When we were last in the Okanagan the furthest south we got was Penticton; we completely missed the wine regions of Oliver, Okanagan Falls, and Osoyoos. In fairness, back then we only had a day or two to explore and the prospect of a two hour drive from Kelowna was a bit overwhelming. From Narmata, however, it was a nice day trip.
It was scheduled to be a hot day and the area we were heading to is the hottest in Canada so we set out early to try and explore before the heat proved to be too much. Osoyoos is about 5 km from the US border but we weren't planning on crossing over. It is also the northernmost tip of the North American desert region that starts with the Sonoran in the south and heads north.
I saw online that there was a desert information centre so we decided that this would be our first stop. The Osoyoos Desert Centre is a 67 acre nature interpretive facility where you learn about desert ecology, habitat restoration and conservation of endangered ecosystems in the South Okanagan.
Visitors explore the site by taking a guided or self-guided tour along a 1.5 km elevated wooden boardwalk. In addition, the Centre features an interpretive facility with hands-on exhibits and a native plant demonstration garden.
It was an excellent way to learn more about this unique ecological area . . . if you happen to be in the area I'd highly recommend it.
This area is also the main region in Canada for growing red wine grapes. The growing season is longer here than elsewhere in Canada, the hours of sunlight are longer, and then there is the heat that hits you immediately upon exiting your car. We knew that we would be tasting some big reds similar to what we experience in California.
Our first stop was Moon Curser winery. The name is a throwback to the 1800s gold smuggling days - there was a large gold deposit on the mountain across the valley and miners would try to smuggle their finds across the border to the US during the night. The authorities relied on the light of the moon to try and stop the smuggling . . . so the miners were known as moon cursers.
The staff member that helped us was very knowledgeable and friendly and the tasting room had a picturesque view. This is a great place to taste some high quality red wines at a reasonable price. They have unique blends and grapes that no other winery grows in Canada. We walked out with four bottles but could easily have purchased many more.
We backtracked and started to head north on our return journey. We weren't done yet and had more stops to make along the way. the first was Burrowing Owl winery. Established in 1997 and built the following year, Burrowing Owl Estate Winery straddles the north tip of the Sonora Desert and shares its vineyards with a variety of this unique ecosystem's inhabitants. Home to bluebirds, bats, meadowlarks, bears, bighorn sheep and of course, burrowing owls, the winery uses alternative pest control systems to safely deter indigenous species from grazing in the vineyards. Nestled on a sandy plateau near the north end of Lake Osoyoos, Burrowing Owl is situated in one of the most highly rated locations for growing grapes in Canada.
Jim Wyse began replanting the vineyards in 1993 with no plans for a winery. However, the recognition given to wines made with his grapes spurred Wyse to build his own winery. Today, the grounds include not only a gravity flow system and a temperature-controlled cave/cellar, but also a beautiful wine shop, a tasting bar, a luxurious 10-room guesthouse and a renowned fine-dining restaurant. The amazing views and comfortable ambiance make Burrowing Owl one of Oliver's most popular wineries. In addition to multiple "Best of B.C." and "Best of Canada" honors, Burrowing Owl's wines have received international best-of-class awards.
We were feeling peckish so we popped into the restaurant for lunch. I ordered the salad special - grilled peaches with a vin cotta dressing. Paul ordered chicken . . . but before you think 'chicken . . .'this chicken breast was cooked sous vide style and served with a cucumber and local berry with salad spicy stone fruit dressing and a yogurt cracker. Both of the mains were outstanding!
Long time readers know the drill - if the food is good we have a rule that we must order dessert!
Paul had a basil cheesecake and I enjoyed s simple rose peach sorbet and vanilla gelato.
What an amazing lunch!
After lunch we tasted some wines, bought more than we should have, and headed on our way.
After we left the winery we were traveling along Black Sage Road when we came upon this fire. They think it was started by someone tossing a cigarette out of a car. It doesn’t take a genius to see that everything is dry and brittle in the south Okanagan. The second pic shows the fire scene from the other side of the valley (Tinhorn Creek Winery). They were able to get it under control but 2 hectares of desert environment which had been left in its natural state to provide a corridor for endangered desert wildlife was destroyed.
Nestled in the hillside of a former gold mining creek, Tinhorn Creek Vineyards sits on top of the "Golden Mile" in Oliver, and offers a unique wine experience. We were greeted at the door with a glass of Pinot Gris to taste. The 'greeter' also showed us where the self-guided tour was located. We passed on that and headed to the tasting bar. Everyone was focused on that plume of smoke across the valley - fire in this area is a huge concern. At one point the power went off later we found out it was cut off as a result of the fire. We tasted some fabulous wines and bought more for our ever expanding collection.
Our last stop of the day was at Liquidity Winery. We hadn't planned a stop there before we arrived but Val gave us a bottle of their pinot noir that was liquid silk. Based upon that delicious bottle we added Liquidity to our list!
Nestled in the Okanagan Falls, between Lake Vaseux and Skaha, the land where Liquidity Wines now sits has been supplying quality fruit for eighty years. In the 1930’s, Charlie Oliver developed Oliver Ranch where he planted over 110 acres of cherry, peach, apricot and pear trees. His development of irrigation systems still feed surrounding vineyards to this day. A pioneer in the Okanagan, it is said that in it’s day, Oliver Ranch was the largest orchard in the British Empire.
Oliver Ranch was divided and sold in 1971. Blue Mountain’s Ian Mavety farmed the property and a 30-acre portion, planted to German varietals, became today’s Liquidity Wines.
A subsequent owner built the Santa-Fe style home located on the property. Because it sat on a hilltop and was opened to panoramic views, it was frequently mistaken for a winery. In 2008, a group of business men and wine enthusiasts led by Ian MacDonald, renovated the Santa Fe house to a tasting room and Bistro, which was completed in 2013.
In addition, MacDonald and his team built a modern fully-equipped winery in time for the 2012 vintage, though in previous years, Liquidity made small volumes of their wines at another winery and sold their remaining fruit.
Throughout the 90’s, all non-vinifera vines were replaced with current varietals, Viognier. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon on the 30-acre plot.
As the Okanagan Falls is the most narrow part of the valley, wind funnels through and cools the grapes. Because of this the Okanagan Falls [are] usually 2 to 5 degrees cooler than Oliver and Osoyoos, making the area particularly known for its excellent Pinot Noir and Chardonnay production. This unique climate and the skill of the winemaking team is turning out some brilliant wines.
We liked everything about this winery so much that we plan on returning for a meal in the restaurant before we leave.
The rest of our trip home was along the eastern shores of Skaha Lake and the back route to Naramata. When we got back to the house we realized that we were on our third case of wine!
This could be a problem since we still have four days left in the area!