The Vancouver Branch of the IW&FS enjoyed yet another wonderful weekend exploring the wineries of the Okanagan Valley, this time in the Kelowna and Lake Country. On the morning of Friday May 29 we enjoyed visits to Tantalus Vineyards and CedarCreek Vineyards where we enjoyed lunch before leaving for Spierhead Winery followed by a visit with Howard Soon at Sandhill Wines before dinner at Waterfront Wines Restaurant.
Our Saturday schedule saw us at Intrigue Winery and the brand new 50th Parallel Estate Winery after which we enjoyed a delicious lunch at Gray Monk Winery and afternoon visits to Arrowleaf Winery, an entertaining experience at Ex Nihilo Vineyards, and a surprise visit to the craft distillery of Okanagan Spirits in downtown Kelowna. Dinner was at the fine La Bussola restaurant where our own Dr. Larry Burr was presented with a long overdue Silver Medallion of the IW&FS Americas for his outstanding contributions to The International Wine & Food Society of Vancouver, throughout his many years of service and for his organisation of branch tours to the Wine Country of the Okanagan Valley.
We said goodbye to our Top Cat Tours bus on Sunday and drove to the magnificent Mission Hills Estate Winery for a visit to their cellar and a tasting of their Legacy Series wines followed by a visit to Quails' Gate Winery for an informative assessment of the effects of different barrels on chardonnay and the different clones of pinot noir before enjoying lunch and finally saying farewell at the end of our tour.
Our thanks go to member Dr. Larry Burr for his excellent organization of another splendid and informative visit to understand the progress of our own BC wineries and to historian Milena Robertson for her excellent photographic record of the trip. Thank you! Next year, the wineries of Okanagan Falls!
Click on photo to enlarge or click HERE to view slideshow
Photos by Milena & Jim Robertson
