Okanagan Trip 2013 - BC Day Long Weekend



Tony's "Not Impressed" look as he looks on while everybody else eats

Starting our day off with mimosas & brunch @ Old Vines Restaurant (Quail's Gate) - aww yissss

because how can you go wrong with a rib steak?  @ Vanilla Pod (Poplar Grove)

Well, one year later, and here we are again in the Okanagan.  Let's see how I did this time around!

Highlights:

• Wine - I have a better idea of what I'm looking for in a wine this year.  Or at least I thought I did...  I thought I didn't like Pinot Noirs, thought I didn't like white wines, thought I didn't like rose wines.  Guess I was wrong!  Well, good thing I still tried everything then!  :D
• Food - Yup, the food here's still good.  You know, I'm starting to think maybe I just have low standards when it comes to food...
• Driving - The drive up was pretty freaky - the Coquihalla highway gets pretty foggy at higher altitudes even in the summer, I can see why there's so many accidents in the winter when the roads are icy.  And when we were driving around the Okanagan, we nearly hit a deer too!
• Good times with good friends - It's a long drive and we spent the whole weekend up there together, so it's a good thing we all got along hahaha

Amazing views out in the Okanagan.  This was actually the first winery we hit - good start eh?

Well, you can read the sign - Wine Tasting up ahead!

Blasted Church plays their whole "church" theme pretty well.  Look them up online for the backstory!

Wineries:

• Day 1 - Bench Market (cafe in Penticton for lunch), Blasted Church, See Ya Later, Blue Mountain, Gehringer Bros. (Henry Liao, thanks for recommending this one!), Le Vieux Pin, Burrowing Owl (dinner)
• Day 2 - Quail's Gate (lunch), La Frenz, Kettle Valley, Red Rooster, Laughing Stock, Poplar Grove (dinner)

Don't you just want to steal some grapes off the vine and eat them right there???

hahaha most ghetto tasting room I've ever been to.  Gotta love that basketball hoop!

Awards:

• Best Value for money - Gehringer Bros. for sure.  I wasn't sure what to expect, given the prices, but I was blown away by the quality.  I think I've found my new brand for everyday wines!
• Most Unique Experience - It's gotta be Laughing Stock.  Not only is the theme of their bottles delightful (yeah, I said delightful...  WUT???), they served us our wine-tastings outside on their deck where we could enjoy the sights and sounds of the Okanagan.  You have to make appointments for tastings, but it was definitely worth the trouble!
• Best Surprise - The most surprising winery for me was Le Vieux Pin.  I'd never been there (actually never even heard of it before), but their Syrah Cuvee Violette blew me away, as did their AVA Viognier.  They definitely had the best service here, the guy serving you the tastings gave you a new wine glass for (almost) every wine you tasted and was great at sharing his knowledge (and appreciation) of wines with you.  Don't miss this place!
• Best Overall - hmm...  I gotta Poplar Grove on this one.  I love the Rose (new!), Pinot Gris, CSM (Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot blend), Merlot, Syrah, and the Legacy (my favourite wine) from Poplar Grove.  Just a small list, right?  hahaha

Those of you with sharp eyes will notice that this is Le Vieux Pin.  This place is CAN'T MISS!!!

Barrels under Burrowing Owl

The lodges at Burrowing Owl - must be awesome to stay here!

Random Thoughts:

• My car hit 100,000 km on this trip!  Amps, thanks for catching the shot of this in a moving car!

100,000!  Elle, we've been through a lot together over the years!

She's still good as new (even better, actually :P).  Oh yeah, and that's Le Vieux Pin in the background

Iris not terribly impressed with the boys (some things never change...  hahaha)

Take a closer look.  That should be 44 bottles I think?  14 for me, 20 for Amps & Iris, 5 for Tony, 3 we drank that night, and 2 for Manfred.  Impressed???

Count it - 14 bottles!  From left to right, Gehringer Bros, Poplar Grove, See Ya Later, Laughing Stock, Red Rooster, Le Vieux Pin, and Blasted Church.  Would have bought more but we ran out of room in the car (not entirely joking)

Hours and hours of Settlers...  And still friends!  Must be doing something right hahaha