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 This month…
Holgers Roots - Growing up in
the Presence of an icon
Okanagan Fever - Three aficionados
build a family tradition
Alberta West -
Edmontonians Can't Invest enough in BC.
Bodo/Berry - Lively Lifestyles from BC Hwy 97
The beauty of publishing Edmontonians for nearly 18
years is that we’re about to see another generation of promising writers
appear. And you, dear readers, receive the benefit of having your great city
covered like a blanket given the recollections and wisdom of senior contributors
like Muggsy Forbes, Bruce Hogle, and David Norwood. These fellows know just
about everybody in Greater Edmonton; Muggsy Forbes recently attended Harriet Winspear’s 102 birthday bash and he tells you all about the party in his column
this month. Combine their insights with a perspective from our youngest and
newest contributor, Mackenzie Grisdale, 21, and you have an editorial span of
more than 100 years in Edmonton.
Grisdale’s contribution this month hit the front
cover with her piece on Holger Peterson. She takes us back to her growing-up
years in the same neighbourhood alongside Canada’s folk music icon.
“I was speaking on the weekend to Brenda Dalen and
Regula Qureshi with FolkwaysAlive at the U of A and they said that Holger is one
of the most knowledgeable people in the world about blues, roots and folk
music,” said the young writer in her pitch letter. “I'd like to begin the
article from my view of my neighbourhood as a young girl, including my questions
about the limos coming up and down the street every so often, and my wondering
about who the nice man was who owned such a crazy dog (his dog Bingo repeatedly
chased me down the alley on my bike).”
Grisdale’s story on Holger Peterson is
irresistible. Next up is our feature report on Okanagan Fever. Lively Lifestyles
contributors Linda Bodo and John Berry explore the appeal of the Valley
that’s attracting more and more Albertans who are investing in retirement,
recreational and business properties and developments. Linda Bodo takes you on
her trip along Highway 97 to visit antique stores, decorating shops,
restaurants, wineries and RV facilities from Salmon Arm to Osoyoos. Chef John
Berry tempts your palate with recipes from bistros in the Okanagan…and takes you
on a tour of a unique winery. Michael O’Toole also looks at how the Okanagan is
re-branding its image from a fruit growing region to Napa Valley North.
 From
the Publisher:
It’s all in the October 2006 edition of Edmontonians…plus
Linda Banister’s Poll Station on dating, Ron Hiebert’s thoughts on Alberta’s
disadvantage while Cheryl Lockhart hooks up with former federal politician Anne
McLellan and tells you how fashion retailer Maggie Walt brings global design
home to Edmonton…in her column on International Business.
6,000 visitors and over 96,000 hits!
We do it in print…and we do it On-Line. Social Calendar
editor Elizabeth Blomert now is collecting calendar data for the December 2006
edition that will carry special event coordinates for all the black tie galas,
banquets, auctions, luncheons and events hosted throughout 2007….think of it as
your little, black book…and it’s more popular than ever. Click on Signature
Events for details. We do it in print…and we do it On-Line. National
tech reporter and local guru Gregory Michetti kicked up the electronic
style of Edmontonians—and presto. The magazine saw 6,000 visitors and over
96,000 hits in August. And we’ve just started. This means you can catch your
favourite magazine wherever your mobile technology roams plus stay tuned to
updates and extras that don’t make it into print.
Feature Stories for October 2006
Growing
up in the Presence of an icon
by Mackenzie Grisdale
I grew up in a beautiful neighbourhood in Forest Heights.
It was full of great people and kids around my age, near plenty of good
tobogganing hills and close to the river valley. I also grew up listening to
amazing and diverse music, especially folk and blues. Both my neighbourhood and
the music I listened to have helped shape me, but I didn’t realize until
recently the depth of the connection between the two.
I say this because Holger Petersen, president of
Stony Plain Records and radio-host on both CKUA and CBC, lived down the
street. When I was younger, I thought of Holger as a friendly guy who had a
speedy dog and, for some reason, two houses. As for the dog, Bingo was his
name-o and he was mostly blind. Great dog though he was, he moonlighted as a
bike-fiend and would chase me down the alley until he was dangerously close to
the spokes that he could barely see.
The two houses were another matter. My six-year old mind
once boggled at the thought of Holger being his own neighbour. It turns out,
though, that one of his houses was actually the office of Stony Plain Records.
Holger and the company have been central to the development of the roots music
scene in Edmonton and beyond, which is, I now know, strongly linked to why I got
to listen to great roots music while growing up.
This year is the 30th anniversary of Stony Plain Records,
so it’s about time that I learned more about my former neighbour and what he
does. To get some answers, I joined him on his back porch. I started by
mentioning the limos that would occasionally drive by and stop in front of
Holger’s place when I was young. Over the years, many artists who are regularly
found singing on my family stereo stepped from their limousines into Holger’s
home, including Amos Garrett, Harry Manx, Ian Tyson, Maria Muldaur, and Lucinda
Williams. In his typical good-natured manner, Holger chuckles when asked who the
best houseguest was. “They were all good!” he says.
Although my personal celebrity encounter is unfortunately
limited to having Peter Pocklington step on my foot at a Trappers game, I do try
to see my share of musicians perform. In fact for me, the real New Year begins
with the Edmonton Folk Music Festival, a treasure trove of interesting roots
sounds. My dad even remembers Holger recruiting him to manage a stage at the
very first Folk Fest. Holger was one of the founders of the event, and served as
artistic director for three years before Terry Wickham accepted the reins. “It’s
such a quality event… It’s recognized internationally for the quality of
entertainment that is there and the massive organization that runs it so well,
especially the commitment of the volunteers.” He also mentions that he started
the Folk Fest House Band in the early ’80s, and is still in charge of this
festival staple.
Holger regularly takes in other festivals around the
province including Edmonton’s Labatt Blues Festival and the Calgary Folk Fest.
He does fabulous interviews onsite at these festivals for his radio shows,
including Saturday Night Blues on CBC, and Natch’l Blues on CKUA, now over 30
years old and Canada’s longest running radio blues show. After all these years
as an interviewer, Holger admits, “I’m star-struck by talented people,
especially if I’m aware of them through music.” One of the reasons he loves
doing radio today is the chance to meet such talented, interesting people. He
often brings along records for the artists to autograph for his collection.
This summer, he travelled to Washington, D.C. for the
monthlong Smithsonian Folklife Festival, which spotlighted Alberta. Besides the
booming economy, traditions in sport (ahem, hockey), multiculturalism and
Alberta’s frontier roots, the festival looked at the musical culture of the
province. Holger hosted one of the stages featuring Albertan performing artists.
The festival was a natural extension for him as Stony Plain Records is also
partnered with Folkways Alive, a joint project between the Smithsonian Institute
and the University of Alberta. The project is home to an impressive collection
of folk and other roots records collected and then donated by the late Moses
Asch, who founded New York-based Folkways Records in 1948.
Responding to my question about why Asch chose Edmonton as
the beneficiary of such a unique collection, Holger says, “I think that one of
the things that Moses Asch noted was the presence of CKUA and the fact that it
is such a unique broadcasting service. It’s Canada’s oldest public broadcaster.”
He continues, “according to [the benefactor’s brother] Michael Asch, Moses
really liked the volunteer spirit here, liked the festivals… liked the size of
the city and respected the university… I think we were all very lucky to be the
beneficiary of that wonderful collection.”
And how does Holger himself feel about the city? He and his
business partner, Alvin Jahns, have chosen to keep Stony Plain Records here even
when other small labels have headed east or south. “The size of Edmonton means
that there is really a community here. Almost everywhere you go you’re running
into people that you know… The other thing is, I think, that we’re very
culturally rich here. There’s always so much going on and it’s hard to keep up
with it. If you have diverse interests there’s stuff going on here all the
time,” he says.
And, he just likes the neighbourhood. Living and working in
Forest Heights is evidently a lot of fun. Many people in the community are
volunteers, and their conscientious nature gives the area the positive, friendly
spirit that Holger himself epitomizes. He enjoys being able to go for a bike
ride in the river valley after an Oilers’ game in the spring. Whenever his
schedule allows, he also comes out to the annual block party, an event that
holds memories of water fights, sidewalk chalk and bike races for people like me
who grew up there.
Unfortunately, Stony Plain Records has recently felt the
effects of the free music downloading craze. Commenting on the trend, Holger
explains, “Sometimes we don’t mind giving away free music, and the artists we
work with don’t mind giving away free samples and allowing people to be exposed
to their music. But, I think the most important part of that is it’s a choice.
It’s a choice that we make or our artists make. To download illegally is
certainly wrong and it does affect everybody in the industry. I think the future
looks better. I think there will be a business model in place that will benefit
everybody… I’m quite optimistic.”
He’s got some good pointers for people considering a future
in the music biz. Good companies aren’t necessarily the biggest ones around:
“There’s been lots of opportunity to grow the company, but my idea of growth
really is doing a better job with what we have with the amount of artists we
work with.”
Most important to Holger, perhaps, is the relationship that
Stony Plain cultivates with those musicians. “I think we’re what you would call
an artist-friendly record label. I’m very proud of the fact that the artists we
work with we tend to work with for long periods of time. Take someone like Ian
Tyson, we’ve worked with him for over 20 years… Amos Garrett for 25 years… Maria
Muldaur for 20 years… Duke Robillard for over 10 years. I think that speaks to
our respect for the artists.”
If the success of another of those artists, Corb Lund, at
last month’s 2006 Canadian Country Music Awards is any indication, Stony Plain
Records’ business formula will more than sustain the company in years to come.
Lund received both Roots Artist and Album of the Year for Hair in My Eyes like a
Highland Steer. This honour, of course, is only one in a multitude befalling
Stony Plain’s artists over the past three decades. In addition to several CCM
awards, other illustrious hardware adorns the company’s wall and shelves,
including a formidable collection of Junos.
I’m glad that I’ve started to wise up and appreciate how
cool it was to grow up on Holger’s block. Listening to the range of roots music
we have access to here, often stemming from some facet of his work, marks a
great cultural opportunity for all Edmontonians—even those who have never been
chased by Holger’s dog.
Mackenzie Grisdale is in her fourth year of an Honours
English degree at the UofA, applying to grad school in journalism. The
self-professed folk-music junkie is 21 years old.
Okanagan Fever - Three aficionados
build a family tradition
By John Berry
To know Keith Holman is to know a walking encyclopedia on
all things wine in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley… in particular, an area
just a five-minute drive from downtown Pentiction called Naramata—what the
locals refer to as “the arm or the bench.”
He’s a man with a vision that’s blossoming right before
everyone’s eyes. Spillers Corner, as it is known, has been in the fruit business
for 25 years. Keith and his wife Lynn restored the old 1930’s farmhouse and
converted it to Spiller’s Corner Bed and Breakfast. They’ve also opened a fruit
stand. He saw a marriage made in heaven.
Holman is now producing fruit wines at his Spiller Estate
Winery. I must admit the thought of wine infused with the delicate flavours of
fruit such as apple, pineapple, raspberry and apricots made me want to shout at
the top of my lungs, “No, no, no!”
But alas, dear reader, after a taste of each, I was hooked.
My favourite is the apple: a light, lively blend of Fuji, MacIntosh, Gala, Red
and Golden Delicious apples. It’s absolutely incredible with poultry and pork.
It tastes like Christmas in a glass.
The other wine that turned my taste buds into over-drive
was the pineapple. It’s so refreshingly delicious that it has backyard BBQ and
summertime written all over it.
Holman saw more possibilities, not to mention more acres of
vines. So he bought Benchland Winery, and renamed it Stonehill Estate Winery.
Realizing the potential, he also purchased the winery next door, Mistral Estate
Winery. What Spiller is to fruit wines, Mistral is to Bordeaux and Burgandy.
But, Holman isn’t after amassing large tracts of vineyards
to mass-produce. He is after lower yields of high quality grapes. He only
produces 2,500 to 3,000 cases a year.
Next door at Stonehill, magical things are beginning to
happen. Not only is the winery a modern, well equipped facility, but it is
making history. Holman has just installed an 850-litre copper pot still he
bought from a farm-gate operation in Nova Scotia. It’s the largest and first
farm-based still of its kind in British Columbia.
Enter Laurent Lafuente, a former French trained winemaker.
He’s also a rum distiller and master blender, perfecting his trade in Guyana and
Antigua in the West Indies. Together, he and Holman have opened Spirit Bear
Cottage Distillery.
LaFuente immigrated to Pentiction because it’s a stable
place to live and raise his family, especially in terms of education. He’s
incredibly excited and enthusiastic about the challenges ahead.
“I find making wine boring. Distilling is much more fun.”
Not to mention an exacting art unto itself. It’s all
chemistry, and you can see the love in his eyes when he talks about his still
and how he makes his cherry, apple, apricot, peach, blueberry and raspberry
brandies. This winter, he plans to experiment with pineapple, mango and
pomegranates.
With many of these fruits just across the road, Holman is
taking fruit wines to a new level. I had the pleasure of trying a Cherry Port
that LaFuente had just bottled. Wow. It was indeed delightful.
BENCHLAND WINERIES SET QUALITY BENCHMARK
You might think that with the new venture, our story would
end here. But this is Keith Holman we’re dealing with. He has once again
expanded his vision with the acquisition of the highly successful and renowned
Lang Wineries, one of the most popular in BC.
Gunther Lang is a wine icon, having opened the first
farm-gate wine operation in that province. After 16 years of making some of the
best wines in BC, he decided it was time to retire to the wine cellar and enjoy
the fruits of his labour. Holman heard about Lang’s plans and approached him
about buying the winery. But there were two offers ahead of Holman and things
didn’t look too optimistic. After several meetings, Lang decided he’d rather
sell local.
“I couldn’t ask for a better person. We think the same way…
we have the same ideals, the same goals. The big plus is that he’s local. Our
goal is to make better and better wines, to be the best of the best.”
Lang, who now assumes the general manager’s role of
Holman’s ever growing holdings, says, “I’m very optimistic about the future. Our
region is so unique in the world.”
Holman agrees. “Benchland is like a little Monaco. If
handled properly, it will be a wine destination for the world.”
And, to take one more step toward his vision, Holman is
opening his fifth winery, Soaring Eagle. This is the name of a top end wine
produced by Lang, and both men more or less came up with the same idea at the
same time. The property sits just above Lake Okanagan with one of the best views
along the bench. It has 30 acres slated for replanting and so far 12 have been
cultivated with Gewurtztraminer (one of my personal favs), Pinot Gris, Syrah and
Viognier varietals. A restaurant and inn are also planned for the property. This
could well be the hottest ticket in the Okanagan once finished.
The thing that excites me the most about Holman’s and
Lang’s visions is that they want to stay local, focused on what they do best.
They want to create a culture and traditions along the same lines as the wine
culture in Europe.
“They’ve been doing it over there for 600 years. We’re in
it for the long term. We want our children to carry on the family business.”
Holman owns the third largest group of wineries in Western
Canada and Lang is firmly on board. They stand a good chance.
Napa Valley North – or not: Edmontonians
can’t invest fast enough in BC
By Michael O’Toole
“And you actually have to drink the wine!” chuckles Sara
Parsur. “Sample it,” she amends, with no slur to the famed Okanagan appellations
intended. The issue, it seems, is that there are just so many of these liquid
diversions to be quaffed as one scans the lakeshores, glass in hand, for
suitable retirement and recreational properties.
“And they’re taking over,” chimes in BC-born Pam Bannister,
suppressing a mild nostalgia for her fruit scavenging escapades of reckless
girlhood.
These two chatty librarians of no distant vintage are among
the growing crop of recreation-seeking Albertans currently discovering that, in
today’s Okanagan agro-playground, apple orchards are out; vines are the rustic
toy of choice.
“We’ve definitely made that transition, and it’s not a
myth,” confirms former-Edmontonian Matthew Hay, project director of The Verana
condominium project in Penticton and president of Rivendell Homes. “I’m watching
apple orchards get ripped out on a daily basis and grapes get planted in their
stead. The wine industry is a sexy industry. There’s also more money in it.
 “People
love to go on their wine tours and everybody is a closet connoisseur in these
wine tasting shops in their sandals and black socks and Hawaiian shirts. You
know: ‘Yes, I can certainly taste the oaky flavour in this.’ People just really
enjoy that. You can’t get that out of an apple orchard. It still maintains that
country idyllic feel and viewscape of the rolling orchard or vineyard but, in
addition, it’s bringing the high level of attractiveness of a wine area.”
Far from provoking controversy, the transformation of the
landscape has been widely embraced for the boost it provides to tourism. It’s
all part of an ongoing, semi-official process that has oft been termed the
“rebranding” of the Okanagan as ‘Napa Valley North’.
Is there substance to this lofty nomenclature?
Penticton-based Keith Bevington of RE/MAX Front Street Realty takes us back to
the seeds of the rebranding adventure:
“I was president of the Chamber of Commerce in 1996,” he
recounts. “We had a look at what was going on in Napa, and I went down there
myself. We built a wine centre here which was the first one probably in Canada.”
Recently, Penticton’s British Columbia Wine Centre has
undergone a high profile $1.3 million expansion as a result of the huge increase
in production and the need to satisfy Vintners Quality Assurance licence
stipulations that every VQA wine available in the province should be displayed.
“Our sales are up considerably,” says Bevington. “When we
opened the first wine centre in the late 1990s, there were only about 30
wineries in BC. Now, there are about 130. The fall wine festival here is among
the top 100 attractions of the American Bus Tour Association. That’s bringing a
lot of people into the area that wouldn’t have come here before.”
 Somewhere
in the maturing process, even the sober Chamber of Commerce has rebottled, and
now offers itself up under the full-bodied title of the Penticton and Wine
Country Chamber of Commerce. Those at the South Gate of the long Okanagan
Valley—namely Oliver and Osoyoos—have boldly labelled the region as the Wine
Capital of Canada.
Or perhaps one should refer to the entire valley as the
Wine and Spirits Capital. In the south, Naramata’s Stonehill Estate Winery has
opened Spirit Bear Cottage Distillery and is producing brandies from various
local fruits. At the North Gate, former-Albertan Jennifer Strachan, of Vernon
community marketing development, is quick to highlight the growing renown of
Okanagan Spirits, the country’s pre-eminent fruit brandy distiller which is
winning accolades for the splendid things it does with peaches and apricots.
In terms of a mass rebranding effort for the wider region,
Strachan concedes that matters are not, in reality, quite on that footing. “I
definitely, see us as positioning ourselves better collectively throughout the
Okanagan. And when we are at the conventions and we say ‘Okanagan’, the
Americans especially are like, ‘Okan-a-what?’ And so as soon as we say ‘Well,
we’re the Canadian Napa Valley,’ it’s ‘Oh right!’ But as far as an actual brand,
I wouldn’t say that we’ve moved forward to that extent.”
Vernon itself has rebranded though, as Explore Greater
Vernon. “We’ve tried to focus on agro-tourism, not just wine,” Strachan
explains. “Agro-tourism is emerging as a very, very popular interest. That’s the
orchards, the wineries, but also the distilleries and nature, some of the
historic facilities and cultural tours that we have here. We’ve been really
marketing under the umbrella of agro-tourism to Albertans because there isn’t a
lot of it there.”
If any confusion still lingers, Nancy Cameron, general
manager of Tourism Kelowna is agreeably at hand to set all matters of Okanagan
branding in their proper order.
“There has not been a collective effort to formally rebrand
the Okanagan as the Napa Valley North,” she affirms unequivocally. In fact, as
she explains, the term Napa Valley North has been coined by some wine and travel
writers that have visited this area and use that term as a point of comparison
and description.
“This is positive,” Cameron insists, “as it allows readers
and potential travellers to immediately relate to the type of experience that
exists in the Okanagan Wine Region. [It] is generally quite a surprise to
readers because they do not think of BC and Canada as having a climate that
would be suitable for grape growing. This helps shake up the Great White North
image and open the doors for curiosity and intrigue.”
Sooner or later, the powers that be in the Okanagan will
settle on an all encompassing moniker. Here’s an idea: It’s well known that
citizens of Strachan’s original province are thick on the vine in the Okanagan.
Just to press the point, she refers to the nearby resort property in which she
has invested. “There are 82 lots. And they’re all Albertans, except for three!”
Jennifer veritably hoots. It’s a scenario that’s playing out in virtually all
the resort/recreational areas of British Columbia.
Hmmm… Alberta West? Perhaps.
Absolute Bodo
Linda Bodo is the
Founder of Propabilities Corp., studio that specializes in
the design and manufacture of props and digital signage for shopping
centres, trade shows, and large scale events.
Contact her at
lbodo@edmontonians.com or visit
www.absolutebodo.com
Click here to see archive editions of Absolute Bodo
by Linda Bodo
 Bits
of Heaven along Route 97 - by
Linda Bodo
Picturesque Route 97 snakes its way through the fruit
basket of British Columbia: the Okanagan Valley. Endless orchards and vineyards
exploding with peaches, pears, cherries, apples and grapes cradle the highway
from Enderby to Osoyoos. Exploring the route via SUV or RV is highly
recommended… empty trunks or storage bays will mysteriously fill up as you wine,
dine and accumulate fine collectibles through BC’s interior. From antiques to
applesauce, biscotti to bistros, cheese to chardonnay, or honey to handicrafts…
delectable discoveries await every palate. During the past two decades, I have
become acquainted with this region’s bounty while trekking along Route 97—from
its North Gate to the South Gate. Here is a tried and true itinerary that is
guaranteed to rev up the voyageur in all of us.
‘The Top of the Okanagan’, or Enderby is located on the
banks of the Shuswap River. This idyllic riverfront community is nestled below
steep volcanic cliffs that tower high above the city. The historic town offers a
wide array of antique shops, and arts and crafts galleries in an ambient setting
occupied largely by heritage buildings, including two must-stops. Jerry and
Lorraine carry a large inventory of antiques and collectibles at Jerry’s
Antiques & Things as well as rare and out-of-print books, maps and prints. Just
down the street in a renovated house decked out with murals created by local
artists, Cobwebs Antiques & Gifts offers a unique selection of antiques and
collectibles including one-of-a-kind gifts and homemade crafts. Leave yourself
ample time to explore all the nooks and crannies in each location.
 South
of Enderby is the small community and commercial centre of Armstrong, presiding
over the fertile dairy and ranch land of the Spallumcheen Valley where
agriculture and ranching are traditional economic ventures. The town is named
after E.C. Heaton Armstrong, a London banker who helped finance the Shuswap and
Okanagan Railway in 1892. The valley is a fine agricultural area predominantly
cloaked in rich green alfalfa and golden grains, with diverse farms nestled
among pine-clad hillsides. The Armstrong Cheese Factory is a micro cheese plant
based on the estate winery concept. Pull up a stool and watch cheese-makers
creating cheese the old fashioned way from fresh local cow’s milk. Try the
cheese curds… they squeak on your teeth, but they make a darn good poutine.
A drive through Vernon’s downtown core offers a glimpse
into the city’s rich culture through historic buildings and 26 mind-blowing
heritage murals. Nestled between the Kalamalka and Okanagan Lakes, Vernon is the
oldest and second largest community in BC’s interior and has become a Mecca for
outdoor enthusiasts. Big Chief RV Park is a pocket-sized RV park, integrated
into a mobile home community among towering pine and maple trees. Several sites
back onto a babbling brook filled with good-natured ducks who appreciate bread
scraps at sunrise. This is an extremely quiet park that will have you whispering
after 9:00pm as the entire community seems to hit the sack around that time.
However, going to bed early is a good thing, since you will need all your energy
to scour two of my favourite antique shops, just moments away in the downtown
core. City Centre Antiques, located in the town’s former hardware store, is
jam-packed with a profuse assortment of antiques and crafts from various
dealers, including everything from desks to doorknobs. Antique Imports-Auction
is a gargantuan warehouse loaded with unique finds that Collin and Victor have
pulled together from international buying sprees. From stylish Parisian armoires
to beefy Dutch farmhouse buffets, the variety is staggering. Since the boys are
only open from Wednesday to Saturday, it is well worth re-arranging your
schedule for a visit. In case storage is getting tight in the vehicle, shipping
can be arranged.
 For
those of you more inclined to park your RV for the summer, you might want to
check out Swan Lake Recreational Resort. Owner Natasha Croker currently has 111
sites and is planning 39 more. The serviced lots are going fast at $52,000 each.
Lake Kalamalka’s luminescent turquoise hue is a sharp
contrast to its surrounding toasty hills. I am thankful that I am not driving:
It gives me an opportunity to indulge in Mother Nature’s superb vista all the
way to Oyama, where a schnitzel-ishious stop at Oyama Okanagan Sausage is in
order. Stepping into the shop tickles the taste buds—hanging rolls of pancetta
and rings of garlic sausage fight for space among duck sausage links, procuitto,
and wild boar salami. For five generations, the van der Lieck family has been
dicing, grinding and spicing the best sausages, hams and patés on the planet.
Yum!
Motoring past hills quilted with the fabric of vineyards
and orchards, the Okanagan Sunflower—Arrowleaf Balsamroot, Kelowna’s official
flower—beams across hills and mountain tops. Cloudless blue skies boast over
2,000 hours of sunshine annually, occasionally sprinkled with 11 inches of
precipitation… perfect conditions for nurturing the fruit of the vine. A tree
top erupts as a flock of swallows ascend into the clear blue sky, spooked by a
passing pick-up truck. A thousand flash bulbs go off in an orchard under the
mid-day sun as strips of foil ribbon flicker in a gentle breeze. This tactile
maneuver prevents birds from chowing-down on ripe fruit so they can be shipped
to fruit stands and markets, including the Kelowna Farmers Market, which runs
every Wednesday and Saturday until the end of October. Don’t even think about
walking through downtown without a trip to Tripke’s Bakery on the main drag.
Although every item is absolutely mouth-watering, the shortbread biscotti are a
favourite. With a hint of cinnamon and dipped in milk chocolate, these babies
are soft and crumbly—a pleasant change from the traditional Italian variety. If
you prefer to sample on site, there is a quaint tea room at the rear of the
bakery, where fresh baking and specialty sandwiches are served.
 Before
leaving the Kelowna area, you might want to head for Twin Lakes, past Kaladen,
to check out The Red Roost Gift Shop & Studio, owned by Janet and Larry
Burbidge, former Edmontonians. Janet was a manager at Holt Refrew for a number
of years, and Larry is still into real estate appraisal. Their Sante Fe-style
shop on Sheep Creek Road is a treasure trove of iron and stone works, stained
glass, wood creations and garden accessories. Speaking of which, a stroll
through their hillside garden makes the detour even more worthwhile.
Winding along a picturesque ribbon of highway that slices
through over 5,200 acres of well tended vineyards stretching toward the shores
of Okanagan Lake, the region is often referred to as the Valley of the Vines.
Westbank is home to several vineyards, including Quail’s Gate Estate Winery, one
of my preferred stopovers for lunch or dinner on their fresco style terrace. The
Old Vines Patio Restaurant is open year round, offering gourmet cuisine made
with the freshest local produce. Relax on the patio with vineyards and
lake-views as you savour the perfect marriage of wine and food. Don’t miss the
Okanagan Wine Festivals: the Fall Festival, from September 29th to October 8th
and the Icewine Festival, January 19th through 22nd.
 Peachland’s
main street borders the banks of Lake Okanagan, where Joerg Hoerath has been
serving up platters of schnitzel, rouladen and pork hocks at the Gasthaus since
1991. The Bavarian eatery boasts a sprawling terrace with fab views of the
water, while offering a cool retreat under hanging vines to soak in the sights
over a pint of lager. De-alcoholized Warsteiner is available for designated
drivers.
Penticton is nestled between Okanagan and Skaha Lakes. My
colleague, Chef John, is a regular summer vacationer, so I’ve left lengthy
commentary to him in MenuMagic and his article about the Holman family wineries.
Lake Okanagan is linked to Skaha Lake via a canal where
tubers, air mattress drifters and ducks float south past Penticton and its most
famous resident: Ogopogo. Parasailers weave overhead as we navigate the twisting
highway from Skaha’s waters to Vaseux Lake. Here, in Okanagan Falls, the best
ice cream you have ever slung a lip over can be found at Tickleberry’s. Passing
vacationers, truckers and ice cream aficionados scoop up their share of the 48
flavours offered daily. If you’re in a hurry to hit the road again, to-go
containers are available. Just remember to grab a handful of napkins.
A visit to Oliver, the Wine Capital of Canada, must include
an epicurean experience in The Sonora Room at Burrowing Owl Estate Winery.
Whether you dine on the patio overlooking the picturesque vineyard or inside the
warm and inviting dining room, talented chefs will delight you with the bounties
of the Okanagan Valley. Fresh local organic produce, seasonal fruits and artisan
breads and cheeses are paired with an exclusive wine list, which changes
regularly to include a selection of Burrowing Owl library wines no longer
publicly available for sale. Situated in one of the four most endangered
ecosystems in all of Canada, the winery is nestled in the northern tip of the
Sonora Desert—the most highly-rated grape growing areas in the Okanagan. The
winery pays tribute to the little native burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia),
which is currently being reintroduced to the Okanagan Valley.
 Meander
through the Golden Mile, where internationally recognized wineries are located
within a 20-kilometre stretch along the valley. The scent of lavender perfumes
the air as you pass stand after stand of fruits and vegetables, seasoned with
Mother Nature’s gentle touch. Vines cover the folds of the hills in bold strokes
of emerald green, delicate tendrils clinging onto supports that will bear the
weight of ripened grapes when the palette will enigmatically transform to
brilliant red.
Monster floral globes saddle lampposts on the busy main
street in Osoyoos, which flows perpendicular to the shores of Lake Osoyoos.
Misters spray light streams of cool water overhead to combat the desert-like
heat as you stroll through the downtown core. Situated on a bench overlooking
the lake, Nk’Mip Cellars—pronounced Ink-a-Meep—is North America’s first
Aboriginal owned and operated winery. After a prolonged bout of wine tasting, I
strongly suggest exploring the unusual menu at the Plein-Air restaurant, where
organic wild game sausage, bison sirloin and grilled Indian bannock await
adventurous palates. While your meal is grilling on an open fire on the canopied
terrace, soak in the pastoral views of the desert, newly planted vineyards and
another gloriously iridescent lake.
ABSOLUTE TIP
If you decide to continue your journey further south, be
sure to stop in at the Canadian Customs building before crossing the border. Any
wine that is taken out of the country is subject to taxation upon its return
into Canada. Canada Customs decals are available to avoid any surcharges. Oh,
and don’t bring any citrus, beef or lamb along: It will be seized. Or, you will
be forced to chow down any banned products before border crossing.
Contact her at
lbodo@edmontonians.com or visit
www.absolutebodo.com
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