Day Trips - The Okanagan

The Okanagan traces its wine-region patrimony back to a missionary named Father Pandosy, who cultivated a small vineyard in the 1860s to produce sacramental wines for his flock. Commercial cultivation began in the 1930s and grew from there, along with the region’s reputation for producing, as the critics put it, “plonk.” Cool winters induced growers to use hardier hybrid vines that produced, well, the kind of wine drunk from a paper sack. In one of few clear benefits, Free Trade in the 1980s forced the region to reconsider its position and take the risk of planting “vinifera” or noble vines: chardonnay, merlot, pinot noir, riesling and gewürztraminer.

The payoffs for their leap of faith are now available by the sip. The Okanagan Wine Route winds its way to over 50 wineries in the region. Wine festivals and all manner of activities are tied in with the industry, which vies for attention with the abundance of apple, peach and cherry orchards. The fun doesn’t just grow on vines and trees: houseboating on Shuswap Lake and some of the best golf in the country await your pleasure.

Getting there:
All routes begin with a drive east along Highway 1 to Hope, B.C. Call Thompson Okanagan Tourism, 800-567- 2275.

The Sight:
Snow-sculpted trees at the top of the Falcon Chair, turning pink in the last-run-of-the-day sunset. Big White Ski Resort, 1-800-663-2772.

The Sound:
The satisfying squelch of grapes squashing between your toes at the Okanagan Fall Wine Festival, one of four seasonal celebrations honouring local vintners. Okanagan Wine Festivals Society, 250-861-6654.

The Souvenir:
Any bottle you can get from the Kettle Valley Winery in Naramata. If they say they’re sold out of their exceptionally delicious Viognier, don’t hesitate to beg. Kettle Valley Winery, 2988 Hayman Road, Naramata, 250-496-5898.