Kelowna's Juicy Tips

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I made a great discovery this week that I have to share with you! I had some travel writers in town who wanted to see something new. They’d been here before and seen Kelowna’s iconic wineries – were there any new ones on the scene? Yes, in fact! Quite a few. And many of these new developments are in East Kelowna, so I strung a few together for a great 1-2-3 tour that introduced them to some really neat people who are following their dream and making tasty wine. If you’ve got friends visiting who’ve seen it all, read on for a fun tour of new boutique wineries that will knock their socks off.

Our first stop wasn’t a winery at all. In fact, it’s a well-known orchard – Kelowna Land & Orchard Co. – where we had planned to grab a bite to eat at the quaint and personable Ridge Restaurant. Chef Travis Hackl oversees the kitchen here (you may already have seen his fab dressings under the “Okanagan’s Finest” label). We picked a table on their patio and soaked in the warm sunshine. My guests were from Toronto, so they were pretty pleased at the warm weather they arrived into. Chef came out and chatted with us for a while before we got our lunches. The selection of sandwiches, salads, and light fare is great here, and the setting is intimate and casual at the same time.

Once sated, we hopped in the car for a short 3 minute drive down East Kelowna road and turned into Camelot Winery. I’ve told the story of Camelot before, so I’ll link it here for you if you’d like to get details on it. For those who just want the overview, this is a winery owned by flight-attendant couple Rob and Denise, who have quite a fascinating story of what the name Camelot means to them. The also happen to make really excellent wines (the Chard has won 3 medals, and they’ve only been around for one vintage so far!). Rob and Denise are both blessed with these instantly-likeable personalities, and they chat up their tasting guests as they pour for them.

We wandered through the winery with Rob and checked out his collection of oak barrels with this year’s vintage aging in them. He told us about the great camaraderie of the local Kelowna wine industry and the sense that wineries quite enjoy working with one another. I see this over and over – from wineries jumping to support St. Hubertus after they lost their winery in the fire of 2003, to the number if winery people who attended Tantalus’ new building party.

Before we left we checked out the grassy area near the winery where people can bring their picnics and enjoy a glass of wine with their lunch fare. Mental note: next time I visit Camelot, I’m bringing a baguette and some cheese!

Okay, now onward. Four or five minutes’ drive later, we pulled into the driveway of the brand new Okanagan Villa. And I mean, BRAND new. They just opened their doors the day before we came. The tasting room is in a heritage pickers’ cabin on the property and has tons of personality. The walls are all adorned with some really colouful and psychedelic artwork (think Grateful Dead, only way more intricate) – all painted by one of the owners’ sons. This same son also crafted the artwork for their Gewurtztraminer bottle. You’re probably thinking that I mean a label. I don’t. I mean, the whole bottle is a colourful work of art! Owners Marion and Wyn came to Kelowna via Colorado, and settled here when, as Wyn puts it, “this was the Mediterranean, Napa, and Lake Tahoe all rolled into one place”. I love it.

Their other son, Tony, is the winemaker for wines with the Vibrant Vines label. Tony took us through his winery and blew us all away with the various things he has invented and created in order to improve vineyard management and winemaking. He was also, incidentally, the drummer in the band that he and his brothers belonged to: Story Tyme. Clearly a very musically talented family. In short, these guys rock the boutique winery scene!

As we were in the Okanagan Villa wineshop, guess who comes through the door for a glass of wine? Camelot’s Rob and Denise! Well there you go – that’s just what Rob was telling us at his winery about the camaraderie of the wine industry in Kelowna.

Not far from Okanagan Villa are two other new wineries: Spearhead and The View. Both of these are coming onto the scene this year, so I’ll keep you posted about them. That’ll be for another post!

So that brings us to the end of the 1-2-3 tour I wanted to tell you about. But if you do still have energy for another winery or two, there’s also House of Rose on Belgo Rd – probably just a 7 minute drive away from Okanagan Villa. Or heading to South East Kelowna, you could visit Tantalus, which I’ve blogged about before.

Amazing, the fun you can have in such a short area! I think next time I go there, it’ll be on my bike with a picnic in hand for Camelot. You can’t beat the beauty of this area, with it’s orchard-lined backroads. This 1-2-3 tour is sure to pack a punch!