Kelowna

[Pizza]

with so many vineyards to see, which are some of the ones that anyone would recommend?

also, what is there to do in Osoyoos?

[Regular_John]

Originally Posted by Pizza

with so many vineyards to see, which are some of the ones that anyone would recommend?

also, what is there to do in Osoyoos?

I'm not a wine guy, but these were my stand outs:
- Mission Hill for the sheer size/scale of it, the grounds have very European feel, almost like you've left Canada & visited an Italian vinyard
- Quails' Gate felt like the most refined vineyard and was some of my favourite wines/glasses from the region
- Black Widow Winery in Naramata is fairly small, but we enjoyed a glass of their Red Back blend & a cheese plate while over looking the lake.

I think Dirty Laundry Vineyard has been mentioned in this thread... it was a bit campy for our taste. I get that a wine experience can be less refined, and doesn't need to be stuffy. But Dirty Laundry just felt a bit too much like a Hard Rock Cafe or a Vegas gift shop for us. I don't mean that as a knock, it just didn't appeal to me or my wife, the crowd there seemed to be enjoying it.

[troutman]

Vineyards with great views and restaurants - Grey Monk, Mission Hill, Quails Gate, Hillside, Liquidity, Burrowing Owl

Ice wine - Little Straw

Sparkling wine - Sumac Ridge

Red wine - Church and State

Cool shops - Vibrant, Therapy

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by troutman

Vineyards with great views and restaurants - Grey Monk, Mission Hill, Quails Gate, Hillside, Liquidity, Burrowing Owl

Ice wine - Little Straw

Sparkling wine - Sumac Ridge

Red wine - Church and State

Cool shops - Vibrant, Therapy

Best lunch spot is Dirty Laundry. You buy a loaf of bread, deli meat/cheese and drinks. You grab a picnic basket and have a picnic on their Terrace overlooking the lake and the most gorgeous view of kettle valley.

Plus. Summerland sweets is 5 minutes away to buy ice cream and other good stuff

[OMG!WTF!]

Originally Posted by Pizza

with so many vineyards to see, which are some of the ones that anyone would recommend?

also, what is there to do in Osoyoos?

I really liked Vibrant Vine. They won the best white wine in the world last year by accident. They also have theatre performances in their garden. Pretty fun.

Sandhill has the best rose bar none. Rollingdale is small and amazing. The Hatch is super cool. But there are so so many it's hard to say. I've always really liked the smaller, out of the way ones.

Indigenous is new and very interesting. Just drive randomly through Oliver and follow the grape signs. If it's on a dirt road and has a Quonset and a shack you're probably going to like it.

[OMG!WTF!]

Not sure this is the right place to ask, but I have to hire a couple retail employees in Kelowna. Anyone know anybody looking for a job there?

[Jbo]

Originally Posted by OMG!WTF!

Not sure this is the right place to ask, but I have to hire a couple retail employees in Kelowna. Anyone know anybody looking for a job there?

Im happy to go out and work for you. I'll be needing a Calgarypuck "average member salary" though so I assume this is six figures?

also I assume Fridays are flex days?

[OMG!WTF!]

Originally Posted by Jbo

Im happy to go out and work for you. I'll be needing a Calgarypuck "average member salary" though so I assume this is six figures?

also I assume Fridays are flex days?

Seven figures actually. And as always, sunshine Fridays in exchange for sober Mondays. All other days may be considered drunk.

[Ozy_Flame]

Has anyone made the move out there recently? The lady and I are contemplating a move in the not to distant future and Kelowna is on the top so far .... Anyone have any insight into the business tech sector from first hand experience?

[killer_carlson]

Originally Posted by jaydorn

I'm not a wine guy, but these were my stand outs:
- Mission Hill for the sheer size/scale of it, the grounds have very European feel, almost like you've left Canada & visited an Italian vinyard
- Quails' Gate felt like the most refined vineyard and was some of my favourite wines/glasses from the region
- Black Widow Winery in Naramata is fairly small, but we enjoyed a glass of their Red Back blend & a cheese plate while over looking the lake.

I think Dirty Laundry Vineyard has been mentioned in this thread... it was a bit campy for our taste. I get that a wine experience can be less refined, and doesn't need to be stuffy. But Dirty Laundry just felt a bit too much like a Hard Rock Cafe or a Vegas gift shop for us. I don't mean that as a knock, it just didn't appeal to me or my wife, the crowd there seemed to be enjoying it.

Not a fan of Black Widow at all although friends I was with picked up a bottle or two.

Moraine down the road a bit from Black Widow had the absolute best Pinot Noir i've had in years. Bought 6 bottles of it. Highly recommended if you like Pinot Noir

[Robbob]

Originally Posted by killer_carlson

Not a fan of Black Widow at all although friends I was with picked up a bottle or two.

Moraine down the road a bit from Black Widow had the absolute best Pinot Noir i've had in years. Bought 6 bottles of it. Highly recommended if you like Pinot Noir

Second Moraine. They are relatively new as well, so really good value for what you pay.

I think some of my favorite wineries are on the Namarata Bench. Hillside is also great place to grab a bite.

[DoubleF]

This past long weekend, I found most of Kelowna wineries sorta meh. I don't know if it's due to hype or whatnot, but I wasn't impressed by many wineries in the Kelowna area. However that being said... wines are personal preference, so take the following with a grain of salt.

I didn't get as much of a chance around the Naramata bench as I would have hoped... but random experiences that did stick out:

Serendipity winery: Their Devil's advocate and Serenata were unique of all the wineries I visited. The scent really set it aside for me. Memorable for smell, not taste. But still a good wine.

LaFrenz: I'm not a fan of white wines, but Alexandria was ok in my opinion. I'm not normally a white (reds for me), but this was alright. Very heavy fruity, smooth and sweet. Gerwurtztraminer level, but still stands out from typical Gerwurtztraminers.

8th generation: Overall their offerings weren't ones I found amazing, but taste wise, I definitely felt they were closer to European, Australian and perhaps their Pinot Gris reminded me of Moldovan wine. It was a pleasant change after a bunch of wineries beforehand that really didn't seem to distinguish themselves from one another flavor profile wise. Their Rose are very popular, but I'm not a fan of Rose so I am not sure how to explain whether it was good or not.

Vibrant Vine: Seemed more focused on experience than wines IMO. Their icewine in chocolate cup was good, but expensive. I also doubt my ability to replicate that tasty experience. There's no way ice wines randomly taste better after pouring in chocolate cup... right?

Summerhill: The video nearly read off like a conspiracy theory. The start up story was interesting... but then it got into the pyramid wine thing and I had to keep myself from laughing out of the winery. That being said, IMO they had the most memorable reds in the Kelowna region from when I was there. I really don't think it's due to pyramid cellars though.

Quails, Mission, Tantalous: Felt like any typical wine, but beautiful winery.

[troutman]

If you don't like white and rose wines, the Kelowna wineries won't be for you. The reds aren't usually very good till you get south of Penticton to the border.

[steve9981]

nm

[Wormius]

I remember the good old Christmas tree bonfires that took place where the Grand is now. Fun times.

[Erick Estrada]

I always struggle when visiting places that have way better weather than Calgary because as many her know I hate the weather here but maybe it's my OCD but I've gotten so used to the cleanliness of Calgary that I just don't know if I could spend an entire year in a place as dumpy as the Okanagan. Yes it's a bunch of cities and towns located in a beautiful part of Canada and yes the weather is fantastic but it's so BC in that you have to feel as close to nature that you would embrace sleeping in dirt. For a place full of tourists and hobos it has to be the most pedestrian unfriendly place in Canada. If you cycle you are gold because there's plenty of bike paths but pedestrians beware as roads without sidewalks and crosswalks without lights on busy roads rule the day. How about employing some public works people to clean up the garbage? Makes Spokane look pristine in comparison. Move this place to Alberta and it would be paradise.

[troutman]

EE, I'm not sure where you thought it was dumpy compared to Calgary? Oliver and Osoyoos maybe, but Penticton, Summerland, Peachland, Kelowna and Vernon are all quite nice IMO.

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by Pizza

with so many vineyards to see, which are some of the ones that anyone would recommend?

also, what is there to do in Osoyoos?

I love Osoyoos but it is a place to just sit back and relax and hang out at the pool or lake. There are some great wineries in the area. I really like the Nk'mip winery (they have my favorite ice wine although they don't produce one every year.) Silver Sage is a great winery in Oliver.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

The Okanagan is dumpy? Ha, okay.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by troutman

EE, I'm not sure where you thought it was dumpy compared to Calgary? Oliver and Osoyoos maybe, but Penticton, Summerland, Peachland, Kelowna and Vernon are all quite nice IMO.

Calgary is one of the cleanest cities in the world so it's a high standard to get used to. Sure they are nice based on their location but it's not like cities/towns on their own merit are that great. Coeur d'Alene Doesn't quite have the same size lake but it's downtown blows away the downtowns of the Okanagan that are as unremarkable as any small Western Canadian city. Also lots of garbage and unkempt houses and lots. It's a nice place to visit because of the temperature and beaches don't get me wrong but it's not paradise and IMO a little overrated.