Last weekend – Oct 12 – 14 – which was Thanksgiving weekend in Canada, M and I went to the Okanagan Valley, an area renowned for its fruit and wine. We in indulged in both and had a wonderful little mini-holiday!
300° panaroma near Penticton, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The above photo will give you an idea of what it’s like. We stayed in Penticton, from which we launched our wine tasting adventure. I took the “featured image” photo at the top of the page from a winery on the Naramata Bench. You can tell that the weather was fabulous. I’ve borrowed the photo below, but it also can give you an idea of what this landscape is like – forested and rugged with lots of grapes!
Naramata Bench 1 (Photo credit: pvsbond)
I took the next photo from quite an elevation. If you enlarge it, you can see many of the plots of grapes.
We attended a major wine tasting where I learned to stick to just one kind to avoid getting a confused palate. Mine got confused anyway – typical!
March 2006 tasting panel convened to determine if certain Merlots from the Okanagan could have characteristics attributable to certain geographical areas. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
M and I had a great dinner at the Borrowing Owl winery where I had my favourite dessert, creme brulee. Here is the photo I took. Yum!
The Okanagan produces some rather wonderful reds, such as the Black Hills Note Bene, a blend that I am in love with. M and I aren’t into the whole wine snobbery bit but we like to have fun with it and we also like to drink it! After all, for me, it’s an important part of my cultural history!
It was also important to remember to give thanks. Not only for the great wine, but also for each other, for our families, for our friends, and for many other things.
Do you have a wine experience you would like to share?
I’d be honored if you’d accept my nomination for the Versatile Blogger Award.
http://bradsdesk.wordpress.com/2013/10/21/versatile-blogger-award/
Thank you so much, Brad – you are very thoughtful. 🙂 I don’t accept awards, however.
This sounds like a wonderful way to celebrate Thanksgiving. I remember we visited the caves at Reims once when my son was about thirteen and he loved the samples of champagne on offer! It was a very interesting tour actually and we learned a lot in a short space of time. Best thing for me were the wooden riddler racks where the bottles are stored and turned. It’s all very precise and an experienced Riddler can turn all the bottles on his rack in lightning speed.
That’s so amazing, isn’t it? I saw a similar thing in Italy. It was a wonderful way to spend Thanksgiving. 🙂
You should have told me you were coming my way. I would have bought you a glass!
Good to hear from you – I would have loved that. 🙂 We plan to go again in the spring; maybe that’s a possibility?
Sounds like a marvellous time (hic) shlurrrrr. I do love my red wines – does it get nice and hot there though? It looks stunning as does the Brulee. Hmm wine stories – I have too many 🙂 I have been a few winery tours, where we have had to get a taxi (cab) to escort us as no one can stand on the legs by the end of it. Have a look at this link from one our famous wineries where they make Penfolds Grange Hermitage a 1952 bottle will set you back a piddly $30,000 🙂 xx
http://www.google.com.au/search?q=penfolds+winery&client=safari&rls=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=nwxqUuy0PKSeiAf5z4C4Bw&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1213&bih=627#q=penfolds+winery&rls=en&tbm=isch&imgdii=_
ok ok and no I haven’t been drinking – don’t know WHAT happened with that link 🙂 Look up Penfolds Winery- Barossa Valley 🙂 xx
The link works just fine – thanks again. One day I hope to actually go there and try some of their less expensive stuff! 🙂
yes only a few hundred dollars for the cheaper years…come onnnnn down 🙂 x
Oh and yes, it does get very hot there. The area is a micro-climate which is why everything grows so well. July and August are often around 40-45 C.
lol whereas July over here is oh err about 10 😦
Thanks for the link! I am familiar with Penfolds but not the 1952 – just a little out of my reach! 😉
ya think? 😉 lol and your’e welcome 🙂 x
You have to love winery tours. We enjoyed our tasting and dinner at Mission Hill Winery in West Kelowna in 2017. Also booked on the Magic Wine Bus in Nova Scotia in late September. A bus ride to 5 wineries and if lucky back home. Can’t wait. Thanks for sharing. Allan
Oh yes. 🙂 We live in the Okanagan now (this post is old) and love going around to our favourite wineries. We don’t swallow, though. 🙂 Have fun with your NS tour. 🙂