Wineries to visit in the Okanagen Valley, BC?

Hi,

I am going in two weeks through the Rockies and decided to spend some time in Kelowna, as I recall from last visits that the Okanagen Valley is one of THE Canadian wine zones (yeh, I know, especially for whites).

Anyone can recommend special wineries to pay a visit?
I already saw Peter May mentioned here in the past Mission Hill winery - anything else?

Appreciate all help,

[Jenise]

I'm going to disagree with Peter May on Mission Hill--it's a big corporate winery that caters to tourists who are there for the lake, not the wine, where I think serious wine lovers generally have a better quality experience in the smaller places. That said I'm not sure whose open for wine tasting these days--more have opened since I was last there. Bill Spohn and John S can give you much better advice than I can, but you should definitely plan on visiting Tinhorn Creek winery where there's an excellent new restaurant run by a friend of ours, Manny Ferreira.

Blue Mountain is right at the top of my list, cellar door sales only I think. Next up Sandhill, who are going strong these days. Road 13 is also a BC winery that I have noted in my book, especially their Riesling.

I'm not a big fan of BC wines, so I'm not a great person to ask. I haven't really had any notable cellar door visits in BC, either. Sorry to be 'Debby the downer'! But the Naramata Bench area has some reasonable wineries. For example, La Frenz makes some reasonable whites. Thornhaven makes one of the best gewurtztraminer in BC, if you like that variety. CedarCreek winery has some nice wines. Joie winery has been getting a lot of press lately as well. Avoid Summerhill Winery at all costs (tourist trap only)!

But there are some great landscapes and views at some of the wineries, and you could check the internet to see what the top rated winery restaurants are now (I'm not up on them right now, I'm afraid). Quail's Gate has great views, as does Mission Hill. The Blue Mountain restaurant used to be popular, but I'm sure if that's still true.

Thank you all, that was quick!
There is enough here to chew on, and I guess I'll try 2-3 from the list, following John's recommendation of wineries in Narmata Bench (looks close to Kelowna in the local map).

I'm going to disagree with Peter May on Mission Hill .

As far as I know (and a search of the forum shows) the only mention I have made of Mission Hill was that it was one of the few BC wines stocked in the UK.

I have not yet been to Okanagen -- though I am greatly looking forward to going there in September/October this year so I too am interested in responses to the original question.

[Jenise]

Hmmm...okay, haven't been there in five years but I'll contribute more thoughts. Blue Mountain--love the wines, but they're not open for tasting. However the views from the drive to their winery is just about the most beautiful in the whole Okanagan and worth a trip just for that. La Frenz--great whites and good reds, indeed it's one of BC's best wineries I think, and tasting in and around Penticton is pretty good bang for the buck as there is a greater concentration of wineries there. Le Vieux Pin--new winery run by a friend, getting lots of good press. Wines are spendy though. Desert Hill--had a very good meritage from this winery on Vancouver Island two weeks ago, and I recall visiting the winery itself and finding they had one of the best lineups of reds in the Valley. Church & State: their cabernet sauvignon blanc and pinot gris are both excellent and memorable, but their reds, other than their $50 meritage, are yawners. Foxtrot: this guy is making exceptional pinot noir, very very Burgundian. I believe there's a tasting room but I'm not certain. Poplar Grove: very competent wines, good overall quality, great cheeses (don't miss the Tiger Blue). Thornhaven: no idea if they have a tasting room, but in addition to the excellent Gewurzes they make a killer riesling--only non-German riesling I've ever tasted anywhere that tastes like a high quality German. Sandhill is pretty good too, good on both whites AND reds, and their 'Small Lots' bottlings are particularly worthwhile. Tinhorn Creek also does well across a broad swath of varieties. I've heard good things about a number of other wineries there, too, and tasted some of the wines here and there in Vancouver, but dang if I can remember the names. Golden Mile? Wild Goose, or something very close to that?

Some negatives: Cedar Creek--close to Kelowna town itself and the wines seem to be well above average in quality, but oh are they proud of themselves: they charge a steep tasting fee, and the people in the tasting room seem to have been hired for their ability to be snotty. Not a winery I'd go back to. Township 7: severely overripe, overoaked wines. Red Rooster: a winery built for tour busses, and so are the wines--yuck. Kettle Valley: just not a fan of what they do here. I think Bill is but I found their wines clunky and overextracted. Burrowing Owl used to be one of the better wineries for a rich and elegant style (great restaurant, great views) but when their American winemaker got the boot so that Junior could take over, things went south. That American winemaker went to Church & State, btw. Sumac Ridge: very very average and boring wines, seem to be made for quantity not quality. And they like tour busses.

Way to go Jenise, spot on.

It is Wild Goose.

Doris cheers.

FYI, here is a recent article on wineries to visit by a Canadian wine writer:http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/food-and-wine/wine/beppi-crosariol/a-critics-guide-to-north-okanagan-wineries/article2102424/.

No one has mentioned Tantalus so far. Based on what I've tasted I think they would be worth a visit. (Disclaimer - winemaker is one of my partners in Auburn Wines).

cheers

Andrew

[Jenise]

Andrew, when I read the word 'Tantalus' my brain went wild. That world-rocking riesling I praised so heavily was not Thornhaven but Tantalus, an 05 I believe about a year ago, and I also recall that one of the best BC roses I've ever had was also a Tantalus. I'd completely forgotten the name--never visited the winery (if there is one open for tasting), and never owned the wines. Both Tantalus I've had were, I'm pretty sure, Bill Spohn's. Very good mention, thanks.

[Jenise]

Ah, just checked and indeed Tantalus has a cellar door. The winery, and it's 50 acres of vineyards, are located near Kelowna (I know everything sounds like it's near Kelowna, but that's not true. This is one long long long lake, and where you arrive from the west, Kelowna's on the east side of the lake across a bridge that has a zillion more cars than room on it, so crossing is a tedious thing. Penticton and the Naramata Bench we've all talked about is the southern tip of the lake, and you can only drive the west side of the lake to get to it, which takes a good hour or so. So you get the point: visiting Kelowna itself and any of the wineries on the east side takes a certain commitment. Anyway, that Tantalus is there is certainly a good reason to consider it. From their website:

Summer Hours: June 1st - October 10th Open daily 11AM to 5PM
Winter Hours: Oct 11th - May 31st Tues - Sat Open Noon to 5PM
No appointment required.

No one has mentioned Tantalus so far. Based on what I've tasted I think they would be worth a visit. (Disclaimer - winemaker is one of my partners in Auburn Wines).

cheers

Andrew

My wife and I had their Pinot Noir when we were in Vancouver in March and it was very good.