harvest okanagan
By Mike Muirhead, Sommelier( ISG, CMS)
Where do Canadian orchards, award-winning vineyards, golf courses, beautiful lakes and amazing inland beaches live side by side? The answer is not the Whiteshell! It’ s the Okanagan Valley, one of Canada’ s most unique travel destinations. The Okanagan is one of the few places in the world where you can downhill ski in the morning, waterski in the afternoon, and sip unique wines by the fire all evening long. It’ s a year-round playground for young and old, and the harvest season is my favourite time to visit.
Gamay grapes thrive on the slopes of the Okanagan Valley( Photo by Todd Antonation)
Fall festivals, and more festivals
Harvest begins in mid-September and runs through October( weather permitting!). Flying into Kelowna at the north end of the valley will give you a bird’ s eye view of the stunning fall colours and an impression of the sheer majesty of the region’ s geography.
The Okanagan Wine Festival Society does an amazing job of organizing festivals from the spring planting season through to the fall harvest. The WestJet Wine Tasting events happen in both spring and fall. They are two-day events where you can sample over 250 Okanagan Valley wines along with local artisanal breads and cheeses. Why not start here, so you can plan which wineries you want to visit for the rest of your trip?
The society knows that tourists come from all over to try the wine, but the local cheeses also have a chance to impress during the festival season. The Harvest Reds and B. C. Cheese Festival and the Blind Wine & Cheese Soiree are two such events. The Harvest Reds and B. C. Cheese Festival is unique to the fall. In this interactive seminar, you will sample local fare alongside regional red wines, and learn what flavours make for the best pairings( and why). At the Blind Wine & Cheese Soirees( held in spring and fall), guests are served both wine and cheese with covered labels so each can test their palate and their knowledge.
Check out www. thewinefestivals. com for more information on all of the Okanagan’ s great wine and cheese festivals.
52 http:// banvilleandjones. cornervine. com