Good time to see these posts as I’m going to Okanagan areas next week. With the COVID-19, I don’t know if I can visit some of the wineries. Which ones will be open for public visit?
I believe most have been “open” for quite a few weeks (at least the ones I’m in contact with) , but I would definitely phone or email first anyway. Also you can probably customise your visit a bit. As well as CV19 there has been some smoke. Don’t forget this is a busy time for the people actually making the wine.
Of the mainstream wineries we visited last fall the two highlights , in terms of both wines, but also the tasting room experience , were probably Painted Rock and Black Hills (Gord was both very well informed but made it a lot of fun).
Lunch at Lake Breeze was good, and dinnner at Rodz in Kelowna was excellent.
Others that have posted here can advise on boutique wineries to visit.
Places we missed that I regret are Tantalus, Foxtrot and Martin’s Lane.
yup…Tantalus, Blue Mtn, Cedar Creek, Wild Goose.
I do butterfly surveys up in the hills so know area well.
Bob, you meant these tasting rooms and cellar doors are opened?
In actual fact not sure . this July August I avoided them cos it is/was high tourist season. I know Blue Mtn was closed as I emailed them but was told to call when in the area for a pick up.
Most places that typically would still be open at this time of year are still doing tastings.
You just need to book ahead of time, either on their websites via online scheduler, or simply by calling. Covid has made walk-ins almost impossible.
Foxtrot has shut down tastings for the season, and Blue Mountain never opened for tasting this year.
But I can recommend a few other places:
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Lightning Rock (Summerland) just released two new pinots that are great (if young) and a syrah and viognier
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Mirabel (Kelowna) is finally open for tastings, and they have both '15 and '16 reserve pinots still available, plus a killer blanc de noir (although not much of that left)… I would stay away from their latest '17 pinot offering because it was a troubled vintage and in fairness they refused to label it under the ‘reserve’ tier and discounted the price. The winery is in a stunning location so it will also satisfy the touring aspect in addition to the tasting aspect.
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Meyer Family (Okanagan Falls) is always great to visit, and make wonderful pinots and chards. They’ll be open until the end of October.
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Nichol (Naramata) is doing tastings until Oct 17. Their pinot gris and syrahs are interesting.
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Roche (Naramata) is open. And while there, it may be possible to try the mailing list-only label called Amulet, too.
Painted Rock is still open, as is Burrowing Owl. If you go down to Oliver/Osoyoos then you could also stop at Intersection (Fri/Sat only) and Bartier Bros. Neither are mind blowing but still decent and you’ll likely find something to enjoy. Stoneboat also fits in that category (they have some fun bubbles, as well as pinotage and pinot noir).
As far as I know, no one can accommodate parties of more than 6 people – which includes kids! Lots of folks are trying to tour and then they don’t count their children and all the tasting room staff get nervous because of the provincial health rules.
If you have never visited the Similkameen before, I suggest spending a day down there, hit the produce markets in Keremeos (and grab some samosas for snacks), then visit the following three wineries (in this order):
- Orofino
- Clos du Soleil
- Corcelettes
Orofino is closing on Oct 13, so the wine touring window is winding down for 2020.
Very short update:
2018 pinots from the Okanagan are nearly all smoke tainted (including my favorite producers). SKUs range from not-objectionable to disgusting.
Received some samples from Le Vieux Pin’s “natty” label Artakama. The '18 pinot was – as above – ashtray trash. Their roussanne/viognier blend was quite nice. Fresh nectarines. But magnums only.
From the cellar, I’ve been enjoying:
Synchromesh Stormhaven Riesling 2019 (blue label): still Western Canada’s best riesling
Lightning Rock 2020 pet nats: fun and yum
Scout Riesling Extended Aging 2018: already sold out… killer texture, maybe Western Canada’s 2nd best
I used to travel up to Penticton every year for Ironman Canada, and then do a little wine tasting up in the hills. At that time (early 2000’s), I found the quality of the whites to be better than the red wines. There were many places that had wines made from different fruits also. Interesting to try. It would be fun to go back and revisit some areas. It’s beautiful country.
I still have one wine left: 2001 Red Rooster “The Golden Egg”. I suspect it’s long over the hill by now. Maybe I’ll pull it out of storage this year and see it it’s survived after 20 years.
-J
I agree with those who named Tantalus as a top pick. A friend has opened a few bottles of theirs during our blind Zoom tastings and I was impressed with both the Riesling and the Chardonnay. And very fairly priced.