On the Sideways Tour 2014, during one of the monologues one delivers to themselves many times while on the road alone, I thought I should curtail future solo wine tasting tours. It is an experience that is enjoyed exponentially greater in a group and I thought I had visited enough wineries over the course of 9 tours to know which ones I liked and could order from online. I was even a member of two wine clubs: Desert Hills and Gray Monk…so I had a regular supply of great wines arriving at my doorstep. Did I really need to walk into a winery alone, make a few mental notes, and then walk out alone with another bottle to throw in my basement storage?

This was the same monologue where I said that future bike tours should be short and that the idea of going to California or Oregon was ridiculous…so I guess I’ve abandoned my own advice this time around.

Yesterday’s wine tastings were slightly laborious. I was far too hot and had been on the road for too long, so I was more interested in a cold beer and a dip in the pool that sipping wines with socialites.

Today was different. Once I got packed up and on the road, 9 years of memories and emotions associated with riding up the Okanagan came back. I come to do two things in the Okanagan: ride great roads and drink great wine…and I had already ridden all of the great roads by the time I reached Penticton.

That last statement is entirely true with one exception: the West Side Road on the west side of Kootenay Lake north of West Kelowna. It is a serious road for serious bikers. The others are shit. Don’t get me wrong- the scenery is one of the best in BC but the road has far too much traffic and far too many controlled intersections…and that’s just in West Kelowna. When you cross the Bennett Bridge into Kelowna all shit hits the fan.

Back to the morning…Oliver is such an underrated town. It is now my preferred overnight location in the Okanagan for two reasons: the wineries (and wines) are more plentiful and interesting, and the accommodations are affordable. Kelowna has priced itself out of being a bike tour location I’m afraid. I don’t mind paying $200+ a night if I get something for that…like an ocean view…but the value just isn’t there.

I would have normally rode the White Lake Road to get to Penticton, but it was in the back country and there were fires everywhere. I thought it best to stick to Hwy 97, which allowed me to reach the Naramata Bench northeast of Penticton by 11am. I immediately rode to Hillside Estate Winery.

I had actually called ahead a few weeks ago because I wanted to be able to get their Muscat Ottonel. Last year they did a limited release of it and it was only available for sale for a single weekend. Luckily it was the same weekend that I was there. It’s a very unique grape to the entire Okanagan and has this amazing taste of lemons. On the phone they said they produced a lot this season so it would still be available when I rode through I went through a tasting and it wasn’t on the tasting menu, but I bought two bottles anyway. When you really like a wine you need to get two.

Naramata is such a cool place. One day I’d like to do a full day of wine touring just on the Bench. I always seem to slide it in as part of the day. There are so many wineries, all crammed against each other and somehow more pop up every year.

Since I was there I decided to try a new place so I stopped at Bench 1775 because they had a sign outside claiming to have the best Sauvignon Blanc in Canada. When I arrived I recognized it as Soaring Eagle, a winery I visited alone back on Ryan & Silver’s Excellent Adventure. They had a name and ownership change in the meantime, but what I remember most was the view from their patio. Their wines were good but I’d have to say the “best Sauvignon Blanc” claim still goes to Little Straw, but I may be clouded by nostalgia on that one. I did buy a bottle of the SB though.

I was starting to run late so I left the bench and rode through Penticton to connect back with Hwy 97 to Kelowna. I stopped at Summerland so I could do a tasting at 8th Generation- a solid little winery with a wonder owner/ hostess. They also produce the best Rieslings in the valley and have some fantastic sparkling wines. I ended up buying a Riesling because they are the best, a sparkling Pinot Noir that I could easily buy an entire case of, and two bottles of a wine called “Red One”- it’s basically a quasi- Bordeaux blend that is unoaked and incredibly fruity. I bought two because my wife loves it and we will definitely need two.

I was now running very late. My goal was to have lunch in Kelowna and it was already past noon. I intended to race up the lake but had to stop when I saw a sign for Sonoran Winery. My buddy Scott and I discovered this place last year, but it was in a different location up the hill. Now it was right off the highway. They have all of these wonderful white wines- mostly German varietals like Riesling, Gewurtztraminer, oraniensteiner, and ehrenfelser. Last year they were selling them at a massive discount and I ended up buying an entire case and having it shipped home. My wife and I enjoyed them all winter and at an average price of about $12/bottle I considered it a great find. The staff are also fun and laid back. I enjoyed another tasting there and ended up getting another mixed case that they were going to ship home for me. That was now two full cases I ordered plus another 10 bottles from miscellaneous wineries.

Now I was super late. I roared up the valley as fast as I could while still enjoying the view. This highway underwent a serious expansion to four lanes in anticipation of the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. I remember during my first few tours when the highway was mostly two lane. What hasn’t changed is how awful the highway becomes once you reach West Kelowna. It is way too congested and you have to stop way often. In the dry heat of the Okanagan this is incredibly unpleasant.

I stopped at Little Straw at Westbank. Normally I’d have also hit Quail’s Gate, Mount Boucherie, and even Mission Hill but I have enough of their wines in storage. Little Straw is exceptional for Kelowna wineries and I’ve watched them grow and expand over the years. Their current facility is huge and the even have a restaurant now. When I first came on the Easy Rider Tour 2006 their tasting room was a shed. I did a tasting and during the process I saw a picture of Stephen Harper on the wall with all of the staff. I asked about it and they said he came by there a while ago to visit agricultural producers in the area. Apparently he doesn’t drink so he just looked around. His entourage drank though, and bought wines. I wonder if Nigel Wright paid for that, too.

I ended up buying their white blend called Tapestry and their Sauvignon Blanc. That brought me to twelve bottles tucked in my bags so I figured I’d save myself some hassle and have them shipped home as a full case. UPS is the only firm that will ship the wine for me. The bus won’t touch it and neither will Canada Post.

I crossed the lake and rode down Lakeshore toward Summerhill Winery. I did not do a tasting as the tasting room was packed and frankly I’m just not into their wines anymore. Way too much sugar in their whites and their reds are good but they don’t compare to Desert Hills or Seven Stones. It was already 2pm and my real motivation was to have lunch. Their food is good but the view is what really brings me there. I had fish tacos and a glass of wine and just sat and enjoyed the view overlooking Lake Okanagan. As I sat there I realized that this is the only tour where I did not stay overnight in Kelowna. I’m not missing it much this year. Not alone.

After lunch I lumbered back onto Midnight and headed to the UPS store on Lakeshore where I arranged for them to ship my wine. It will arrive the day after I get back. Perfect.

It was damn hot out at this point and I was running very late. It was approaching 3:30 and I was dreading the ride through Kelowna and north to Vernon. It is absolutely the worst shit to ride through in BC. The main highway bisects the City so you end up with a mix of highway and local traffic, and Kelowna is not a small city. There is way too much traffic. Way too many stops. The road never ends. You think you’re nearly out of Kelowna but then it just keeps going and going but you also keep stopping and stopping, which means more and more sweating in the heat. I was getting super punchy. I had turned to the Dark Side.

I got off of that shitty highway to get up into the hills at Lake Country for a quick visit to Gray Monk Winery. They are similar to Desert Hills in that they have a large variety of wines…and they all hit the mark. Their whites are especially great and their Late Harvest Kerner is the most famous in our home. It was the feature wine at our wedding and my wife just loves it so I promised her a I’d get a bunch on my way through. I’m also a member of this Wine Club. There are no actual commitments, just a discount.

The tasting was not fun. I was hot. The room was packed full of bus tours. I barely got a spot at the bar and just went through the motions. I had enough of wine and the crowds and traffic. Time to get back to the serenity of a quiet highway nestled in the forests on the side of a mountain.

I didn’t even want to bother carrying out any bottles. I went to the counter and ordered a whole case with my member discount. Half of it is the Kerner. I got a couple bottles of their Odyssey Port in there. It is maybe the best in the valley, although a blind taste test against the Ambassador from Desert Hills is in order. The rest of the case included their Gewurtztraminer, Pinot Gris, and two others I gave no thought to when I ordered them. I just wanted to get the hell out. So I did.

I couldn’t get to Vernon fast enough, and when I got there I couldn’t get through fast enough. I didn’t stop once. I just wanted to get onto Hwy 6 so I could ride through the Monashees to the Needles Ferry over Arrow Lakes and into the heart of the Kootneys.

This route is my favourite way to get from the Okanagan to the Kootenays. It’s is so remote and the road has such good momentum. It’s not to slow, not too fast. Lots of curves. When you reach Monashee Pass the desert is gone and you’re back in a lush, green forest. Then you descend down the mountains to Lower Arrow Lake for a free ferry ride across a beautiful lake (River, technically….this is the Columbia River…same one that empties into the Pacific in Astoria). The temperature even came down. The ride was so calming after the hectic bullshit of Hwy 97 from West Kelowna to Vernon.

I even got to the ferry just as they were loading. No waiting.

I rode the ferry across the lake as the sun was starting to set. It was only about 7:30 but the mountains take the sun out of the equation a lot earlier than I’m used to. My heart sank slightly as I realized that I should be in New Denver right now.  When planning the day my intention was to go for a swim in Slocan Lake as the sun set.  Unfortunately my wine tasting adventures went much longer than planned.  I did have four cases of wine going home to show for it though (four and a half if you count my Desert Hills summer order…which was coming regardless of whether I was here or not).

It was another hour and a half before I reached New Denver.   I was in the dark for the last twenty minutes of the ride, so I got to test out Midnight’s riding lights and the black lights on the underside of the bike (the latter is there just for looks…but it does look cool). Coming in at night also meant that I was robbed of any scenery, but I’d have other chances over the next few days.

When I reached my destination at the Valhalla Inn it was 5 minutes to 9:00 and their attached pub/restaurant was about to close.  They offered to serve me anyway, so I hurriedly changed into some comfortable clothes after getting to my room and went down to the pub for a sandwich and a few pints of beer.  I walked the streets of New Denver in the dark to stretch out my legs and enjoy the cool evening breeze coming off of Slocan Lake.  It was a great end to a very long day.