The number one wine destination awaits

The Huffington Post recently named the Okanagan Valley, B.C. the number one wine destination in the world, followed by Bordeaux, France. The Okanagan offers more than 60 grape varietals, covering just under 9000 acres, and it’s natural beauty attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists year to their 185 wineries. Listen to Dave and Sandi’s travel north through the valley and what aspects make this region number one.

Plus, Sandi shares a couple of tips on how you can keep your wine from frying in a hot car during a wine tasting trip.

B.C. Wine Trip Planner

Thank you to Leanne Froese, owner of Town Hall Brands, a wine industry marketing agency in Vancouver, B.C. for helping us plan our trip. And a thank you to PR genius, Erin Osborne, for inviting us to the B.C. Wine and Food Experience with a masterclass and winemaker dinner at Tom Douglas’s Palace Ballroom in Seattle (with Tom Douglas!).

The easy way to buy Okanagan

It’s not easy, yet, to buy direct, however, we found a few. (Wineries, contact us if you ship directly to the U.S.)

Summer Hill Winery  |  Ricco Bambino  | Checkmate Winery

French oak vs. American oak

Listen to the differences between French and American oak barrels in winemaking and how that impacts many of the wines you’ll find in the Okanagan.

Okanagan adventure 2019 *must-see wineries

Oliver & Pentiction

*Check Mate Winery  (By appointment only)  |  *Painted Rock Estate Winery  |   Rust Wine Co.  |   Road 13 Vineyards

Check Mate Winery is, simply, exceptional. Make an appointment for the full tasting experience.

Check Mate Winery pop-up tasting room

Experience Chardonnay and Merlot at Check Mate Winery—the best of the Okanagan!

Relaxing seating at Rust Wine Co.

Premium tasting experience Road 13 Winery in the members’ room.

Painted Rock Estate Winery is a gorgeous inside and out.

Painted Rock Estate Winery view from the tasting room overlooking Skaha Lake

Summerland

*Sage Hills Vineyard  |  *Dirty Laundry Vineyard  |  Okanagan Crush Pad

Sage Hills Vineyard tasting room

Flowers and a view from Sage Hills Vineyard

Our favorite Pinot Noir from the entire trip at Sage Hills Vineyard

Okanagan Crush Pad

There is sometime a little experimental going on at Okanagan Crush Pad.

Kelowna

*Mission Hill Winery (Lunch or Dinner reservations)  |  *Summerhill Winery (Lunch or Dinner reservations)  |*Tantalus Vineyards  |  *The Hatch  | *Quail’s Gate (Lunch or Dinner reservations)  |  Rico Bambino  |  The Naked Cafe (Vegan breakfast & lunch—not a winery!)

Mission Hill Winery is THE destination of the Okanagan Valley

So much to explore at Mission Hill Winery

Mission Hill Winery is where art meets science

Incredible food and service at Mission Hill’s Terrace Restaurant

Sandi correctly identifies the varietals in the Mystery Flight at Rico Bambino Winery (with minimal “help” from Dave)

Dave is nearly vegan (negan) so we loved The Naked Cafe

Wonderful staff at Tantalus Vineyards—their Rieslings were amazing

The Hatch has fun to serious wines—kind of like their tasting room.

The Hatch now has a special place in our hearts—the vibe is funky farmer chic.

Exceptional wines and atmosphere at Quail’s Gate. And take a romantic stroll through the vineyard after dinner.

The popular, biodynamic Summerhill Winery complete with pyramid

Summerhill Winery’s organic restaurant is incredibly good—and the seared tuna is one of the best ever

Lake Country

*Arrowleaf Cellars  |  *50th Parallel Estate Winery (Lunch or Dinner reservations)  |  Ex Nihilo  |  Gray Monk

One of the best tasting rooms in Lake Country—bring a picnic and open a bottle of wine.

Arrowleaf Cellars in Lake Country—you will wait in line for a tasting … but the personal touch is worth it.

The 50th Parallel Estate Winery is THE destination in Lake Country. The food is fantastic.

Did we mention the food is fantastic at the Block One Restuarant at 50th Parallel?

Beautiful tasting room and art at Ex Nihilo Vineyards.

Gray Monk Estate Winery Pinot Auxerrois—one varietal we don’t see in Washington.

Naramata Bench

*Laughing Stock Vineyards (by appointment only)  *Bench 1775  |  Red Rooster Winery

Make an appointment at Laughing Stock Vineyards for a personalized tasting experience.

Laughing Stock Vineyards “ticker tape” bottle design

Laughing Stock Vineyards’ intimate tasting room is sleek and modern

Bench 1775 represented spectacularly at the BC Wine Experience in Seattle

Similkameen Valley

*Clos du Soleil

Clos du Soleil Winery tasting room

Clos du Soleil Winery