A Week Wine Tasting Through the Okanagan: Day 1
by Erin
It’s a crazy thing when you leave Ontario for the Okanagan in British Columbia.
Being from Ontario I didn’t need a passport, but it sort of felt like I should have needed proper documents to clear customs.
Okanagan is an entirely different world than Ontario. Or, at least different from Toronto, where I am from (but tried to keep that quiet when Okanagan Wine Festivals invited me out at the beginning of May).
Organic farming’s the norm here, not the exception. Drivers slow down and change lanes when passing cyclists. And it seems to be virtually unimaginable to eat anything but local. Like, picked an hour ago, local.
There’s also a pioneering spirit amongst winemakers and farmers in the Okanagan that seems to have quelled in Ontario. Ontario winemakers are loyal to the top performing grapes of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Riesling. There are, of course, other wines being made in Ontario, but there’s a comfort and an allegiance to the tried and true grapes that Ontario does so well.
Okanagan winemakers, on the other hand, are hankering to take a few risks. They’re less committed to just a few grapes, and happy to give Tempranillo, Carmenere, Albarino and Pinotage a shot. A lot of the time they’re rewarded for their gamble.
They talk less of terroir in the Okanagan the way they do in Ontario (maybe because the Okanagan only has one sub appellation, whereas Niagara has 10), but a lot about the weather (maybe because where there’s a frigid downpour, 15 minutes down the road it’s mild and dry).
As a guest of the Okanagan Wine Festival, in partnership with the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Alliance, I was invited with two other food and wine journalists to eat and drink my way through the Valley and discover the latest in wine making, restaurants and gastro trends. And maybe see a black bear, my handlers suggested, as bears are as plentiful as rattlesnakes and both are often found in the sprawling vineyards. We didn’t see either. I was disappointed about one but not the other.
On average we visited about five venues a day, not something I would recommend for the average vacationer, but there was a lot to see and do in the quickly growing Okanagan, so with only four and a half days to get it all done, time was of the essence. Despite the normally laid back vibe of the hippyish interior, our guides were amicably militant about sticking to our jam-packed itinerary.
Day 1 – Kelowna and Summerland
Waking at 5:30 in the morning in Toronto, this was the longest day, as my head didn’t hit my Summerland pillow until 10:30 that evening. 20 hours of travelling, eating and drinking. But I don’t expect you to feel sorry for me.
Flying out with my dear friend and much admired colleague Rick Van Sickle, we landed at the charming and enviably easy Kelowna airport around noon, and after waiting a solid five minutes for our luggage, we were whisked to lunch at the Curious Cafe, downtown Kelowna.
There, Rick and I were joined by Elizabeth Booth, a food writer from Calgary, and Howard, the travel and media specialist with the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association who would keep our little band on time and well informed by playing chauffeur, tour guide, historian, Okanagan trivia aficionado and clock watcher for most of the trip.
The Curious Cafe is the latest in a crop of unique, artisanal and casually impressive eateries popping up throughout Kelowna. I loved the way the wine list is set up by price, acknowledging in a non-judgmental, but totally honest way, that price plays a large role in a diner’s decision.
We learned that Kelowna is also quickly becoming a cocktail mecca. Mixologists of serious calibre are setting up shop and making a major impact on the local drinks scene which is getting serious attracting international attention. We finish lunch ahead of schedule and try to stop by a local bar known for house-made bitters and shrubs, but our unscheduled stop was all for naught as the barman was not there.
No matter, a beer tasting at the Tree Brewing Beer Institute was the next stop, the new pub and showcase brewery of Tree Brewing Co. Brewmaster Dave Gokiert revived our travel-weary souls with a refreshing Monkey Pod Rye Ale, friendly chat about Tree Brewing Co.’s philosophies and an energetic game of Foosball. Which I let him win.
Just like the restaurants in Kelowna, Tree Brewing Co. is pushing the envelope, developing interesting beers, and actively engaging their customers for feedback.
“Every Thursday we do a 40 litre cask. Those are experimental a lot of the time,” Dave told us. “It’s cool. I get to try a recipe that maybe we don’t want to do a big batch of.”
With “6 or 7” main brands, plus seasonals and “fun stuff” Tree Brewing Co. also launched a 24 beers of Christmas last year, with a new small batch cask flavour everyday – like Peppermint Pilsner, Mesquite Smoked Bock and Christmas Pudding Spiced Ale. Sometimes they’re a hit, sometimes they’re not, but Dave says the emphasis is on the process, not the result.
“I get to hook up the tank and 10 minutes later go out and talk to a guy who is drinking it. For me that’s fun…. They’re always nicer to my face than in an email,” Dave says with a smile.
Tree Brewing Co. also has a few collaborations with wineries around the Okanagan. They take barrels from Quails’ Gate for the Redwood Series, where beer is aged in red wine barrels. And they’ve created a collaboration with The View to create hard apple cider.
Speaking of The View … that was our next stop (I told you it was a busy day – and we haven’t even checked into our hotel yet!)
Jennifer Molgat, a poised, elegant and exceptionally well spoken woman, took over her family’s century-old apple orchard in 2007. They still make apple cider, but she’s expanded the family business into a winery. The 100 acre property is nearly evenly split between apple growing and grape growing.
The View only grows a few varietals: Riesling, Gewurtztraminer, Ehrenfelser and, weirdly, the South African grape, Pinotage. Jennifer says the rustically flavoured grape does well in the Kelowna climate, and the winery is putting a lot of effort into making it. It’s pretty good. With fine-firm tannin, bright acid and rich flavours of smoked meat, cracked peppercorn, and some dark fruit it would be nice company at a summer barbecue. (For all wine reviews click here)
Finally, we were on to our last stop of the day – a tasting, tour and dinner at the famed Summerhill Pyramid Organic Winery, which is almost as famous for its excellent organic and biodynamic wines as it is its odd-ball pyramid. Summerhill’s pyramid is an exceptional structure: designed with Sacred Geometry and aligned to True North (like the Great Pyramid in Egypt), it was built without any metal to keep it from re-aligning to magnetic north. The Summerhill Pyramid is where wines are allowed to rest before bottling. It’s also used as an event space for community gathering every full moon and new moon, though the later is women only.
For the modern urbanite, these Earth-focused, mysterious philosophies can be a bit kooky, maybe even awkwardly comical. It seems Ezra Cipes, Summerhill’s CEO and son of founder Stephen Cipes, is keenly aware of its mystical reputation. Respecting and supporting the philosophies on which Summerhill was built, he’s also not afraid to have a little fun with naive guests: as my eyes adjust to the darkness of the interior of the pyramid, I notice a large, jagged, white blob in the centre of its peak, probably about 50 feet up. It almost looks like wax and I ask Ezra what it is.
“It’s a crystal,” Ezra states simply. (Of course it is.) “We have a guy who works with crystals that came in and put it there.”
“Who is this guy?” I ask, somewhat stupidly. “And how did he get it so high up?”
“Oh. His name is Gandalf. He’s a wizard so he just waves his magic wand–”
“Shut. Up!” (That’s what I get for being an ignorant Torontonian).
But in all seriousness, Ezra says this crystal guy really is named Gandalf, and he is a bit …otherwordly. Gandolf apparently lives in a grass hut that he dug out of the side of a hill in one of the gazillions of forests populating the Okanagan. Gandalf’s refrigeration is a stream that flows through his grass house, and that’s where he keeps his eggs and milk and other staples. It is possible Ezra was pulling my leg about this, too, but I don’t think so.
After the pyramid tour, and a tasting of an exceptional 1998 Cipes Ariel sparkling wine that has just been released this spring – a blend of 59% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay and 1% Pinot Meunier, it sat on its lees for nearly 16 years before disgorgement (!!!!) – we sat down to dinner in the winery’s stunning Sunset Organic Bistro.
With a dazzling view of Lake Okanagan and surrounding foothills, we feasted on cheese, charcuterie and house made pickled vegetables with the Summerhill Vineyard Riesling and Grasslands Organic Merlot. Ezra opted for a Pinot Noir with dinner, a fitting choice as out party of six had a smorgasbord of orders – steak, pork, duck, and a vegetarian lentil dish which is what I had. (Care to see my reviews of the wines? Click here.)
Chef Jonas Städtlander has just joined Summerhill as the Executive Chef, and his food is as breathtaking as the view. Ingredients are locally sourced and organic and dishes are at once creative and comforting, inspired yet unpretentious.
Summerhill Winery and its organic bistro is a must-visit when travelling to the Okanagan.
After dinner, with full tummies and very tired souls, we made the winding 45 minute drive back to our home for the night at Summerland Resort. Arriving around 10pm, the picturesque setting was deep in darkness, and I was nearing 20 hours of being awake, so scenery appreciation would have to wait. Checking into my modern one-bedroom suite, complete with a kitchen, living room and balcony – none of which I has time to use – I dropped my bags and dove into bed. Not even the peculiar quiet and stillness of the tranquil Okanagan could keep this Toronto girl awake.
Ha ha… Gandalf! I love it. Thanks for the great article, Erin.
Thank YOU, Ezra! It was a lovely time. Can’t wait to visit again.