There is more than love between the vines at Okanagan Crush Pad, a.k.a. OCP. There is life...plant life, dog life, chicken life, and soon goat life.
Steven and Andrea, our young visitors from Quebec, were first greeted with a glass of rosé and pulled-pork lunch.
After lunch, Theo Siemens, OCP vineyard manager, took them for a walk in the vineyard and totally captivated them with his explanation of OCP's vineyard practices.
Once back up at the winery, we put the enomatic back to work and sipped on some of the white wine labelled Feenie goes Haywire that was blended exclusively for Cactus Club Cafe restaurants—a very big hit with Steven and Andrea.
And then, Christine Coletta explained about riddling (bottles of Bella were in the riddling racks) and her concrete-egg fermenters.
Steven and Andrea left with great wine and memories.
Go to Rick's Facebook album for lots more Okanagan Crush Pad pictures.
Love is alive in the vineyard at Okanagan Crush Pad. Here Steven and Andrea walk to soak it all in...and steal a kiss.
It was refreshing to see our Okanagan through their eyes--their keenly interested eyes--and to experience our B.C. wines with two people whose palates and opinions are unbiased.
While there wasn't an offensive or dull wine in the lot, some were more lovely than others.
Alongside the AOC and Grand Cru Pfaffenheim wines, were two new wines—two wines not yet in our market: Gentil and Black Tie. Of the two, Black Tie, a blend of Riesling and Pinot Gris, was my favourite. Notes of citrus and tropical fruits met my nose. On the palate, this well-balanced wine was juicy, lively, and fruity. I really enjoyed it with my crab risotto topped with basil and grapefruit. I will buy this wine when it arrives in our liquor stores.
(The crab risotto was, by the way, out of this world. I remember the last time I was at West, when Jurgen Gothe told me the secret to good risotto: "Seventeen minutes.")
More pictures of our afternoon are in Rick Rake's Facebook album.
Next to Spirit Ridge, on the same property, is Nk'Mip Cellars, North America's first Aboriginal-owned and -operated winery. We enjoyed some of Nk'Mip's QwAM QwMT Pinot Noir and Chardonnay while snacking and taking in the gorgeous vineyard-and-lake view.
We recently took our young guests from Quebec, Steven Beketa and Andrea Kevan, for a two-day whirlwind trip to the Okanagan to experience some of B.C.'s wines. We visited Tinhorn Creek in Oliver, Okanagan Crush Pad in Summerland, and Stag's Hollow in Okanagan Falls. Regretably, we did not have time to visit all the wineries we would have liked so I guess we'll just have to make a few more trips.
Before we checked in to Spirit Ridge, our home for two nights, we stopped at Tinhorn Creek for a quick visit and tour with CEO and head winemaker Sandra Oldfield. We then headed for some sips in the tasting room.
We spent a couple of days touring BC wine country last week, with Steven Beketa and Andrea Kevan as our guests. Scroll down to see a brief video.
The four of us stayed two nights at Spirit Ridge in Osoyoos and enjoyed a two-bedroom (and two-bathroom) suite in the Lavender Building, which sported a spectacular desert-mountain view. One of the best things about the mountain view (besides the view itself, that is) is that you get the bright, bright sun on your deck in the morning, while the afternoon finds your deck warm but in shade--much more comfortable for barbequing your supper.
As with so many things in life, the small things at your vacation accommodation can really make a difference: "This shower head definitely belongs in a five-star hotel," Steven hollered from the bathroom.
As soon as we finished checking in and taking our luggage to our room, we headed to the patio at Nk'Mip, where we shared some snacks and sipped some wine. When we finished there, we made an unplanned visit to Penticton to share in the soft opening of Jeannette Montgomery's new M Gallery|Book.
After our visit with Jeannette, we headed to Local Lounge • Grill in Summerland to take advantage of our dinner reservations that came with a gorgeous lake view and food that was out of this world. I had the lobster bisque and a glass of McWatters Chardonnay, followed by crème brûlée. Wow on all counts. The comments from everyone else around our table mirrored mine, but, Andrea in particular, was thrilled that Local made her a salad to order (greens with quinoa and lavender-glazed beets) that was "absolutely delicious!" In fact, she liked it so much, she suggested to our waiter that he share the combination with management and make this a regular menu item.
Many thanks to Andrea and Steven for hosting Rick and me at dinner and cheers to you, Christa-Lee, for surprising us with the desserts.
Friday morning found us on the patio at Mica for breakfast, lattés, and another gorgeous view--this time of the vineyards, lake, and Osoyoos. Saturday mornings at Mica sees a breakfast buffet only so, unfortunately, one cannot order off the menu if a buffet doesn't suit.
And Friday night, quite by chance, we discovered the Lavender rooftop. We barbequed our steaks at our suite and then filled our plates and grabbed our wine glasses so we could head up to the top to enjoy our dinner. It was spectacular.
Of course, during our stay we had some fabulous wine experiences. I'll share those in another post.
Here are Steven and Andrea on the Lavender rooftop...
