Kelowna's Juicy Tips

Boy, I just love this time of year. The orchards and wineries are in harvest mode, Wine Festival means there’s no shortage of events and activities to attend, and we’ve just ranked as a Top 10 Wine Destination for 2009 on TripAdvisor. Let me tell you about a few Wine Festival events that will be on this week, but be sure to check their events listings on the Wine Festival website for the whole gamut. Cheers!

Wine bottles gussied up for Wine Festival

Cabana Grille’s 2nd Annual Gourmet and Grapes Gala – Taking place on October 4 at 6 pm, this event is a Safe-Ride-Home event with free taxi service to your home after the proceedings. Cabana’s chef and Canadian foodie celeb, Ned Bell has challenged Vancouver Chef Wayne Martin of Vancouver’s Fraiche Restaurant to a friendly Iron Chef showdown, including an actual judge from Iron Chef America. There will also be other food stations featuring other top chefs from around town, and wineries all showcasing their wines. You can get tickets at Ticketmaster or at the door – they are $79 each.

Here’s a good round up of Wine Festival events including this one on Kelowna.com.

House of Rose Winery Grape Stomps – These take place October 3 and October 10, from 1 pm to 5 pm, at House of Rose Winery in the Belgo area of East Kelowna. Grape stomps are at 1:30, 2:30, 3:30, and 4:30. There will be stomping stations, appies, wine, and lots of fun at this family-owned boutique winery. And, it’s a by-donation event: bring a donation for the Food Bank. What a great way to support a worthy cause!

There are lots of other events happening over these next 10 days (over 150, in fact), so check out the events calendar on the Okanagan Wine Festivals’ site, and get in on the wine festival merriment!