We were determined not to bike anywhere today, so after breakfast and laundry, we took a cab to the city centre for coffee and a walk along the waterfront. We wanted to do a wine-tasting tour, so headed over to the BC Wine Information Centre, where they very helpfully set us up with a tour with Grape Escapes Wine Tours We were picked up by the owner, Doug Dean (Dino), and given a private tour of five wineries along the Naramata Bench, ending with an excellent meal on the patio of Hillside Winery, overlooking Okanagan Lake. Each of the wineries had its own unique style and personality – from Ruby Blues (previously Ruby Tuesday – she had permission from the Rolling Stones to use the name, but it seems the Stones had not protected the title and the winery was sued for infringement by an American restaurant chain of the same name) where rock music was piped into the vineyard, to Hillside winery, which began with a few Muscat Ottonel vines smuggled out of Czechoslovakia. We were told that the BC wine industry really took off, with the help of the Agriculture Research Centre in Summerland, following NAFTA and the influx of good cheap Californian wines in 1988. The tour was informative and fun and the wines were superb. Back on our bikes tomorrow.
David and I spent a week in the Naramata and I’ve never been more impressed with my country! Red Rooster and Elephant Head (?? It was a long time ago) come to mind. The last one had lots of different fruit wines and a leafy patio. That’s lovely you spent time there. The Heritage Inn does a wonderful tasting menu with wine pairings!