We took an 8-day “Tastes of Tuscany” tour two weeks ago. We stayed at the hotel at Montecatini for seven nights and used it as a base to tour Chianti…
Tastes of Tuscany – 1
Beautiful photos of Tuscany from Stephen Hung. I hope you stop by his blog for a look at his many gorgeous pictures.
We recently did a visit to a nearby winery on the Black Sage bench between Oliver and Osoyoos, British Columbia. This particular area is known for red wine production.
The wine grapes are now reaching their most luscious and will soon be harvested in stages, depending on the processing for the various wines they will become.
Some grapes will remain in the fields until the first frost. Among them are grapes that will be allowed to develop a certain type of “rot” and will be harvested to produce various kinds of dessert wines.
The Okanagan also produces ice wine. This means that the grapes freeze on the vine at temperatures between -1C to -8 C ( 30F – 18F). The frozen grapes are harvested at night and processed quickly so that they don’t defrost to spoil the concentration of sugar in the juice. Ice wine is a type of dessert wine, but is much more concentrated. It’s commonly served with cheese in order to get that lovely sweet/salty flavour combination.
The Okanagan is starting to come into its own as a wine-producing region and is branching out into lesser known varietals that are being handled well. If, like me, you enjoy a glass of wine with dinner or a nice dessert wine after dinner, a visit to some of the Okanagan’s many wineries might be if interest to you. If not, the scenery, beaches and walking and hiking trails are great!
To your good health. 🍷
It was a bit hazy (at least not from wildfire smoke!) but there was still a great view down through the southern Okanagan Valley to Lake Osoyoos and the U.S. border from a winery we like to visit.
Although somewhat overcast, the weather was nice, quite comfortable and the view fantastic.
Happy Friday; happy weekend.
When I first saw this plant I thought it was a fake, but then I touched it and discovered that it’s some sort of succulent.
Nevertheless, speaking of plants, here’s a vineyard view from the southern Okanagan’s Black Sage Bench. The grapes are plump and nearing harvesting.
Happy Saturday.
We have just returned from Northwest Territories to British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley. The drive from the high-altitude Coquihalla Highway (also known as Highway 97C) into the valley is impressive and steep.
The summit of the Coquihalla Connector highway is 1800m (5900 ft) and you then drive down to the valley which is at an elevation of 344 m (1100 ft).
This is a significant drop of 1456 m (4800 ft). Some people aren’t comfortable with driving this highway for that reason, especially in winter. It is a long way down, and you do want to make sure your brakes are working!
The sign in the distance shows that we are about to come down from our lofty perch to join the highway along the lake.
Greetings from the beautiful Okanagan.
We have some very hot temperatures right now, so it’s important to go walking in the cooler morning hours. Penticton has many trails and paths from which to choose and with varying degrees of difficulty. Even in the morning, it was already quite warm and so we decided to take our time.
At one point, we were accosted by a gaggle of ducks and pigeons who were expecting handouts. This group is seriously used to interacting with humans.
It might be 40C (104F), but really, I prefer the heat over -40C (-40F). I have one more subarctic winter to go before returning permanently to Penticton where my time will be mostly my own!
Lots of seating to enjoy the lake view.
Happy Tuesday.
May you have clearing skies. 🙂
I love this trail above Penticton that looks down on Lake Okanagan, and to the south, Skaha Lake.
I’ve hiked this trail countless times and have probably stopped to admire this view at every opportunity. I have taken multiple photos during these stops and at every time of year.
Here it is in its full summer glory; grape vines in the foreground, lakes and hills in the background.
Just beginning to wake up from a winter sleep. Although this was a lovely warm day, you can see that there’s still a little snow in the opposite hills at the higher elevations.
Shhh. Everyone is sleeping.
No matter the season, this view is wonderful. Comforting, constantly changing in its seasonal cycle and always beautiful, it never fails to centre me, to provide me with serenity.
Happy Monday. 🙂
Dinner under the Granville Island Bridge, Vancouver.
In the Net! - Pictures and Stories of Life 