This is our second year of exploring the Okanagan Valley wine country. Last year we were supposed to come with Dani, but she got sick. This year she was able to make the trip with us!
Last year we stayed in Kelowna and just took a day trip down to Oliver, but this year we decided to spend most of our time down in the Oliver region and just a couple of days up in Kelowna.
We took Route 3 almost all the way from Vancouver to Oliver.
Along the way, we stopped in the small town of Hope, which was quite charming, and had a wonderful lunch at Sharon’s Deli. The BLT sandwiches that Dani and I had, we both agreed, were the best BLTs we’ve ever had.
We encountered a moose on the highway! That would have made last month’s Tauck tour envious.
There have been a lot of fires in both British Columbia and Washington State this summer. The last part of the drive to Oliver was pretty smoky, and it was extremely smoky once we arrived. We couldn’t even see across the valley from our suite at Hester Creek Winery, but the next morning, strong winds had cleared things off. Saturday brought welcome rain that washed most of the smoke out of the air.
The villa at Hester Creek is spectacular. We’re in their one suite, which is a separate building that overlooks the valley. A couple of unexpected benefits were two bottles of welcome wine and a full breakfast each day delivered to the villa.
We’d originally planned to have dinner at the District Wine Village, a collection of ten different wineries and a kitchen, but it was just too smoky to contemplate eating outside. We ended up going to TacoRiendo for a decent no frills Mexican dinner.
Breakfast the next morning was a surprise. Trays were delivered with an absolutely delicious spread of crispy cinnamon waffles, bacon, and fresh fruit.
Our first winery stop was at Burrowing Owl, where Linda and I had a lovely lunch last year on the veranda overlooking the vineyards. The weather wasn’t quite as cooperative today, with fairly heavy rain and cold, so we ate inside.
While we were waiting for lunch, Dani had a tasting in the winery, which confirmed my view that the freeze and years of fires have not done them any favors. I think that their library wines are very interesting, and the winery has a long history, but the decade of the 2020s has not been kind. Star of lunch was Linda’s quiche.
After lunch, we headed south to Osoyoos, where none of us had been before. Our first stop was Over the Fence Winery, which is only a mile or so from the US border. It’s the warmest region in all of Canada, and as a result they can produce some pretty good wines. There were the sounds of cannon fire, and we were wondering if war with the US had already broken out, but it turned out to be air cannons used to scare the crows off the vines. I would not want to live next to that vineyard!
Next up was Moon Curser, which grows some very interesting varietals. Their signature wine is made from Tannat grapes, but those were frozen, so they’ve had to be replanted, and they haven’t been able to produce that wine for a few years. However, the Tempranillo, which is done in American oak, is the closest thing to Rioja I have tasted from the New World.
On the way back, we stopped at La Stella, which is the sister winery to our wine club at Le Vieux Pin. I originally thought this winery produced just Italian varietals, such as Sangiovese, but that’s not true, and I think they produce the best Cabernet I’ve had from this region. Club price for 2022 La Sophia Cabernet was $90 Canadian, so it’s definitely their high-end wine, but will cellar well.
On our trip up the hill to our villa we encountered a buck eating vines in the vineyard. He seemed unbothered by our passing. By evening the rain had stopped and the sun made interesting patterns on the hills across the valley.
After an afternoon catching up on blogs we kept it simple and went to the restaurant at Hester Creek, Terrafina, even though we already had a Monday reservation there. Good choice! Service was great and the food was delicious, and varied enough that it warrants a return trip. Since we were unfamiliar with Hester Creek and may not go to their tasting room we ordered the most expensive wine from their library list, the 2017 Hester Creek Garland. It’s almost 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s a very big wine that needed decanting and the full two hours of dinner to open up. At $160 CDN on a restaurant list it seemed fairly priced, but I don’t think I’d buy it again.
Sunday Linda wanted to spend the day enjoying the view from the villa and doing her needlepoint, so Dani and I set out to explore the wineries to the north. First stop was at Le Vieux Pin, where I’m a member. They had brought out a library wine—the 2014 Syrah Violette which was spectacular, so I had to buy a half case of that. The host in the tasting room was extremely knowledgeable, and we learned a lot. For example, they co-fermented some Viognier with the Syrah in smoky years because (insert molecular chemistry and sugar explanation I didn’t understand) it helps to suppress smoke taint from the skins.
Then we stopped at the adjacent property, The French Door, which always has great Cabernet Franc.
After that we drove north through Oliver and Penticton, and around the east side of the lakes to the Naramata Bench, the elevated region on that side of Lake Okanagan, known as the Okanagan’s Napa.
We stopped for lunch at The Bistro at Hillside Winery, which had pretty good food (grilled sourdough with smoked dill spread was the favorite) but their wines were disappointing.
Next stop was at Laughing Stock, where we bought several wines including the Syrah and their Portfolio red blend, which we’d had at The Lift Bar and Grill in Vancouver.
We followed the road up to Naramata itself, then turned around and came back, stopping at Moraine Winery. This was the find of the day. All their reds were superb, and about half the price of the other wines we’d encountered. We ended up buying a case, and also joining their wine club. Dawne, our host there, was particularly nice.
On the drive back, we were able to take the picture of Vaseux Lake that I was unable to get on our last trip up here. It wasn’t quite as glass-like as then, but it’s certainly a dramatic corner you come around in the road.
For dinner, we went to Miradoro at Tinhorn Creek. It’s only a few hundred yards from our villa, but to get there, we have to drive all the way down the mountain on Road 8 and then all the way back up the mountain on Road 7. It has a very similar view to our villa from their dramatic outdoor dining area. The food was quite good, and we were able to try a 2011 Tinhorn Creek Syrah, which was fully mature and drinking a bit like an old burgundy. The food was good, but I don’t think it was quite as good as at Terrafina. The service, however, was the most professional we’ve gotten here in the valley.
Monday was spent mostly relaxing at the Villa and enjoying the view, but we did visit the nearby ultra-high-end Checkmate Winery for a hosted tasting of their Chardonnay and Merlot. With average prices of $100 per bottle, this is not a club I would join, but the wines were among the highest expressions of Okanagan wines we’ve had, and the winery is spectacular.
Particularly interesting was a glass globe they’d just filled with freshly crushed Merlot. It was fascinating to see how it was stratifying into a half dozen or more layers of different weight fluids as it fermented.
I purchased just one bottle, the 2022 Fool’s Mate Chardonnay, which was very Montrachet-like.
For dinner, we returned to Terrafina at Hester Creek for another lovely dinner, this time outside because the weather was perfect.
In the morning, we headed north towards Kelowna, stopping at Quails’ Gate for lunch at Old Vines Restaurant. The setting was lovely, and the food was pretty good. My rib eye was one of the best steaks I’ve had in Canada. I don’t think the food is quite as wonderful as at Mission Hill, but we’ll compare when we go there Thursday on our way back to Vancouver.
Continued on to the Royal Kelowna Hotel, where our room was ready early and we were able to get it settled. This is the same hotel we stayed at last time in Kelowna, and it’s just wonderful. The rooms are large multi-bedroom suites with a beautiful view overlooking the water and waterfalls and many ducks.
For dinner, we walked to the nearby Bouchons Bistro, a favorite from our trip last year, and had a nice dinner also outside.
In the morning, we slept in late and then went for a walk back to a few favorite spots from our walking food tour from last year. We had a fantastic lunch at El Taquero – Tacos, Tequila & Catering. This is the best Mexican food I’ve had in Canada. The street tacos are absolutely authentic. My favorites were the vegetarian Rajas Poblanas with poblano chilies, the pork Cochinitas Pibil, and the fish Pescado Veracruz. Linda’s chilaquiles were also the best I’ve had, with half green and half red sauce to make them even more interesting. Margaritas here are great, too.
By complete coincidence, we ran into Andrew, the wonderful guide from our Taste of Kelowna tour last year, who was escorting another group around and happened to arrive as we were eating. He even remembered my name, and was so kind that, after he left, we discovered he had comped us a delicious order of churros served with a wonderful chilled caramel sauce.
We visited the Japanese gardens briefly, which have been nicely refurbished, and we were lucky that they were feeding the koi as we were there. They have a truly beautiful assortment of koi, some of which look like the Chinese dragons you see on parades.
Wednesday night, we went across the street from our hotel to the Erica Jane, which claims to be the most “Elevated Dining Experience” in the Okanagan Valley. This is a stunningly beautiful restaurant with creative appetizers and an excellent selection of different beef cuts. We went on a Wednesday and were hoping for their Wednesday special of Beef Wellington, but they were already sold out, so we settled for prime rib, which was some of the best I’ve had. It’s served with traditional Anju and horseradish and some delicious mashed potatoes.
For a starter, I had the seared scallops, which were perfectly done without being overcooked, but with a nice sear on the outside. The wine list has some extremely thoughtful selections, and it’s fun that every wine includes a listing of how far the winery is from the restaurant.
Of course, there are plenty of selections from the Okanagan, but we couldn’t resist a bottle of Molly Duke or Blue Eyed Boy, an Australian wine that you don’t see around here too often.
Thursday Dani and I popped across the street for breakfast at Sprout Bread, the bakery we’d visited last year on our food tour.
Then it was time to check out and head back to Vancouver. Just like last year, we stopped at The Restaurant at Mission Hill Family Estate, a truly magnificent property. Linda even found a chardonnay she liked and I ordered 6 bottles. I also tried again to join their club; last year my paperwork got lost.
This was a great trip. We were very lucky with the weather, as we learned from our smoky arrival Friday night, followed by a cleansing rain and then five days of near-perfect weather. It was great fun to have Dani along, and our experiences last year allowed us to really hit some highlights and some wonderful new discoveries this time.
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