October Whisky Tasting at Divino's - and a few pics from Manotick.

UPDATE - Next whisky tasting at Divinos is Thursday, October 2nd 2014. Contact Divinos for reservations.

Join us on Thursday, October 17th, 2013 at Divino Wine Studio for another great whisky tasting, paired with fabulous food from the amazing culinary team led by Chef Cristian Lepore.

The photo's a bit of a tease, but we don't want to give it all away, do we! But I will tell you that, in the lineup, we have a 21 year old Single Cask Speyside, a stunning Canadian whisky, a delicious Distiller's Edition, a new entry from a well respected Speyside Distillery, and a wonderful mouth-watering 15 year old from Islay. Hope you can join us for a fun, educational and delicious evening at Divino's.

Last week I was at Watson's Mill in Manotick to lead the Annual Fundraiser Whisky Tasting. A capacity crowd enjoyed four totally different whiskies, food nibbles by The Mill Tavern, and a great evening of laughter and conversation.

Photo Courtesy Maureen McPhee

I'm always pleased to serve Glenfiddich 15 year old, a unique whisky, utilizing a Solera system, which produces luscious flavours, and a whisky older than its years. I'm doubly pleased if it's on the bill these days, as $2 from every bottle sold in Canada is donated to Wounded Warriors Canada - a very worthwhile Charity.
The Arran Malt Sauternes Cask was elegant and delicious, Laphroaig Quarter Cask pleased the peat loving palates in the room, and Blanton's Gold Edition Single Barrel Straight Bourbon provided a rich and spicy finish. In my world, these are all four quaich whiskies.

Slàinte!  

Photo Courtesy Maureen McPhee

Hope to see you at Divino's in October!

Watson's Mill, Manotick, Whisky Tasting

Photo by James Watt, Manotick

GrapeScot is pleased to be heading to Manotick on Friday, September 20th to lead another Whisky Tasting fundraising event at historic Watson's Mill. 

Watson's Mill is a unique 1860’s grist and flour mill, on the shores of the Rideau River.  A working industrial heritage site in greater Ottawa, it has a remarkable history linked to local politics, the building of a country, and a tragic love story.  The WMMI mandate is to preserve Watson's Mill as a working historic grist and flour mill, and a social, cultural and educational focal point for the community and visitors.

Photo by James Watt, Manotick

The tasting starts at 7:30pm and features four nice whiskies, appetizers by The Mill Tavern, a little education and some good company. Tickets, which sell out quickly, are just $45 and can be purchased  by calling 613-692-6455. All proceeds go to Watson's Mill programming.

Hope to see you there!

Okanagan Wines via Beautiful Highways

Let me start with highways. Recently, we left Vancouver and took a week to drive to Calgary, from which valiant city we flew back to Ottawa.

Funky Calgary sculpture

The scenery is wonderful, and the Banff to Jasper highway, in particular, is spectacular. Everyone should drive it at least once. Turquoise lakes, glaciers galore, craggy peaks, mountain passes -a treat for the soul!
 


There are several beautiful routes east from Vancouver. For this trip, we took Highways 5, then 93 from Vancouver to Kelowna. A couple of nights were required here to do some winetasting at Tantalus, Cedar Creek, Quail's Gate and Mission Hill, four of the many wineries in the Central Okanagan Valley.

Central Okanagan Wineries

A word of advice if you're doing this sort of thing in 30+C and buying some wines along the way - wines really don't like hot cars, even for a short while. Stock up on coolers and ice and never be too far from your nearest air conditioned inn. A couple of my well chosen wines developed some pressure problems, and the corks raised just a little on the journey - enough to require earlier consumption than planned. If you're buying wine in the hot Okanagan Valley, or any other hot location, best to have the winery ship you the wines, if you can figure out how to do that to your Province of choice!

Tantalus Vineyards

Jane Hatch is the General Manager at Tantalus Vineyards. Like many in the industry, she is passionate about her work, the vineyard, and the wines. In the case of Tantalus, her passion is well founded. With a historical claim to be the oldest continuously producing vineyard in BC, Tantalus has come a long way from the table grape production on the site back in the 1920's. Although a small amount of other varieties are grown on the estate, including Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier,  it is for the outstanding Riesling and Pinot Noir that Tantalus is known. Through a combination of understanding the terroir, good vineyard management and excellent winemaking skills, the renown for these two varietals is well deserved.

The 2010 Single Vineyard Pinot Noir was excellent - my favourite of all the Pinot I tasted in the Okanagan. A pleasing earthy, mineral and fruity nose leads to a juicy palate and a long satisfying finish. The wine has great balance, good structure, and the characteristic brooding quality I love. Great Pinot, excellent value at $30.
The 2010 Old Vines Riesling, made exclusively from 1978 Riesling plantings in one block, is an elegant and complex wine, with a lovely nose of citrus and some tropical fruit, and that wonderful Riesling petrol aroma that occasionally appears. On the palate this wine is concentrated, displays great acidity and offers up lovely green apple and citrus flavours. This is a super wine, also around $30, excellent now with a wide range of foods, and one that will develop beautifully with cellaring. As well as producing great wine, Tantalus is BC's first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified winery. 

Cedar Creek

Not far south from Tantalus is beautiful Cedar Creek Winery. (Oh, let's face it - they're all beautiful)!  This is one of BC's first eight wineries and one which has twice been named as Canada's Winery of the Year. With four vineyards located between Kelowna and Osoyoos, each with different characteristics, the winery is able to produce a wide range of wines.

We had a brilliant tasting with Richard, a fine gentleman who's been in the industry a while and knows his stuff. He was the perfect host, warm, friendly, and offering up just enough information about each wine, but generally being guided by questions and specific interests. He had this wonderful habit of pouring each wine, then subtly leaving the tasting room, so that we could analyse and savour at leisure and come to our own conclusions. He'd return right on cue with the next wine and we'd chat about the previous one or not, as we felt inclined. How often have you been to a winery where an enthusiastic host assails you with details about colour, aromas, palate expectations and food pairings before you've even picked up the glass. Many could learn from Richard. Each wine was at the perfect temperature and the glasses were sparkling and detergent free.

We were delighted to meet Darryl Brooker, the relatively new and very accomplished winemaker, who has made wine in New Zealand, Australia and elsewhere in Canada, including Thirty Bench Winery, my favourite Niagara region Riesling producer. Darryl's been at the helm since 2010, so most of the reds didn't have his personal imprint at this stage. Here's a rundown on some of the selection........
2012 Ehrenfelser. From 25 year old vines. This is a fantastic summer wine. If I lived in BC and had ready access to this wine, it would be on hand constantly. Beautifully refreshing and fruity, with loads of great acidity - superb. $18.95
2012 Gewurztraminer. A lovely nose with pronounced lychee aromas. Succulent and silky on the palate, but a wee bit short of acidity for my liking. Chill it right down to make it super refreshing. Same price range.
2012 Pinot Gris. Fruity and rich. A food friendly crowd pleaser. Another under $20 wine.
2012 Platinum "Block 3" Riesling. Granny Smith apples, petrol and mineral nose. Quite delightful and, most significantly, only 8% alcohol, achieved in part because Darryl decided to have the fruit picked early from the 21 year old, irrigation free vines. There's a definite market for lower alcohol yet tasty wines. Bravo on this one. Under $25.

Bottles of terroir!

Of the reds tasted, I particularly liked the 2009 Platinum Merlot. This one sports 14.9% alcohol - the other end of the spectrum from the Platinum Riesling. It's nicely balanced, with elegant aromas and tastes of black fruits and spice.
In all there are about 20 different wines available for tasting at the winery. Currently the LCBO has 2 Cedar Creek wines in inventory, in small quantities.
My planning for the day didn't take into account the fact that we had to zip around the lake and head south on the west side to our next tasting, so our lunch on the Terrace with the great views was excellent, but a bit of a rush. Perfect planning would have kept us there for a leisurely continuation of our chat with Richard, and more view soaking time.

Quails' Gate Winery

But onwards to Quails' Gate, where winery concierge, Bill Wightman, showed us around and treated us to a fine tasting of some wines from this well known winery. According to Bill, current production levels are about 85,000 cases, with about a third of the production being Pinot Noir. The LCBO received a large shipment of the 2011 Pinot Noir on August 17th, priced around $27. In the best years, like 2011, the winery produces a Reserve Pinot, which will be released after aging.

The winery is a beautiful building with a renowned on site restaurant and gorgeous views over Okanagan Lake. The Quail's Gate wine collection includes a classic and lovely Chenin Blanc, an aromatic Riesling, a nice off dry Gewurztraminer, a refreshing rose and many others. These are all generally good value, tasty wines around $20. The Single Vineyard Reserve collection includes a brilliant Chardonnay - full, rich, and a wonderful food wine. Several dessert and specialty wines complete the offerings, including a tawny port made from Gamay Noir and a fortified wine made from Marechal Foch.
Things will undoubtedly change in the coming years. Nikki Callaway was recently named as the new winemaker and started her role just this month. With experience and education in Canada and France, she was most recently a winemaker at Mission Hill Estates, which is where we headed next, after a brief stop at Volcanic Hills Winery.

Mission Hill Winery

Caroline Box is the sommelier who led us through a tasting at Mission Hill Winery, one of the Okanagan Valley's largest producers. The Mission Hill complex is quite spectacular, with beautifully designed  buildings on an outstanding location over the lake.

The LCBO has about 15 products on the books from this winery, all from the five vineyards entry level tier or the next level reserve tier. We tasted some great wines, starting with a 2012 Viognier under the Martin's Lane Label. This was a gentle, medium bodied Viognier, with lots of apricot fruit and good acidity - a fine buy at $25. From the Legacy Series, we tasted a beautiful 2010 Chardonnay - Perpetua ($35) and a very fine Bordeaux Blend Compendium ($50). The 2007 is superb now and the 2009 will also benefit from aging. Oculus 2009 is another premium, small lot Bordeaux Blend, more Merlot dominant than the Perpetua, quite lovely, and $80.

We tasted a couple of Pinot Noirs from different tiers. Mission Hill has been much awarded for Pinot over the years, but Tantalus still had my number one spot for best Pinot Noir.

We had dinner in the Terrace Restaurant, named one of the top five winery restaurants in the world by Travel and Leisure Magazine. Here we were well served by our excellent server, Bradley, and enjoyed a largely fantastic tasting menu with wine pairings. Pairing wines with dishes to meet everyone's tastebuds is one of the most difficult things to pull off, especially for a winery restaurant limited to the winery wines.

Consequently, although some of the pairings were superb, one or two were not perfect, and the Pinot was served a little warm, although immediately rectified. The food was outstanding and I'm nit-picking here, but fine-tuning those pairings is a good idea to ensure a continuation of a lofty top spot.
After Kelowna, we hit the highway again and headed for Banff, where I met up with an old friend, who`s now living life large in Canmore; and was reacquainted with mosquitoes - those creatures who love me but somehow never found me in Vancouver! Speaking of creatures, despite my ardent hopes, I saw none of these.

But I did see a black bear munching some roadside berries as well as this fine collection of elk.

At the Banff hot springs, I donned an historic bathing suit to "take the waters". It appeared to be made from iron encrusted polyester with zero spandex, and retained half the pool on exit. Fun to try - once!
 
 In Jasper we walked the Maligne Canyon Trail, one of hundreds of magnificent hiking trails in the area.

From there we took the highway to Edmonton to visit more fine friends, had a fancy breakfast at the Fairmont MacDonald Inn, then booted it down to Calgary, a vibrant and seriously spunky city, which was looking very fine considering the devastating floods earlier this summer. The return to normalcy continues, but there's overwhelming evidence of hard work and tenacity to revive the affected areas. Bravo Calgary.
Whisky lovers should definitely visit the amazing Kensington Wine Market, not just a wine lovers dream but a place showcasing a huge number of whiskies, and happy to let potential buyers have a wee dram or two from any opened bottles to "try before you buy". And there were quite a few opened! And the prices were pretty great!

The last supper of the trip - an anniversary dinner, as it happened, was at Charcut in Calgary. Worth a dining visit, but don't let them seat you at the tiny round table for two, with no room for the various plates, glasses and other paraphernalia. Nice dessert touch though!

Epilogue

Since September 2012 I've had the privilege of living a pretty nomadic life, visiting Scotland, France, Germany, Switzerland, Israel twice, South Africa and "out west". There are 24 posts on the blog, peppered with great photos (thanks to some amazing weather and a cell phone), tales of distilleries and wineries, and super adventures along the way. It's good to be back in Ottawa, reacquainting, and busy with new tastings and ventures. Thanks to those who dropped into the website from time to time or followed the journey. Stay tuned for upcoming events.

Lake Louise

Cheers! Slainte!

Penultimate Post - from beautiful Vancouver

Time flies when you're having fun! I arrived in Vancouver about eight weeks ago and it's become one of my absolute favourite cities. It hasn't hurt that the weather has been perfect for most of that time, although a quick link back to my first post in BC shows me moaning and groaning about the rain.
We leave tomorrow for a grand drive back through the Okanagan Valley, up to Banff, Jasper, Edmonton, on to Calgary and then home, by plane, to hot, sticky Ottawa. That journey, in all its glory, will undoubtedly produce another post, especially since the Central Okanagan Valley and the rugged Rockies come into play.
But before I leave Vancouver, here's a spectacular, mostly pictorial peek at some of the wonderful things this city has to offer. Vancouverites - you have it all!
Deep Cove
In North Vancouver, on Indian Arm, this beautiful bay is a great place for paddling, or hanging out on a hot day. The Baden Powell Trail starts here and the first leg, like many trails in the area, is generally upwards. Spectacular views await.

Grouse Mountain
Definitely a tourist attraction, but big enough to handle the crowds, the mountain is less than half an hour from the City Centre. Apart from the famous Grouse Grind, which allows you to clamber your way to the top and arrive all hot, sweaty and fulfilled, the gondola will also whisk you to the top, where various activities await -
 
looking at the views, eating, drinking, hiking, watching lumberjacks, watching raptors, looking for grizzly bears,
 
taking another lift to the Eye of the Wind and popping into the 'highest point in Vancouver' viewing gallery;


or wishing it was winter so you could be skiing on awesome trails right in the city. From the Eye of the Wind, you'll have  a spectacular view of distant Mount Baker in Washington State.

Kitsilano Pool
 
Vancouver has a number of outdoor pools. This is the one that we frequented. It's 137.5 m long, pristine, heated enough, part fresh part salt water and utterly beautiful. 
Capilano Suspension Bridge
Close to Grouse Mountain, famous, and completely packed with tourists on a warm day, nonetheless the bridge has to be crossed.

You'll stagger around like a drunk as you make your way to the other side, where various activities await, none of them including peaceful solitude, but all of them delightful. You can pace behind a knowledgeable guide who will show you wonderful old trees.

You can see more raptors, up close and comfortable.

You can learn interesting facts about rainforests.

West
In the summer, there's no end to the number of plays, shows, festivals, music and art you can take in. On our way to see Dream Girls one evening, we popped in for cocktails to a great bar and restaurant on Granville Street  at 13th called West. The cocktail list was a mile long, their Scotch selection was more than impressive and the diners looked very happy.

Bard on the Beach
I mentioned Twelfth Night in a previous post. It was so good that we bought tickets for the other plays at the festival.

Measure for Measure took place on the studio stage, as did Elizabeth Rex, a super play by Timothy Findley, whose characters include Shakespeare and Elizabeth 1. The acting and staging were brilliant. I highly recommend seeing E Rex if you're in this city.

Hamlet, set in 2013, was unforgettable, mesmerizing and fantastically staged and performed. I sat in the front row, within spitting distance, and was completely captivated. Worth coming to Vancouver in the summer just to see this festival.

We visited a few restaurants in the last couple of weeks. VIJ's is a superb Indian food restaurant, a bit of a Vancouver institution, and voted Vancouver's best Indian food restaurant 2013 by Vancouver Magazine. Amazingly, I didn't take any photos, but the food was excellent.
Wildebeest was voted best new restaurant and also won best new design in the Vanmag ratings. The vibe is noisy, the chairs hard, and many of the tables are communal. I liked it more than my dining companion, and I absolutely loved our starters which consisted of bacon wrapped rustic paté and pulled pork polenta rissoles with a  jam that could have been rhubarb/redcurrant. Yum.

We selected mains featuring salmon and beef short ribs, but both dishes had too much sous vide treatment for our liking. Perhaps I'm too much of a traditionalist, but I like my beef short ribs slow cooked and falling off the bone, not slow cooked sous vide and pink with too much uncoagulated fat.
Tableau Bar Bistro on Melville won Gold in the best casual French restaurant, and I loved it for a lunch involving a fabulous duck confit salad and some Joie Farm rosé.
Last Friday, we spent the evening listening to a lecture on the Mysteries of the Quantum Universe at Science World. Do I know how to kick off a weekend or what! It was utterly brilliant, though, and Dr Hitoshi Murayama is a brilliant speaker, who makes hard stuff accessible and awe-inspiring. Afterwards we attended a reception on the balcony at Science World with this view.

The following morning, bright, early and festooned with a  magical bib number, I ran a road race, which took me through Pacific Spirit Park at UBC. Inspired by Dr M the previous evening or the beauty of the park or something, I managed to come in first in my age category and 6th out of an overall field of 83. Yeah!

Five time Olympian, Hayley Wickenheiser was the inspirational speaker, and the main thing I heard her say was " go celebrate", which we did at the Kitsilano Arts and Music festival, eating great street food, before walking down to watch Hamlet. On the way, we passed Kitsilano Pool, where hundreds of folks were seated watching a brass band play.

What a backdrop! What a city!
But now, I must go pack for the trip. We have one day in the Okanagan Valley, where it's 30+C, sunny, and still filled with wineries. In an attempt to be sensible, we're going to taste at five wineries around Kelowna, so check back later for updates on Tantalus, Cedar Creek, Quail's Gate, Mt Boucherie and Mission Hill.
Thanks for following along.

Au revoir, Vancouver. You're beautiful!

South Okanagan - 5 days of bliss

Following the Thompson River

To be perfectly accurate, the five days of bliss included a couple of travel days from and to Vancouver, but the scenery en route is so stunning that I've included those days in the bliss category.
On day 1, Gerald and I took the fabulous Highway 3 from Vancouver to Osoyoos, stopping in Princeton for coffee and a brief reunion with a colleague and friend I hadn't seen for over a decade! We power talked, assured each other that we hadn't changed a bit, and continued in opposite directions. It rained a good part of the way so we didn't stop to take photos, but the Crows Nest Highway is truly magnificent with majestic views, twisty roads, mountain passes, provincial parks, and many miles with no cell coverage or gas stations.

Day 2 started with a visit to Nk'Mip (Inkameep) Cellars, right in Osoyoos. Nk'Mip is North America's first Aboriginal winery, and a huge success story since the first harvest in 2002, consistently producing many award winning wines. The winery itself is a stunning building, where visitors can taste a wide range from the Winemakers Series and the higher end Qwam Qwmt Series - loosely translated to 'achieving excellence'.
Randy Picton is the very capable Chief winemaker, and Justin Hall, Assistant Winemaker and a member of the Osoyoos Indian Band, dreams of becoming a Chief Winemaker some day. According to Moss at the winery, if that happens in the near future, he will be the first First Nations Chief winemaker in the world. Pretty cool!
Once you get past the coffee and toothpaste flavours, there's nothing to beat a morning tasting, and this one was splendid. Ably led by Moss, a knowledgeable taster, who works in the tasting room in the summer and teaches high school during term, we tasted some very impressive wines.
Most of the wines in the Winemakers series are under $20 at the winery and are tasty and good value. I particularly liked the bone dry 2011 Riesling.

The Qwam Qwmt series, priced between $25 and $35, included a well balanced 2010 Chardonnay, big on aromas and flavours; a lovely 2010 Pinot Noir, a Silver medalist in the Decanter World Wine Awards, and a bottle of which is awaiting consumption before we leave BC; a 2009 Merlot; and heavily awarded 2008 Syrah and Meritage. The 2009 icon wine Mer'r'iym (Marriage), $50, is a Bordeaux blend and a Gold medal winner at the Canadian Wine Awards. A visit to Nk'Mip should be on every trip through the South Okanagan.

Next up was a fabulous tasting at Burrowing Owl, the subject of my previous post, followed by a great lunch at the Mica Restaurant at Spirit Ridge.
After lunch we popped into Church and State, with its fabulously designed tasting room, Road 13 and Inniskillin. 

Of the various wines I tried at Church and State, I was most impressed by the 2010 Coyote Bowl Merlot. Sadly, I was unable to try the 2009 Syrah, which, according to the winery, was named best red wine in Canada 2013, by Jancis Robinson. My understanding is that she was sent 50 of Canada's best wines from four provinces, presumably also including whites and ice wines, so the sampling would only reflect a fraction of the many wonderful reds in the Okanagan Valley. But that's always the issue with wine awards and accolades. There's no competition or evaluation anywhere in the world that rates everything. It's entirely dependent on what is sent for review.

The winery at Inniskillin is much smaller than the Niagara version, but there is still a wide range of wines on offer at every price point.

On Day 3, we headed to Penticton, twisting and winding our way through the valley and driving past too many great wineries. Three days in the Okanagan Valley doesn't quite cut it! Still, we soldiered on. The first stop was at Hester Creek Estate Winery.


Like so many wineries in the Okanagan, this is a beautiful facility, with a lovely tasting room, shop and restaurant. I particularly liked the 2012 Pinot Gris, the Selected Barrels Merlot and the Character Red, a blend of Merlot, Malbec, Syrah and Petit Verdot, all under $20. I didn't call ahead to set up any kind of special tasting, so couldn't persuade our tasting host to crack open a bottle of The Judge, their icon wine at $45. I call this the Chilean syndrome, but it's probably just sour grapes on my part. Production levels of The Judge are small, they sell out every year, so they really don't need to open it for every Tom, Dick or Carol that turns up. In general, I don't buy wine at that price without tasting it, regardless of awards, but we certainly left with a bag of other Hester Creek wines. Nice winery!

Next up, Le Vieux Pin. This is a winery focused on making great wine, with French winemaking techniques and Okanagan character. The French winemaker and viticulturist is Severine Pinte, who has been at the winery since 2010. Le Vieux Pin, although relatively young, is a very well regarded winery producing some great wines. The 2011 Ava, a white Rhone blend of mainly Viognier, with some Marsanne and Rousanne is absolutely splendid. Ava is the winemaker's daughter's name. The 2011 Syrah "Violette" - another daughter's name, I believe - is elegant, soft, perfumed and very lovely. I bought a bottle of each. They're both drinking beautifully now or could be cellared for a couple of years. I also tasted the 2010 Syrah. This is a lovely wine with lots of cellar life left in it. And, apparently, it was served in May at a feast at Aldourie Castle near Loch Ness.

Not everything pleased my palate. I'm not fond of Sauvignon Blanc with oak treatment, the Pinot Noir rosé didn't refresh or delight and the 2011 Equinoxe Chardonnay didn't grab my attention in a  $60 way. But do visit this winery for a tasting if you're in the region. You'll taste some top notch wines and everyone's palate is different.
Hungry by this point, we took some local advice and headed upwards to the casual little restaurant at See Ya Later Winery for a light lunch and more jaw-dropping views.

Our next stop was at Painted Rock, a relatively new winery producing absolutely fantastic world class wines. The first vines were planted in 2005, and the first sales were in 2010. So, notwithstanding anything I said previously about awards and accolades, the fact that their 2009 Red Icon wine was a Gold Medal winner in the 2011 Wine Access Canadian Wine Awards and a Silver Medal winner in the 2012 Decanter World Wine Awards, is a big deal. Tastings are currently conducted from a  temporary location, but the plans on the wall and the construction nearby add to the anticipation of a beautifully designed, ultra modern winery and tasting room to be completed this summer.
Painted Rock produces only a few different wines, but they're all incredible. This may be partly due to the services of French and Californian consultants who advised on the initial planting strategy, or the unique micro climate and conditions in the vineyards, or the ongoing services of renowned consultant Alain Sutre. More likely it's all of the above, coupled with the vision, strategy and work ethic of owner, John Skinner, to produce world class wines in the Okanagan Valley. Whatever the reasons, Painted Rock has become one of Canada's most highly regarded and decorated wineries in just a few short years. The website is excellent and eloquent and tells a compelling story. I encourage a read, and definitely encourage tasting the wines.

After a tasting at Painted Rock, the excellence bar is set so seriously high that it's a good idea to stop for the day, but there was some time left, so we popped into Blasted Church and enjoyed some of their palate cleansing, very tasty, just released, 2011 OMG sparkling wine. Their story and labeling is fun and they have a nice following in the Valley.

We stayed at a comfy B and B in Penticton for a couple of nights, where Jane and Bob at Vancouver House treated us like family and made us feel very welcome.

Day 4 started with a  hearty breakfast, a bit of a hike and then our first stop at La Frenz Winery, where we had an excellent tasting and left with some Sauv Blanc, Semillon, Rosé and Pinot Noir. Nice winery, good wines, great view, worth a visit. This was our day to explore the wineries and gorgeous scenery of the Naramata Bench, on the east side of the Southern end of Okanagan Lake.
Lunch was a fantastic duck prosciutto Caesar salad on the patio at Red Rooster Winery, followed by a tasting. I particularly liked the Riesling, an excellent buy at $16.99, and wonderfully dry and characteristic. The Reserve Viognier ($22) and Reserve Syrah ($30) were also very good.

We stopped in to Lake Breeze, where lunch was still in full swing on the patio at 3pm, probably because of - once again - great views, super looking food, a really good live band and great wines. I've tasted a number of Lake Breeze wines in the last few weeks and this is a good winery. The 2010 Seven Poplars Pinot Noir is particularly tasty. We didn't have time to stop and taste, as our "by appointment only" tasting at Laughing Stock was about to happen, so we had to scoot.

This winery, another relatively young one, produces some of the best wines in the Okanagan Valley. The owners were previously in the financial industry, and there are many fun throwbacks to those days in the bottle design, labeling, twitter tag and, indeed the name. Blind Trust White and Blind Trust Red, are blends with the grape varieties hidden under the cap, so that consumers can have some fun with guessing what's in the bottle. I did a terrible job of guessing the whites but redeemed myself by figuring out all five varieties in the 2011 red - Merlot, Malbec, Cab Sauv, Cab Franc and Syrah ( a bit of skill and a lot of luck!).
But outside of all the fun stuff, there are some seriously good wines here. Of the eight I tasted, I particularly liked the 2012 Pinot Gris, $22, full bodied, rich and fruity; the 2011 Syrah, $36, elegant, juicy, with lovely black fruit and cloves; and the 2010 Portfolio, $42, a left bank Bordeaux style blend - big, beautiful and a definite candidate for some cellaring. If nothing else makes it back home with me, that bottle will. This one was a Gold Medal Winner at the 2012 Canadian Wine Awards.
 
Dinner that evening was at The Vanilla Pod, a splendid restaurant at Poplar Grove Winery,  where we had some great salmon and some of their 2011 Chardonnay. Lovely!
On Day 5, we had another hearty breakfast, said goodbye to Jane and Bob, and set off for Vancouver, abandoning the original plan to taste more wine, and choosing instead to just enjoy the route. Even with healthy use of a spittoon over the previous days, my palate needed a break from winetasting.

Road signs in Lytton

The route home took us west on the 97C through Merritt, up the 8 to Spences Bridge, then south through Lytton, where the Thompson and Fraser Rivers meet, and on to Hope, then west to Vancouver.
 
We followed beautiful rivers all the way from Spences Bridge and, once again, marveled at the spectacular mountain scenery, and this two kilometre long train. This was an amazing long weekend. I officially love BC!

We're still enjoying some of our spoils from the weekend, and will be stopping in to the central part of the Okanagan Valley on our upcoming journey from Vancouver to Calgary. More wine stories on the horizon. But before that, I plan to write about some other fantastic stuff that's been going on in and around Vancouver. Check back in a  few days. I hope to put that out before we head off on Friday. Maybe! The weather's pretty fantastic here.........................
Thanks for checking in.
Cheers!