My Urban Suburban

Every year I head up to the Okanagan for a few days of wine touring and relaxing with friends.  Last year was Kelowna and surrounding area, this year was Penticton.  My friend N and I packed up the car, whom we lovingly call “Blueberry”, and took off for four awesome days!

We arrived Thursday evening and started our adventures in wineland Friday morning.  Our first destination was the Naramata Bench, which boasts over twenty wineries.  It’s a stunning area and the wineries are gorgeous.  I’ve done the Naramata wineries in the past, so was really excited to visit some of my faves again.

Our first stop was at Township 7, which many of you will recognize because they have a winery right here in Langley!  I’m a big fan of their Merlot.

Next up was La Frenz, a beautiful little boutique winery, where we each picked up a bottle of their Montage, a red blend of Shiraz, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon.  We also received some excellent wine-education here, which is always appreciated for people like us, who know what wines we like, but not why we like them.

Ruby Tuesday Winery was our next stop.  Having opened only 14 months ago, we weren’t sure what to expect from this winery…but we were pleasantly surprised!  A fun, modern vibe, delicious wines and a cool story too (owners used to run Red Rooster.)  We picked up a couple bottles of their almost-sold-out Riesling.  The grapes for this wine are exclusively from the Smallwood Vineyard, one of the oldest vineyards on the Naramata Bench with vines well over 25 years old.  Handpicked on October 23, 2008, this Riesling shows apple, apricot and citrus fruit flavours.  Perfect for a hot day, a patio and good friends.

Just down the road from Ruby Tuesday, we discovered D’Angelo Estate Winery, where we both picked up the most delicious Tempranillo ice wine (D’Angelo is home to BC’s largest planting of Tempranillo.)  ”A happy accident”, from which D’Angelo has reaped many rewards, this wine has become a best-seller for them!  And at $20 a bottle, who can resist?

By now it was time for lunch, so we stopped at Hillside Estate Winery, where over an appie of meats and cheeses, we enjoyed a fabulous glass of Riesling in the hot naramata sunshine…ahhh, it was divine!  You can also pick up my favourite salada dressing at Hillside.

After lunch, we made our way to several other wineries.  One of the more “fun” ones we checked out was Elephant Island Orchard Wines, who produce a delicious assortment of fruit wines.  I’m not typically a fan of fruit wine, but sitting out on their patio, with the sun beating down, their wines were a refreshing, fun and tasty change to our palettes.  The Framboise was a personal fave…think pureed rasberry and that’s what you get!  Amazing.  Pair it with some dark chocolate and you’re in Heaven.

Our day continued, we checked out several more wineries, including Lang Vineyards (who make a delicious Riesling) Lake Breeze (where we picked up the Eherenfelser), Black Widow Winery, Poplar Grove Winery (who also make some of the most delicious cheeses!) and Therapy (a cool, modern boutique winery.)  We stopped along the way to enjoy the view and pick up some fresh fruit…it was fabulous.  Truly, the Naramata Bench is stunning and even if you’re not into wine, it’s worth a trip.  Rent bikes and tour the area, or just take a cruise and enjoy the view.

Up next?  Summerland!  Post coming soon.

Cheers!

A few more pics from our day in Naramata: