One of the reasons why I moved out here, besides getting some of those BC views, was experiencing wine country.
I had travelled to the Okanagan Valley twice before living here. The last time I was here, I imagined what it would be like to live here. Close to the mountains, sunny weather and lots of wineries. So I moved and I have been enjoying living here so far.
This past weekend, we travelled to Naramata and Penticton, an area that I had never been to before this year. When I came to Kelowna the last time, Naramata was a new region that was expanding and only had a few wineries. Now as you drive through the winding roads, up onto the ridge above the lake, the road is dotted with independent grape growers and wineries on each side.
The Okanagan valley is one of the fastest growing wine regions, currently in North America. It is slated to be one of the most well-known areas to get wine, which is interesting considering the area only started growing grapes in the 1980’s. Most wineries started as family run businesses and independent grape growers. Now some companies have become brands and have more than one winery attached to their name.
You can see that business is growing, by the over 280 wineries that have been created in the province. Wine tourism is also growing, attracting chefs and foodies to work and travel throughout the region. Most wineries now have some sort of food portion attached to them, with some even having fine dining restaurants that offer tasting menus to pair with the wines.
The Okanagan Valley has now become the whole package. A place that people travel to, to eat, drink and explore. Driving down one side of the lake is completely different than the other and if you have time is well worth the effort to get to.
These are some spots that we went to this past weekend, which are worth a trip if you ever get the chance to go!
Moraine Winery-Great Riesling and nice views of the bench from the lake
Therapy Vineyards-Good wines with nice bottle designs
Cannery Brewery-Great IPA’s and good snacks
Poplar Grove Cheese-Small batch camembert cheese and a nice picnic area
Some future reading about the area in the news
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