VA2007 - 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 payoff for their leap of faith is now available by the sip. The Okanagan Wine Route wends its way to more than 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: some of the best golf in the country awaits your pleasure.

Getting there: All routes begin with a drive east along Highway 1 to Hope, B.C.
Contact Thompson Okanagan Tourism at 800-567-2275 or thompsonokanagan.com.
Wine: Okanagan Wine Festivals, owfs.com.

Insider Secret

You can look out at the view from the windows of Jack and Alice Newton's B&B, or peer through their 16-inch Meade LX 200 telescope and observe solar flares through H-alpha filters. Jack Newton, a retired Marks & Spencer store manager, is a renowned author and international speaker on the topic of astro-imaging. His offering of a place to stay and the opportunity to take your own galactic photos is unique on this planet. Observatory B&B, 1270 Hwy. 3 E. (#3 Observatory Rd.), Osoyoos, 250-495-6745. — M.T.