CANADA OKANAGAN VALLEY DESTINATIONS
SAMPLE PRODUCT
Canadian Affair’s BC Winelands Circle Holiday
takes in four wine regions, including four nights in the Okanagan. Prices start at £1,606 in May, including Air Transat flights from
Gatwick, 11 nights’ accommodation, car hire, ferry and three guided tours.
canadianaffair. com
Premier Holidays has a three-night self-drive tour of Okanagan’s
Lakeshore Wine Route. Prices start at £369, including car
hire, two nights’ accommodation in Kelowna and one in Penticton.
trade.premier
holidays.co.uk
Prestige Holidays offers a 10-day Peaks and
Grapes self- drive itinerary
featuring Historic Hat Creek,
Banff Upper Hot Springs, an Ice Explorer ride on Athabasca Glacier and West Side Story Tour. Prices start at £1,725, including accommodation, Air Canada flights to Vancouver and car hire.
prestigecanada.
co.uk
Stay: Summerland Resort Hotel is an all-suite lakeside resort with excellent self-catering facilities, cosy fireplaces and a family-friendly swimming pool. Sip: Quail’s Gate for high-end winery accommodation, the terrific Old Vines restaurant and some of the best rosé in the valley. Fans of rare wines will enjoy the Legacy Collection at lavish winery Mission Hill, where the restaurant boasts Instagrammable art and sculptures. Those who want to learn more can book the hour-long sparkling-wine tour at Fitzpatrick Family Vineyards to become an instant bubble expert, or sip Fitz Reserve blanc de blanc at the bistro overlooking the lake and vines. For a real treat, try the unoaked single- vineyard chardonnay at Indigenous World Wines, owned and run by the Westbank First Nation, with illuminated teepees on its grounds.
◗ NARAMATA AND OKANAGAN FALLS The city of Penticton is at the end of Lake Okanagan, and the mostly
boutique wineries of the Naramata Bench are clustered along its east side. Okanagan Falls is just 15 minutes away at the end of Skaha Lake with low-key beachside fun and the famous Tickleberry’s ice cream parlour. Stay: Suggest Penticton Lakeside Resort, a reliable waterfront hotel with facilities including a private beach. Sip: Great Estates Okanagan Wine Experience Centre brings eight winery brands under one roof to showcase the terroir of the South Okanagan through wine tasting, and food and wine-paired experiences. The Vanilla Pod restaurant at Poplar Grove winery is one of the best in the region, where guests can enjoy its signature legacy red blend overlooking the mountains, lake and vines. Liquidity, meanwhile, is renowned for art installations, excellent pinot gris and sustainable ‘locavore’ dining in the bistro; while the Meyer Family Vineyards stand out for the superb pinot noir and chardonnay.
◗ OLIVER AND OSOYOOS Temperatures soar into the 40s at
the height of summer, so join locals cooling off in Osoyoos lake, feasting on just-picked fruit in Oliver and exploring the bluffs and arid desert scenery. Stay: Watermark Beach Resort was made for relaxing, with well-appointed suites and direct access to the beach. Sip: Burrowing Owl Estate Winery is a luxury, adult-only winery with an exceptional restaurant, Sonora Room, which adds to the sophisticated delight of its silky Meritage blend. At Tinhorn Creek, clients will need to book ahead if they want to see one of the summertime concerts in the amphitheatre, but if they miss out, there’s still the chance to feast on pizza and merlot at the Miradoro restaurant. Boasting some of the oldest vines in Canada, Road 13 does a great line in sparkling chenin blanc, though clients will want to leave some room in their luggage for a few bottles of the Lost Inhibitions range from Church and State. Its tongue-in-cheek labels include ‘You’d Better Delete That’ and ‘I’d Shave My Legs for You’.
Okanagan Valley
ASK THE EXPERT
Laura Kittmer, media relations manager, British Columbia Wine Institute “In the past 30 years, British Columbia’s wine industry has grown from just 17 wineries to more than 275, which offer visitors a plethora of experiences, including tastings, wine pairings, culinary classes and dining. They attract wine experts, winemakers and chefs from all over the world.”
3 January 2019
travelweekly.co.uk49
PICTURES: SHAWN TALBOT PHOTOGRAPHY/BRITISH COLUMBIA WINE INSTITUTE; KARI MEDIG
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