wine-o

late afternoon sun at see ya later ranch

the vines at blasted church vineyards & brandon and me at nk' mip

the desert cultural centre in osoyoos

at long last, i'm back from my hiatus, also known as a wine expedition in the okanagan.  the husband and i went armed with friends and a camera, and let the fun ensue.  we hit some of the best wineries in the lower okanagan, and lucked out with four gorgeous days of sunshine!

so, after countless swirls, sniffs and sips, we were all a bit tipsy, but came home with some fan-frickin'-tastic wines and thought that i'd share some of my favorites.  they come highly recommended. :)

sunday's picks

lang vineyards, naramata, bc - 2001 riesling icewine

our first 10 am tasting... and this was the best of what i could remember.

blasted church winery, naramata, bc - 2007 gewürtztraminer

amazing and citrusy... and welcome after the wait for the "wine snobs" ahead of us!  the view and pool at the vineyards was a-maz-ing.

inniskillin estate wineries, oliver, bc - 2006 chenin blanc

hello, lover.

monday's picks

sumac ridge, summerland, bc - 2006 stellar's jay brut

the tour is highly recommended, and we had the pleasure of sampling this sparkling wine in the cellar.  this ain't no baby duck.

see ya later ranch, okanagan falls, bc - 2006 riesling

this has been a favorite winery of mine for a while... one of the few that i can get in our local shop, but the view from the tasting room was worth the drive!  also, loving the 2004 ehrenfelser icewine.

tuesday's picks

gehringer brothers estate winery - 2007 desert sun, 2007 sauvignon blanc, 2006 late harvest riesling

this winery was awesome.  one of the oldest in the area, they had a vast selection of tasty varietals including those yummy icewines.  most bottles were reasonable, to boot!

we also visited: red rooster winery (naramata, bc), burrowing owl vineyards (oliver, bc), nk' mip cellars (osoyoos, bc), dirty laundry vineyards (summerland, bc) and golden beaver winery (oliver, bc... don't ask!)  shout-out to steph and roger and the fabulous victoria rd. bistro for the best lunch, EVAH!

all in all, it was too short, a bit too cold, a bit to much to drink, and way too much fun.  i'm a sucker for the vino, now, for life!