Amazing holiday wines - for anytime!

Holidays are the time to bring out the big guns in terms of wine.

Now that things have settled down, it's time to reflect on the past couple of weeks and think about the wonderful wines that I drank. There were many, many excellent wines but three definitely stood out.

California Dreaming

I had my retirement bash at the end of June and, what a number of my friends and colleagues did was, give me a bottle of wine that was special to them.

Fast forward to just before Christmas - our anniversary. After (mumble mumble) years of wedded bliss, we thought we'd stay in downtown Vancouver (the Four Seasons, no less, but we got a killer deal). We decided to go to the Absinthe Bistro on Commercial Drive for, what turned out to be, a spectacular - and I mean spectacular - French meal.

When I was booking our reservation, I had asked if it was OK to bring our own bottle of wine and what the corkage fee was (corkage means the price charged by the restaurant to serve your wine - to basically to take the cork out and pour it). The cost was $24 so I figured it would have to be a pretty darn good bottle of wine. Then I thought of the special wine my friends Dale and Jodi gave to us.

The wine was a 2014 Emmolo Merlot from Oak Knoll in the Napa Valley ($64). We had the server decant it and could only wait about 20 minutes before we had to have some. It was a superb wine - much better than any other Merlot I've ever had. On the nose there were plenty of black fruits, a fig or raisin scent as well as definite leather and smoke. These were also apparent on the palate with chocolate, liquorice and toast adding to the experience. This medium tannin, medium minus acidity wine was Outstanding - it was balanced, had a long finish, was super intense with its fruit flavours and was definitely a complex wine. 

What did we accompany it with? We had a couple different appetizers and it went fine with those but the real winner was the main course. We ordered cassoulet - which is a wonderful French stew with sausages,. duck, white beans and a bunch of other stuff. Every restaurant has a slightly different version and Absinthe did not disappoint. The fruitiness of the wine combined with the elegant structure was a great complement to the salt and fat of the meats. 

A postscript on this wine - I am not usually such a big fan of Merlot but I liked this one so much that, just before Christmas, I bought another bottle. It currently resides in my cellar.

Happy New Year

My son-in-law, Dan, is a big wine lover - and actually completed his WSET level 3 a couple of years ago. For Christmas, his parents gave him a nice bankroll of money to buy wine. I was lucky enough to come along to the BC Signature Liquor Store and see what he was picking.

That night was New Year's Eve and we spent it with my daughter and Dan. We drank champagne, watched some of the festivities on TV, played Settlers of Catan, drank some more wine, and played a movie version of Cards Against Humanity. At one point, Dan opened up one of the wines he had bought - and it was excellent!

The wine was a 2000 Chateau Clarke Baron Edmond de Rothschild Listrac-Medoc Bordeaux ($70). First of all, after it was opened, I thought to myself - wow - 19 years old! Incredible! And it was another Outstanding wine! This medium plus tannin, medium plus acid wine had mellowed over time and would probably be good to drink for a few more years. This wine had aromas and tastes of black currant, black berry, leather, liquorice, toast, and a host of spices. Although the tannins were still in evidence, I still thought it was a wonderful wine and not too strong. It was balanced, had incredibly intense flavours, was complex and had a nice long finish. 

We probably should have had it with beef bourguignon but ended up having it with a charcuterie board which was still a good match. I sipped and smelled and savoured this wine and it happily took me a lot longer to drink than it would usually. This wine was decanted but we probably should have left it for an hour or so. I may have to pick me up a bottle of this one! The grapes in this wine were Cab Sauv, Merlot, and Cab Franc. 

Local hero

The three kings of the holiday were crowned with a wine made from a grape that my wife and I have always enjoyed - even before I started studying wine in earnest. Syrah is a grape that I love as it makes wines that are so drinkable and have character, in my humble opinion. 

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The one we discovered was a 2016 Le Vieux Pin Syrah Cuvée Violette ($40) made from mostly Syrah with a little bit of Viognier. This wine, from our own Okanagan, had aromas and tastes of blueberry, blackberry, pepper, raspberry, leather, and, yes, violets. This is a fairly fruity wine with medium tannins and medium acid. I think it has the capacity to age for several years - my problem is that it tastes so wonderful now, I don't want to lay it down! This is another Outstanding wine from Le Vieux Pin as it has everything you would want in a great wine - balance, complexity, length and intensity.

I became aware of this wine when listening to a blog or reading a wine column in the newspaper. It sounded like a good fit so I searched on the BC Liqour Store app - nothing,. Then I went to Everything Wine - nothing. I checked the winery - sold out. Then I thought - well, Save On sells wine - what are the chances? Rather good, it seems, as the Lakeshore Save On in Kelowna had some. As part of our stay over New Years, I picked up a few bottles of this wine. Now, to cellar or not to cellar?

All three of these wines were fantastic. They are certainly priced higher than most wines I drink but their exceptional quality makes them well worth the money.

Have a happy and wine filled new year!

Half the World in an Evening? Preposterous! Wines of North and South America - WSET 3.11

This week's map homework - nice map but maybe on blank paper next time?

This week's readings were insane - all of North and South America!

How the heck am I going to remember all of this info?

With just four weeks to go, it's pretty intimidating. Not at all like WSET 2.

In the mega-wine week, we covered bits about Canada, Oregon, New York, and Washington but spent most of our time looking at California, Chile, and Argentina.

Yes, we did leave out lots of areas but I guess those are the main ones.

The first wine we are going to look at, however, came all the way from the Okanagan, Mission Hill. We tried a 2016 Mission Hill Reserve Viognier ($22). This youthful wine had peach, melon and ginger spice aromas. On the palate, it was a really medium wine with medium acidity, body, intensity, and finish but did have high alcohol (just). It was rated as a Good wine and one that was good to drink now but not suitable for ageing.

I've already done a whole blog posting about our trip to the Willamette (rhymes with, "Damn it") Valley in Oregon - if you are interested in that, it is here. We tried one wine from there - a 2015 Sokol Blosser Pinot Noir ($48). This wine had aromas of red cherry, red plum, smoke, vanilla, and perfume. On the palate, I also tasted some leather. This wine had medium body, medium minus tannins, medium plus acidity, and a long finish. It was balanced, complex and pretty intense and would garner a Very Good rating.

If you want to try an outstanding wine from the Willamette Valley, try the 2014 Domaine Serene Evenstad Reserve that we had on our trip to Oregon. Although it cost close to $100, my wife and I opened a bottle we had squirrelled away from the trip last weekend and it was an intense, wonderful wine. I might have to buy it again, despite the hefty price.

On to California.

Courtesy Wine Folly

California was the most detailed area of the night but also the one I related to the most since I've actually been to Napa. Napa is just one of the wine counties that includes, in the North Coast, Sonoma and Mendocino as well. There are also many AVAs (American Viticultural Areas) which are the smaller wine area inside the region.

Napa County is probably the most highly regarded region with a multitude of different AVAs. The wines here are expensive and prestigious. For example, there's Los Carneros which extends into Sonoma and is famous for its Pinot Noir and Chardonnay - both still wine and high end sparkling. Three big AVAs that are famous for Cabernet Sauvignon are Stags Leap, Oakville, and Rutherford, although wines from these areas are super pricey. St. Helena and Calistoga AVAs are home to Cab Sauv, Syrah, and, California's grape, Zinfandel.

Zinfandel is a tricky grape - it ripens unevenly so it has to be hand picked but when it dries a bit and turns into a bit of a raisin, it is concentrated, full bodied, with wonderful red and black fruit as well as liquorice.

Sonoma County is the other big region with AVAs such as Russian River (Pinot Noir and Chardonnay), Dry Creek Valley (Zinfandel and Sauvignon Blanc), Alexander Valley (Cab Sauv), and Sonoma Coast (elegant Chardonnay and Zinfandel). The area of Sonoma County is actually bigger than Napa.

Mendocino County includes Anderson Valley which is very cool and is home to aromatic wines like Riesling and Gewürztraminer while Mendocino AVA has full bodied Cab Sauv, Zinfandel, and Syrah.

The Central Coast hosts the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA (elegant Cab Sauv), cool Monterey (Pinot Noir and Chardonnay), Pablo Robes AVA (Cab Sauv, Merlot, and Syrah), and Santa Maria Valley (Pinot Noir and Chardonnay - concentrated fruit and high acidity).

The last area we checked out was the Central Valley. This is a mostly flat area that is hot and dry and is a lake of cheap jug wine. However, the Lodi AVA has cooling breezes from San Francisco Bay and has some of the oldest and best Zinfandel vines in California. I would LOVE to try a Zin from Lodi!

So, let's look at the Zinfandel we did try! It was a 2015 Ridge Dry Creek Zinfandel ($74). This wine burst with aromas of black plum, cassis, raspberry, violet, vanilla, and liquorice. On the palate, there was also tobacco and plum - both red and black. It was a high alcohol wine with a long finish and pronounced flavours as well as medium body and tannins. Due to its lower tannins, it was not considered suitable for ageing but it would definitely be a wine to drink now! Although our instructor rated it as Very Good, I would have to go with Outstanding.

We also tried a 2013 Darioush "Caravan" Cab Sauv from Napa Valley ($89) and it was spectacular. It had aromas of black plum, cedar, forest floor, earth, black pepper, black currant, and coffee. On the palate, this developing wine had addition tastes of tobacco and mushroom. It was a high alcohol, high acidity, medium plus tannin wine with a pronounced intensity of flavours and a long finish - a classic Napa Cab! We rated this wine as Outstanding.

Before we leave North America, we did try a wine from Washington State - if you are interested in that blog entry, it is here. I would definitely revisit that area, as I would with Oregon. The wine we tried in class was a 2013 K.Vintners Syrah from the Columbia Valley ($67). This was another really enjoyable wine with black plum. black currant, white pepper, cedar and leather on the nose. This developing wine had cedar, blackberry and cooked fruits on the palate and was a high tannin, high alcohol, medium plus body, medium plus intensity, high acid wine. It was a bit astringent with the high acid as it could have been a little more plush or ripe. This was rated as a Very Good wine with ageing potential.

For such a skinny country, Chile has a fair number of wine regions to know. First, though, the grapes that are grown there. Cab Sauv and Merlot are big grapes in Chile as well as their signature grape, Carmenere. An interesting thing about Carmenre is that it is originally a French grape that fell out of favour after Phyloxera hit. Meanwhile, in Chile, thanks to being surrounded by ocean, mountains, desert, and ice fields, Phyloxera never came there. Wine growers in Chile thought they were growing a lot of Merlot but realized that it tasted different than other Merlots. That's because it was Carmenere!

White grapes of Chile are mainly Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.

The regions of Chile are hard to remember so I will just review the four big areas - Coquimbo (Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah and Chardonnay), Aconcagua (Carmenere, Syrah, Cab Sauv and some Sauvignon Blanc), Central Valley (Cab Suav, Syrah, Carmenere) and Curico and Maule Valleys (Carignan). The smaller areas to watch for when you buy wines from Chile are Casablanca, San Antonio, Leyda Valley, Maipo, Cachapoal Valley, and Colchagua Valley.

We tried just one wine from Chile. It was a Carmenere and, if you want to revisit the Carmenere in a blog post that I thought was amazing, the link is here. This one was a 2016 Calina Carmenere from the Central Valley ($24). It definitely tasted of red fruit such as cherry, plum and cranberry as well as red liquorice. It had a certain herbaceousness about it that detracted from the overall flavour. It hit all the medium spots in acid, tannins, body, etc. and was just rated as a Good wine.

There is so much to learn about Argentina but I will just hit the things that relate to the wines I tried. First, the white grape that Argentina is famous for is the Torrontes grape. It is an intensely fruit and floral grape and is definitely and aromatic grape. It is found in a number of areas including Mendoza, San Juan, La Rioja and Salta.

We tried an 2015 El Porvenir Torrontes from La Cafayate in Salta ($22). I had a difficult time deciphering the aromas of this one so I will go with the group's descriptors. On the nose were honeysuckle, melon, elderflower and orange blossom aromas in a pronounced intensity. On the palate it was dry with medium plus acidity, medium body, finish and alcohol. This 'drink now' wine was rated as Very Good.

The black grape from Argentina that is their flagship grape is Malbec. This deep purple, oaked grape is grown in Argentina more than anywhere else in the world. If the flavours are extracted gently, it can be a very elegant wine with floral aromas and spice. It can also be blended with Cab Sauv, Merlot, Cab Franc, and Petit Verdot. I have had lots of Malbecs before form Argentina and have not been overly impressed by them.

The last wine we tried, however, did impress me. It was a 2014 Bramare Malbec from the Lujan de Cujo in Mendoza ($67). Name a black fruit and it was there. I loved this wine. Black plum, blueberry,  black currant - and more. It was definitely oaked with lovely cedar and tobacco but it also had that ageing flavour of barnyard, mushrooms, and earth. It was our last wine of the night so I just leaned back and sipped the contents of my tasting glass - no spitting with this one! This full bodied wine had intense  aromas on the nose and pronounced flavours on the palate. This wine was balanced, had length and was complex, deserving an Outstanding rating.

Now, back to my studying!

Rhone Wines are Da' Bomb! - WSET 3.6

As Bacchus might have said, "All Grapes Lead to Rhone".

This week's class focussed primarily on the Rhone area. But first, we had a test.

It wasn't THE test - this was a mock test. We were given one wine to taste and write notes on. Then we were given four questions to write about.

The tasting was good. I could tell it was a Chardonnay - a Freemark Abbey 2015 Chardonnay from Napa Valley - $41 at Everything Wine (although we don't actually have to identify the wine) and I could taste the fruit as well as the oak on the wine. I'm pretty sure I listed all of the different parts of the tasting note, although I won't know for sure until I get the mock test back next week. 

The four questions were good as well. I think I nailed the first three. Example - "What is a Cru Bourgeois wine?" The last one was a tricky one and I didn't get it all. It was - "Describe a wine from Bandol including the grape and region." I got the region (last minute - Provence) but not the grape. I thought it was Grenache but it was actually Mouvedre. 

After the mock test was done, we started looking at the Rhone. The Northern Rhone is just Syrah for reds. And some of the Syrahs from there are wonderful! The whites are Viognier and the happy couple of Marsanne and Rousanne.  Famous areas include Cote Rotie ('roasted slope'), Hermitage, Cornas (Syrah only), Condrieu (Viognier only) and St. Joseph. 

The Southern Rhone, on the other hand, has a bunch of grapes. The reds from this area can have up to 13 different grapes in the blend! This is where you get your famous Chateauneuf de Pape wine which is predominantly Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre with some other grapes possible such as Cinsault or Carignan.  Besides Chateauneuf de Pape, there is Gigondas, Vacqueyras (good value!), Lirac (also good value!) and Tavel (rosé only). 

We also looked at Southern France which is basically the Languedoc, Roussilon, and Provence areas. This is a huge area with grapes similar to the Southern Rhone. There are lots of crappy, bulk wines but good wines can be found in areas like Minervois, Corbieres, Picpoul de Pinet (good value!), and Bandol. 

When we finally got to the tastings, I have to say that, not only was my palate better tonight, but that I really enjoyed these wines - they were amazing! 

The first two were whites from the Rhone area - one a blend and one a single varietal. 

The single varietal was a 2016 E. Guigal Viognier from Condrieu ($92). It had a pronounced nose with stone fruits such as peach and apricot as well as vanilla from oak ageing. On the palate were the same flavours but fairly low acidity, high alcohol, an intense taste profile and a medium plus finish. It was, as our instructor, Lynn, said, "A bit fat," so would garner a Very Good rating. 

The second wine was a white 2015 Combes D'Arnevel Chateauneuf de Pape ($48). This was a really nice wine that had aromas and flavours of honeysuckle, orange blossom, lemon, apricot, vanilla and minerals. It had time on the lees and had almost high acidity (especially compared to the Viognier). It was a dry wine that was also rated as Very Good - and because of the minerality of the wine, would be suitable for ageing. I have had lots of red Chateauneuf de Pape wines, but not a white one that I can remember - I will have to  change that!

Next we had three different wines from the Rhone. 

The first was a rosé although it was fairly dark for a rosé. It was a 2015 M. Chapoutier Beaurevior Tavel ($30). This deep salmon coloured wine had smells and tastes of strawberry, cranberry, red cherry, and plum. There weren't any secondary or tertiary notes on this one which meant you should drink it now.  This was fairly high in acidity and in alcohol and had a good, strong finish. I rated this one as Very Good. 

The next wine was a lovely 2015 Chateau La Nerthe Chateauneuf de Pape ($60). This wine had both red and black fruits such as cherry and black currant on the palate and also had toast, cedar and a wonderful earthiness. The finish was long and the intensity strong in this balanced, complex wine. It was rated Outstanding and would be suitable for ageing. 

The last wine of the trio was a fabulous 2013 Jean Luc Colombo Terres Brulées from Cornas ($100). Made of 100% Syrah, this wine had a deep purple colour and aromas and flavours of black currant, black berry, black cherry, green pepper, charred wood, tobacco and earth. It had both high tannins and high acidity and tasted better than most Syrahs I have ever had! It was balanced, intense, complex and had a great, long finish. Suitable for ageing, this was definitely an outstanding wine!

The final two wines were from the big region of South France that covers Languedoc, Roussillon, and Provence.

First up was a Cotes du Roussillon Village - definitely better than just a Cotes du Roussillon and was a 2015 Les Terrasses Regis Bouchabeille from Domaine Bouchabeille ($30). This was a Grenache blend, like the Chateauneuf de Pape but was a LOT easier on the pocketbook. It had both red fruit (red cherry, red plum) and black fruit with secondary aroma and taste of cedar and the tertiary one of earth, meaning that it is still developing. The flavours were pronounced and there was a nice long finish so we gave this one a Very Good rating. 

Finally was an extremely interesting 2014 Mas de Rouviere from Bandol. The overwhelming aroma, at first, at least, was the smell of chicken gravy! It took awhile to figure this one out - what we were smelling was a gamey smell, desirable in a developing wine. There were also tastes and smells of black liquorice, black currant, and cedar. A profoundly intense wine made with 100% Mourvedre, I would have this again - it really started to appeal to me as it opened up. A Very Good wine!

And, a very good class! Loved the wines this week!

And I Would Walk 500 More - Naramata Wine Walk Pt. 2

Waiting to order a fabulous dinner at  Poplar Grove in Penticton

By the time we left Bench 1775, we were more than halfway through of our walk. That was a good thing because time was marching on and most of the wineries closed by five.

Continuing on our somewhat epic wine walk from Naramata, we left the Bench 1775 winery and continued to head south on Naramata Road. As it was now the afternoon, it was starting to get a bit hotter. Luckily the wineries weren't quite as far apart. Even more luckily, there were some wineries that were very close to the actual road, rather than up or down a humungous hill.

As we rounded the curve on the road, we came upon Black Widow Winery. I had never heard of this winery before and was intrigued by its name, thinking that it was probably more flash than substance. Happily, I was wrong. The wines were all very good, as attested by the John Schreiner poster that was subtly tacked on the wall of the wine shop.

Our host's name was James and he had a good knowledge of the different wines. Black Widow is a very small winery that has limited production and is only open form noon until 4pm.

First up was their 2017 Sparkling Web ($24), a frizzante style bubbly (which means gentle bubbles) that had a nice citrusy taste to it.  It is made from two white grapes, Gewürztraminer and Muscat Ottonel. Great patio bubbles.

Next was the 2017 Muscat Ottonel ($25) - because if it's good in the bubbles, it's gotta be good on its own! I was a bit surprised that my wife liked it so much as it was a touch sweet but it had some nice acidity that kept everything in check. Another good patio wine which would also go with something with a bit of spice.

Finally, the favourite wine for me was the 2016 Phobia ($29). This blend of Syrah and Merlot was a little softer than your typical Syrah but spicier than your average Merlot. There were some tannins in the wine but I think it would be a good one to have in the next year or so. This was a very dark wine but tasted mostly of red fruit.

We continued up the hill - and ended up at Hillside Winery. Our host at this winery was Barbara and she was wonderful. I put "very nice tasting" and later "really good tasting" in my notes so I was obviously impressed by how she welcomed us, took the time to showcase the wines, and was very knowledgable about the wines.

The 2016 Reserve Viognier ($24) was our first wine and I really liked it. Viognier is a bit of a different taste from other whites but I love the peachy flavour and the slightly thicker feel to the liquid. This would be great with duck, pork, and many other grilled meats. It would also be good with some Upper Bench brie!

I do like a fragrant Gerwurz and the 2017 Gerwurztraminer ($20) was not a disappointment. This was a bit off dry and won gold at the all Canadian wine competition. I really think the Okanagan is doing a fabulous job with Gewurz right now and this is proof positive.

Finally, from Hillside, the 2015 Syrah ($26), This one had definite white pepper on the palate with medium tannins and a rich, long finish. This one might go into the cellar for a year or two.

It seemed a bit more of a walk as we made our way to the next winery. There was a hint of moisture in the air and, for a moment, we were worried that we might get rained on. However, the threat passed and we continued on our way. We came to three wineries that were cheek to jowl and decided to visit two of them.

The first of the two was Red Rooster, a likeable name with likeable wines.  Stephanie was the person who did our tasting and did a super job, as did almost everyone on this wine tour. I was very impressed by the enthusiasm and expertise of the people doing the tastings.

Our first wine that we bought was a 2016 Riesling ($17). I'll be honest; I used to think that Synchromesh was the only excellent Riesling in the Okanagan. This trip has shown me something else. This was a very nice off dry wine that would be great for just sipping - and that's important in summer!

Next was the 2017 Rosé ($25). This is made from nine different varietals, predominantly Pinot Blanc and  Malbec. A very interesting blend and a taste to match! Definitely fruity but with a nice soft finish.

Finally, we had the 2015 Meritage ($35) which was a wonderful blend of Cab Sauv, Cab Franc, Malbec, Merlot, and Petit Verdot. This was a wonderful, powerful, exciting wine and I will probably cellar it for a couple of years.

Practically next door was Little Engine Wines. I have to give a big shout out to the tasting room associate, Solana. Here it was, 5 minutes before closing time, and two sweaty travellers stumble through the door for yet another tasting. Instead of trying to get it over with, she took her time with us and was wonderful; friendly, helpful and enthusiastic. She brought the whole experience up a notch.

When we actually started the tastings, we had some very nice wines. The first wine that we really liked was the 2017 Caboose Rosé ($25).  It's made from Merlot and Pinot Noir and was a very nice, rich Rosé with a deep rich colour.

They say that Pinot Noir is a grape that the Okanagan should specialize in - and we really enjoyed the Silver Pinot Noir ($35). This was a smooth, red fruit wine that is supposedly good until 2023! Not sure if I will risk that as I am a little gun shy about aging Pinot Noir wine after my Tinhorn Creek disaster!

By the time we were finished doing our tasting at Little Engine, it was past five and the time for tastings was over. That left only one option - dinner!

We headed back down the road and walked for another 30 minutes until we arrived at our last stop, Poplar Grove.  Of course, we didn't have a reservation, not knowing when we would arrive. The host at the front said that it would be an hour wait but I told him (with just a hint of a catch in my voice) our saga of walking from Naramata and that this was our destination - our Valhalla! After checking with the manager, happily, he was able to seat us on the gorgeous patio of the Vanilla Pod restaurant.

When we were at Little Engine, Solana told us to be sure to have the potato cakes for an appetizer if we had dinner at Poplar Grove. That's exactly what we did and they were unbelievably good! I envisioned little crab cakes made with potatoes but, instead, we were served a riot of shredded potatoes, salsa and avocado. For dinner, my wife had their pasta special while I had the duck breast - it must have been a pretty big duck...  Both entrees were amazing! Highly recommended.

We accompanied our delicious meal with a bottle of Poplar Grove 2017 Blanc de Noirs Rosé ($22). We loved the Rosé so much that we bought a couple more bottles to take home- it was light and crisp and is the perfect food friendly Rosé.

My wife commented that the restaurant had French service - there was no hurry to get the food out and we really enjoyed the slower pace. We find that, far too often, a dinner out goes way too fast and we are in and out in an hour or so. This time we spent well over two hours enjoying the food, the wine, the excellent service, and the amazing view.

After splitting a vanilla gelato, we paid our bill (a little pricey, but well worth it after our trip) and took a taxi back to our motel in Naramata.

I checked my phone - we had walked over 20km in our wine touring and had visited eight wineries - a wonderful wine walk!

I Would Walk 500 Miles - Naramata Wine Walk Part 1

Naramata Walk Pt. 1

We love to walk. My wife and I enjoy a nice stroll or hike. We also enjoy a nice wine tasting. So we decided to combine them in one, sun-drenched, route-marching, wine-slurping day.

Naramata Bench is an area of the Okanagan stretching north from Penticton along the Okanagan Lake. There are around 45 wineries along the bench which is about 15 kilometres by road from the village of Naramata to the city of Penticton. We decided to walk and visit some of them.

We drove from Kelowna and arrived at the Naramata  Courtyard Suites which is a little motel that has been revamped and was a cozy place to stay (I think we paid about $150). We parked our car, checked in with the motel, and headed off.

The first place we were going to visit was Bella Sparkling because, at 11 in the morning, nothing is better than some bubbles! About half way there, which was in the opposite direction than the rest of the wineries were, I noticed that there weren't a lot of signs to the winery and I was heavily dependent on my Map app. Checking their web site, I realized that the winery was only open on Saturday and Sunday - and this was a Monday! We turned around and headed back towards the motel.

Getting out of Naramata was arguably the hardest part of the walk. It was a pretty steep, sustained hill but thankfully it was still a bit cool. There were a couple wineries right in Naramata but we wanted to get a couple kilometres along before we stopped.

Posing by the ironwork at Serendipity Winery.

Our first winery for actual tasting was Serendipity. They were 'just off the road' - or at least, that's what I told my wife. "See, it's right there!' A good kilometre or so down a steep hill, we came to the gates of the winery, followed by another steep hill into the tasting room.

Being a little off the road, it was not terribly busy. The person behind the counter was quite friendly and we enjoyed tasting the wines they had on offer. One of my favourite was the 2016 Rosé ($22) which was crisp and fruity. It also had a rich red colour, unlike some other rosés on the market. It is made of all red grapes.

We also purchased the 2016 Viognier (also $22) which is a fuller bodied white and one that has a wonderful taste. We also considered getting the Pinot Noir but preferred to wait until a later date. 

I'm sure this happens all the time, especially considering the number of cyclists visiting the different wineries, but we thought we were quite clever n asking the winery to hold the purchased wine for us until we returned the next day with the car. 

After hiking up the hill to the gate and the next hill that led to the road, we continued on our journey. The main road at this point was quite pleasant to walk.

Outside Joie Farm Winery in their little jardin. 

We skipped a couple more wineries and then went down from the road to visit Joie Farm Winery. I love their Rosé - but it is easily available at the liquor store. I was excited to try some of their other wines and I was not disappointed! Their Rosé was, of course, wonderful but we enjoyed their other wines as well. Our service was excellent - the guy behind the counter was a teacher from Ontario whose brother lives in the Okanagan so he decided to work and holiday over the summer!

The 2016 "En Famille" Reserve Riesling ($24) was a fruity, delicious wine that is just a touch off dry (in the German 'spätlese' style). It was a juicy, delicious wine and we ended up with two bottles. Although great with a variety of food, this is also a wine to enjoy on its. own.

The 2017 Noble Blend ($22) is a blend of Gerwurz, Riesling, Pinot Auxerrois, Pinot Blanc and Muscat. This is another fruity white that would be good with certain foods but would also be wonderful sipping on the deck.

I made arrangements to pick up the wine the next day. However, the winery is closed on Tuesday and I had to make arrangements to meet one of the workers to pick up our wine. She was very nice about it, though, so everything worked out!

Next up was Lake Breeze. We didn't actually do a tasting here but stopped for lunch. On their gorgeous outdoor patio,  I drank an ocean of fizzy water and used their bottle to fill up my water bottle as it was almost empty. The service was excellent as well as our lunch.

I had the Bench Burger which included one of my favourite Italian cheeses, Pecorino, as well as mushrooms and truffle aioli. Yum! Accompanying it I had a glass of their Meritage which paired well with the rather lean meat. My wife had the Grilled Chicken Sandwich which included another one of my favourite Spanish cheeses, manchego, as well as avocado cream accompanied by a food friendly Pinot Blanc.

We thought about doing a tasting there as well but, considering that we had a fair ways to go, we decided, instead, to press on.  As I walked up the hill back to the road, I felt a strange chill on the back of one of my legs. I had just applied some more sunscreen so I thought that it must be an extra thick application. However, the cold spot kept occurring, seemingly randomly. Was this some sort of strange skin condition brought on by the intense sun? Or had this hill climbing caused some sort of ligament/vein/artery issue? Did strokes start this way? I asked my wife if she could see any hideous discolouration but she couldn't see any.

Finally, I decided to take drink out of my water bottle. My full water bottle. That was now half empty because the gas from the fizzy water was forcing some of the liquid through the top - and onto my strangely chilled leg!

After the water episode, we hit a fairly long stretch of road that was bereft of wineries. Up and down we went, with no wine and just fizzy water that kept escaping from my water bottle. We probably spent an hour or so going from Lake Breeze (about the 2600 block) to Bench 1775 (1700 block. In the city, those nine blocks would be fairly close but out on the bench, it seemed to take forever!

Finally, we arrived at Bench 1775. It was by far the busiest winery we tried. The guy doing the tasting was polite but not overly friendly. Maybe because we were all sweaty? The wines were nice, though, but we couldn't do the same deal that we did at every other winery on the bench. However, the guy did waive the tasting fee and we did go back the next day and purchased up our wine.

We purchased two wines at Bench 1775. The first was their Brut Rosé ($22). This Chardonnay and Pinot Noir blend was crisp and just a bit fruity but would be wonderful on it's own or with something that wasn't too heavy. This is a killer value as it is done in the traditional method (like real Chanpagne).

The other wine was a 2016 Semillon ($19). This is made of wine from two different vineyard, one in Naramata (cooler) and one in Oliver (hotter) so the wine ends up being tasty ad complex. A really good food wine (chicken, fish, pork, etc.).

Happily, after we had visited Bench 1775, the vineyards seemed to be closer together. Mind you, at this point, if the winery was up a steep hill or down by the water, we tended to skip it as we wanted to make it to Poplar Grove in time for dinner. Some of the ones that we missed out that I really wanted to see up to this point included Nichol, Kettle Valley, Foxtrot (although you need an appointment), and Terra Vista (Spanish varietals). If only they splashed out for an outdoor escalator.....