Wine trail network expanding
Promotional effort in the Central Okanagan area involves 20 wineries and five routes, and is aimed at encouraging visitors to stay longer.
By Judie Steeves M
ove over Corkscrew and Bottleneck Drives, Naramata Bench and the Golden Mile. The Central Okanagan has jumped on the bandwagon to promote its rural regions with a series of wine trails, and will also be promoting studio and farm tours.
Tourism Kelowna has worked with 20 wineries in the region to form five wine trails, from Lake Country to West Kelowna and details have been laid out in a brochure called Kelowna Wine Trails.
Visitors are encouraged to tour each neighbourhood trail as a group, visiting the different wineries and then moving on to another region or trail the next day.
Tourism Kelowna’s Catherine Frechette says the objective is not only to bring visitors to the wineries, but also to encourage visitors to spend more time here.
Ironically, she points out, most of the province’s pioneer wineries are included, yet in the past they’ve always promoted the Okanagan Valley as a whole as a wine destination, rather than focusing on promotion of just their little corner of the wine world.
The brochure teases visitors with a glimpse of the people and the history or the quirks behind each of the wineries detailed, to provide a
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personal connection and to enhance the experience for the wine tourist.
For instance, there’s
Kelowna’s Roots, a wine trail in the downtown area of the city where B.C.’s original winery, Calona Vineyards, and its neighbour, the B.C. Wine Museum, are located.
Then, there’s Lake Country’s Scenic Sip, with Ancient Hill Winery, Arrowleaf Cellars, Ex Nihilo Vineyards and Gray Monk Estate Winery.
Next is the Lakeshore Wine Route, with Tantalus Vineyards, Summerhill Pyramid Winery, St. Hubertus & Oak Bay Estate Winery and CedarCreek Estate Winery.
The East Kelowna Wine Trail includes The View Winery, Spierhead Winery, The Vibrant Vine, Camelot Vineyards and the House of Rose.
Finally, across the bridge, there’s the Westside Wine Trail with Mt. Boucherie, Volcanic Hills, Little Straw, Quails’ Gate, Mission Hill and Kalala.
Tourism Westside includes
Beaumont Family Estate, Rollingdale and Meadow Vista Honey Wines as well in its website called:
www.thewestsidewinetrail.com Salina Curtis of Tourism Westside says a complementary brochure will be published soon and distributed throughout tourist centres and local
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