Tuesday, July 15, 2014

The mission for the day was to tour some wineries around Summerland and Naramata. We were up bright and early, and after a quick breakfast we were on our way north at about 9:00am.

#1- 8th Generation in Summerland- This winery is often overlooked as it’s right on the side of Highway 97 south of Summerland. The hostess does an excellent job of describing the wines and is rather entertaining at the same time, even for people who amble in to taste wines at 10:00 in the morning. The wines are solid and I particularly enjoy their reislings. They have a red blend called “Red One” we are trying to procure for the wedding too…but SLGA is giving us trouble for now. (spoiler alert: SLGA proved impossible to work with and there will be no Red One at the wedding)

#2- Silk Scarf in Summerland- Silk Scarf used to have a cool concept…in addition to their traditional tasting room they had a kitchenette (not sure we can call it a restaurant). The idea was that you sit down and order a glass of wine…and then the chef prepares a meal for you based on the wine. We had lunch here as a group when I was on the That Thing You Do Tour 2010 and it ranks up there as one of the best meals I’ve ever had. Unfortunately that kitchette is no longer operating or we would have certainly dined there. The wines are pretty damn awesome on their own and they would qualify as a “special” bottle that you only open for a special occasion.

#3- Sonoran Winery in Summerland- We had never been here before and we sure did pick the right time to visit! They have a huge selection of whites that seemed to go on forever, and they were blowing them out. They had about 4-5 different varietals that were retailing for $14.90 a bottle, or $10.00/bottle if you bought a case. Of course, I ended up buying a case and having them ship it home for me. They even had some ehrenfelser in there and I got an ehrenfelser icewine. It was crazy…a winery I had never even heard of and I’m walking out with a case.

#4- Poplar Grove in Penticton- We took a break after the first three and drove through Penticton to the east side bench to check out a few Penticton/Naramata wineries. Poplar Grove was first and we discovered a brand new, giant tasting room and restaurant overlooking the lake. The vista was pretty awesome and the whole facility was impressive. They definitely had the fanciest tasting glasses of the wineries we had visited so far. The wines were just “ok” though, and I ended up with a Viognier dessert wine (I was on a dessert wine kick today).

#5- Misconduct Winery in Penticton- This was a new winery for us, and the tasting didn’t go so well. The experience was fine, but the wines just didn’t do it for us. Neither of us wanted to buy a bottle, but we had already committed to a $5 tasting fee apiece which is refundable only if you buy a bottle. To get around this we had lunch on their patio…the food more than made up for the wines. We shared a paella, some calamari, and a squid/octopus ceviche. After eating we sneaked out the back door in order to avoid buying the wine.

#6- La Frenz on the Naramata Bench- I’ve driven by this one many times but have never stopped. Like most Naramata wineries, they are a small operation and only sell wine on site. The wines were good but not extraordinary enough for me to give a really honest description at this point. After a while they all start to bleed into one another, and only the very exceptional wines get remembered. Ended up with a bottle of viognier I think.

#7- Hillside Estate in Naramata Bench- First off, this place has a great outdoor bistro that I highly recommend. Second, their wines are superb and I try to visit here whenever I’m in the area for a chance to get their Muscat Ottonel…a wine I discovered while on the Magical Mystery Tour 2008. They are always sold out…but not THIS year! I grabbed two bottles since this was a rare find. This put a giant smile on my face.

#8- Black Widow in Naramata Bench- After seven wineries our tastebuds were worn out and we were ready for a break…but decided to visit Black Widow just because the wines are so good. As luck would have it, they were also selling shipping boxes so I grabbed one of those. The tasting was fantastic and they have some great fortified wines, which I still have at home so I bought a bottle of the Schoenberger…getting a unique bottle from a unique place is always a good idea.

We were severely wined out at this point. It was mid afternoon and the sun was at its peak. The temperature was at about 37 degrees and the constant “in and out” of the car-to-winery and back again routine was taking it out of us. We stopped in Penticton on the way back so I could throw my wines in the packing box I got at Black Widow and sent it home at the UPS store.

Back at the motel we jumped in the pool for a bit to cool off, and spent the rest of the day relaxing. In the evening we went to the Firehall Bistro for dinner. I can’t believe we haven’t been here yet…we’ve been rotting away at Savvios all these years and across the street is a pub with much better food and service! Won’t make that mistake again. The only problem was that it was just as hot inside the pub as it was outside.

After a big dinner, a day of wine tasting, and that heat…we were pretty spent. It was an early bedtime that night, and we were reluctant to leave our room because that little air conditioner was doing a hell of a job.