Some friends wanna head over to OK for a few days…
what’s the general vibe there? expensive tasting fees/appts or very easy to go in and taste and not too bad fee wise?
Any wineries that are ‘can’t miss’ and open to the public?
General area/route/itin ideas?
Any hotel/b&b recs? restaurants?
Thanks!
You should contact WBer Rasoul Salehi, who manages a winery in the Okanagan. Bill Spohr, another WBer in Vancouver, might have ideas, too.
I am in Vancouver regularly and try to sample BC wines. I’ve liked the rieslings from Jolie, and Osoyoos-Larose, a joint venture with Gruaud Larose, is a pretty impressive Bordeaux blend.
I’ve been to Osoyoos a couple times. Lots of fun in the sun if you’re headed there this summer - the recreation on the lake is great and the golf is pretty good too. As for wineries, I can only speak to the Osoyoos/Oliver area - obviously the area is much bigger than that, stretching north to Kelowna.
I was most impressed with LaStella - really good wine across the board. Unfortunately we were in a bit of a hurry - it was the last place of the day for us and weren’t expecting the host to spend as much time talking about all of the wines as he did. He also very gracioulsy waived the tasting fee when we left even though we didn’t buy anything. I wish we had.
I’ve had a few really good bottles from Black Hills as my unlce, who loves to share, is on their list. But I didn’t visit the tasting room. I believe they wanted $40 per person, which is pretty ridiculous considering lots of the other places in the area offer free tastings or might ask for a donation (although the free tastings were less common in 2012 than 2007.) The wine is good though.
Burrowing Owl has been around for a long time and has a lot of fans in BC. I think it’s good, but a little over-rated. The winery is nice. Their restaurant was great for lunch on the day we visited.
I’ll second John on Osoyoos-Larose, but as far as I know they don’t offer tastings.
Have fun - I think it’s a great vacation spot. Enjoy the recreation the area has to offer, not just the wine. I’m headed to Naramata this summer to a relative’s cabin… I hope to spend some time checking out the wineries in that area too, but I’m more looking forward to some jet skis on the lake.
I’ve really enjoyed a few wines from Burrowing Owl Estate
I recommend Blue Mountain south of Penticton. Spot on Pinot, Chard and bubbly. Imported now by Cavatappi in the Pacific NW.
Mark, there is some good info in this thread: Any good wines from BC, Canada? - WINE TALK - WineBerserkers
Mark, send a PM to Mike Grammer. He has been there before and I believe knows the area. I went there several years ago and enjoyed it, there is a WB couple that lives up there that also can help, which Mike can point you to.
The last time we went to the Okanagan Valley (a few years ago), we stayed in Oyama on the north side and Osoyoos on the south side. In Oyama, we stayed at the Country Ridge Ranch House B&B, which had a gorgeous view, nice rooms, and friendly hosts. In Osoyoos, we stayed at the Spirit Ridge Vineyard Resort, which was kind of busy, but the rooms were very nice, and the winery there (Nk’Mip) had some nice, affordable pinots.
The whole valley area was beautiful, and it was fun to drive around visiting small wineries. Well, some of them (Quail’s Gate, Blue Mountain, Inniskillin) aren’t really that small, but some of the other ones like See Ya Later and Dirty Laundry were and had a lot of character.
Overall, I found the wines in the area good, maybe not great (or maybe I didn’t choose the right ones), and there were some nice values too. Unfortunately, some wineries seemed to make too many different kinds of wines and not really specialize in anything that I could figure out. Also, the tasting rooms limited the number of tastes, so it was difficult to get a full picture of the winery’s offerings.
In the end, I ended up buying a case of wine. I was a little concerned about bringing a case of wine over the border, but no one seemed to flinch.
I live in Vancouver - just returned from a long weekend in Okanagan.
It is a beautiful area - and though I am not sure where you are staying - but other than agreeing with the ones listed above - I would say try to get to :
Le Vieux Pin - near Oliver - sister winery to La Stella
Meyer Family - Okanagan Falls - for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay
Painted Rock - Skaha Lake south of Penticton - for excellent Chard and Bdx reds
Poplar Grove - Naramata Bench north of Penticton east side of lake - Bdx blends & Pinot Gris, Syrah
Naramata bench is a fun area as the wineries are generally good and very close together. (See also LaFrenz and Laughing Stock ).
Both Painted Rock and Poplar Grove have spectacular tasting rooms overlooking the lake.
I would also add Tinhorn Creek near Oliver and Quails Gate near Kelowna for their restaurants as well as being decent producers.
Depending on where you are coming from Orofino, Clos du Soleil and Seven Stones in the Similkameen are worth a visit as well.
I have enjoyed poplar grove in the past and found it comparable to something like Ridge.
Though I haven’t had it, word is Le Vieux Pin is the best producer in the area.
Blue Mtn, Tinhorn Creek, Sandhill, Wild Goose.
For Tinhorn Creek, connect with Sandra Oldfield. She’s very active on Twitter @sandraoldfield. Might have some more good recommendations.
Hey Mark,
Did you make this trip? I’m heading there in September and am planning on hitting a few wineries. I generally enjoy smaller more private tastings and tours rather than the tasting room thing.
Cheers,
Jason
Not yet Jason… we’re planning labor day weekend… What are your dates?
I too like smaller/private tastings but i’m not sure that’s their thing in OK?
Dang. Just 2 weeks after you. I have a friend in Kewlona, who has a friend that is apparently very knowledgeable. I’ll know a little more after I chat with him. I’ll pass on any info I get.
J
Perfect Jason… would love to hear it!
I have a friend flying down from BC to attend a wine dinner at my house next weekend. He’s bringing a Le Vieux Pin Syrah. I’ll ask him what the don’t miss places are and report back.
Awesome… From what i’ve heard that Le Vieux Pin is the very best OK has to offer 
Report back on the wine too, did a Washington/BC syrah blind tasting, and the LVP syrah came out 1st… consensus WOTN.
You should make an effort to try the wines from Orofino. From a town just a valley over from the Okanagan. In Keremeos. A really excellent up and coming winery.
Oh, and the best restaurant in Kelowna with a very good selection of local wines, is Waterfront. Bouchon being very good as well right beside.
John
Some of the best late harvest wine and icewine in the world comes from Okanagan Valley. Make sure to pick some up if you can, especially the rarer Pinot Noir based icewine.