to piss around.  I also didn’t plan to hit Gray Monk up in Lake Country…I was just there on the Barrel Run at the end of April, and the Kerner is also going to be at our wedding so I didn’t feel like I needed to be there on this trip.

What I did have the time for was the Carmeli’s Goat Cheese Artisans.  It’s basically a goat farm on the side of the mountain where they make cheeses.  They have a big tasting room and everything, just like a winery.  They also make goat gelato, which is crazy good…especially in this heat.  I also grabbed some goat Gruyere to take with me.

That was about all I could handle for traveling in the intense heat.  It was about 4pm, and after getting back to the motel I went and hung out in the pool for a while to cool off. 37 is damn hot…may be a new record for me. I went back into watch more TV.  “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” was on now.  My favourite Bond story of them all.  Very sad ending.

I strolled over to the Mission Tap House again for supper.  I guess this is my new “place” in Kelowna since all of the motels near the Creekside Pub have been demolished.  Great beer selection too, and the food is solid.   Enjoyed another club sandwich before strolling back and enjoying the evening air and crashing.  Legs are still sore from yesterday too, and hopefully they will get used to long riding days before the end of next week.   For now, it was time to pack.  I’m heading south first thing in the morning to meet up with my buddy Scott in Keremeos, and get serious about wine tasting.