Wyndham Wisdom

A Taste of the Okanagan

British Columbia's wine-growing region emerges as a culinary destination

In the sun-drenched Okanagan Valley of southern British Columbia, life revolves around lakes, vineyards and orchards. Kokanee salmon spawn in the autumn streams beneath tawny hills and majestic glacier-carved bluffs. But the idyllic setting belies a serious industry: In 2008 more than 100 wineries produced $130 million (USD) in wine revenue.

Father Charles Pandosy, an Oblate missionary, is credited with planting the first orchards here in the mid-1800s. At that time, huge cattle ranches provided meat for prospectors during the Cariboo Gold Rush. Gradually, farming took over. Watermelon and tomatoes, cantaloupe and potatoes, peaches and cherries, apricots and apples--the Okanagan (pronounced oh-kuh-NOG-in) Valley could grow them all.

Okanagan Lake stretches 83 miles through the valley's heart--it takes about three hours to drive its length, beginning in the south at Osoyoos, near the border of Washington State, and passing through Oliver, Penticton and Summerland before ending at Kelowna, the region's largest city (pop. 107,000). With its great cultural district and art walk, Kelowna is worth a weekend visit on its own.

In the south, daily temperatures average a full four degrees warmer than in Kelowna. The arid climate helps produce magnificent, dense red wines. Some of the area's finest Pinot Noir is harvested near the lake's midpoint, while the more northerly slopes near Kelowna produce elegant, fruit-forward Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc.

Autumn is the perfect time for a culinary tour of the Okanagan. The wineries and markets are overflowing with the finest harvest produce. Plus there's the 10-day Okanagan Fall Wine Festival, which kicks off on October 1 this year.

ARRIVAL OF THE CHEFS
Nowhere else in Canada has such a selection of top chefs gathered in a wine-growing region to open outstanding, approachable restaurants. It's because of these locally minded chefs that the valley is rapidly becoming one of the continent's great culinary regions.

These days it's possible for a traveler to spend an entire month following a personal culinary taste trail that stretches the length of the valley. Not so easy: trying to cram the best of the best into a single weekend. Here are some high points not to miss, arranged from south to north as you drive beside the lake.

IN THE SOUTH
Chef Bernard Casavant left the bustle of Whistler for the desert landscape that surrounds Burrowing Owl Estate Winery (100 Burrowing Owl Place, Oliver; 250-498-0620; dinner for two, $87*). A veteran of Pacific Northwest cuisine, Casavant is one of British Columbia's most respected chefs. He and his team at the Sonora Room Restaurant match their creations to some of the region's finest wines. The reds are simply outstanding.

If there's one must-do culinary event, it's an alfresco meal prepared by Joy Road Catering chefs Dana Ewart and Cameron Smith at God's Mountain Estate, just outside Penticton on the Naramata Bench (250-493-8657; joyroadcatering.com; alfresco dinner for two $165, including wine). Because they take only 40 diners at a time, they're able to create an intimate experience, seating guests at a long communal table in a Riesling vineyard high above Skaha Lake, a smaller southerly sister to Okanagan Lake.

Dana and Cam call their meals "cuisine terroir": they garnish cakes with wild Saskatoon berries they've gathered along the Naramata Bench, and use crushed apricot kernels from nearby orchards to flavor chantilly cream. At the duo's stall in the Penticton Farmers Market (Cam is the current president), buyers get in line for their traditional French galettes, which the chefs call "the perfect vessel for our local cherries, apricots, peaches, nectarines, plums, apples and pears."

If you're on a leisurely schedule, take in the Naramata Bench before heading north. Poplar Grove Winery (1060 Poplar Grove Rd., Penticton; poplargrove.ca; 250-493-9463) sells both cheese and wine. Their Tiger Blue cheese, considered one of the finest blues in Canada, pairs perfectly with the Legacy, a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. At $43 a bottle, it's a serious wine--and it ages well.

The Bench is also home to Hillside Estate Winery & Bistro (1350 Naramata Rd., Penticton; 250-493-6274; hillsideestate.com; lunch for two $52), right beside the old Kettle Valley Railway, a great biking and hiking trail. Hillside's Old Vines Gamay Noir is superb; also worth trying is the lesser-known Muscat Ottonel, the only example of this varietal being vinified in B.C. For lunch, try the bistro's wild boar terrine with cherry chutney.

When you're in this part of the valley, be sure to take one meal at Theo's (687 Main St., Penticton; 250-492-4019; dinner for two, $60). A valley institution, it was founded by Theo and Mary Theodosakis, who came from Crete and opened their restaurant in 1976. The menu is honest and homespun: beets roasted with garlic and served with Macedonian feta on wild greens; lagos stifatho, rabbit cooked with tomatoes in Okanagan wine and scented with rosemary and cinnamon.

If you stay over in Penticton, have breakfast at Valentini's Café before heading north (1475 Fairview Rd., Penticton; 250-487-2265; breakfast for two, $18). The cinnamon buns are fresh from the oven.

SUMMERLAND
As you drive toward Kelowna, you'll pass any number of wineries worth a stop. Make a point to visit Dirty Laundry (7311 Fiske Rd., Summerland; 250-494-8815; dirtylaundry.ca). There is, of course, that great name, but this backcountry winery also produces one of the finest Gewürztraminers in the valley. Bring a picnic lunch, you can sit under the grape arbor and dig in.

Where there's wine there's often wine vinegar--usually by mistake. But at the Vinegar Works at Valentine Farm (10216 Gould Ave., Summerland; 250-494-7300; valentinefarm.com), it's no accident--it's just delicious (and certified organic).

UP THE HIGHWAY
In 1994, the Mission Hill Family Estate winery won "Best Chardonnay Worldwide" at the International Wine & Spirit Competition in London. It was the region's first major award, and ushered in a new era of B.C. winemaking. Mission Hill may be Canada's most beautiful winery. From its bell tower, the noon chimes echo over the lake. Every valley visitor should consider stopping here to tour the opulent cellars and sample the wines. While you're there, grab some lunch or tapas at the Terrace, arguably one of the top five winery restaurants on earth (1730 Mission Hill Rd., West Kelowna; 250-768-6448; missionhillwinery.com; lunch for two $85).

About five miles from Mission Hill, you can visit the Gellatly Nut Farm Regional Park. Now a heritage park on the lake south of Kelowna, it was Canada's first commercial nut orchard, known for shipping new varieties of walnuts, heartnuts, hazelnuts and chestnuts. In the autumn, pick your own or buy a pound of freshly harvested (regionaldistrict.com).

OVER THE BRIDGE INTO KELOWNA
Kelowna is a hotbed of culinary talent. Many of the young chefs (seems that youth is a prerequisite) have arrived from across Canada. Because the city is at the heart of the wine industry, it was just a matter of time before a chef with sommelier credentials would land here. In 2004, chef/sommelier Mark Filatow opened his intimate Waterfront Restaurant & Wine Bar (1180 Sunset Dr., Kelowna; 250-979-1222; dinner for two, $80). Vancouver Magazine picked it as the top Okanagan restaurant this year. On a recent visit, Filatow balanced a pot-steamed sablefish filet with a local corn fritter and mussel chowder. If you enjoy beef, try the peppercorn-crusted flatiron steak with Bordelaise sauce and buttery fork-mashed potatoes. (Reserve ahead, as this small restaurant is often full.)

Award-winning chef Rod Butters and his wife/partner Audrey Surrao recently launched RauDZ Regional Table (1560 Water St., Kelowna; 250-868-8805; dinner for two, $70). The wine list is long and local with a great selection, by the taste and by the glass. Build your own cocktails with summer- ripened Okanagan fruit and whatever liquor is in the RauDZ cupboard--perhaps a peach martini or a black-cherry mojito. Don't miss the Dungeness crab bisque, thick with sweet crabmeat, or the oat-crusted Arctic char on a bed of bitter greens. No reservations, but few are turned away. The long communal table offers a full view of the action in the kitchen.

In 2008, Food Network star Ned Bell opened the award-winning Cabana Bar & Grille (3799 Lakeshore Rd., Kelowna; 250-763-1955; dinner for two, $70). It's a high-energy place with great people-watching, especially on the spectacular patio. The seasonal menu changes regularly, but there's usually an array of great wood-fired pizzas with toppings like smoked sockeye salmon, pickled red onion and local Carmelís goat cheese.

Another dynamic young culinarian is baker Monika Walker. Stop by the Okanagan Grocery Artisan Breads Co. (2355 Gordon Dr., Guisachan Village, Kelowna; 250-862-2811) to try one of her Cakesickles: rectangles of Vienna buttermilk cake studded with Okanagan kirsch-macerated cherries, skewered on a popsicle stick and dipped in Callebaut dark-chocolate ganache.

No great food city is without a great market, and Kelowna has one of the finest, and largest, in the province. Starting up in April and lasting through October, the Kelowna Farmers' & Crafters' Market can be found every Wednesday and Saturday at the corner of Springfield Road and Dilworth Drive (kelownafarmersandcraftersmarket.com). Autumn is the best time to take in all the aromas. But be warned, the market closes at 1 p.m.

At the market, make sure to seek out chef Neil Schroeter, creator of Okanagan Street Food (okanaganstreetfood.com). Dressed in chef's whites, Schroeter warms soft tortillas on a grill and fills them with lightly scrambled eggs, crisp chunks of his own maple-cured, applewood smoked Berkshire bacon and a handful of grated cheddar. Or, for lunch, try a paper cone of golden fries with Schroeter's blackberry ketchup or truffled mayonnaise. Another market highlight: the hand-churned, creamed honey from Arlo's Honey Farm. It's some of the best you'll ever taste.

AGAIN INTO THE COUNTRY
Calona Vineyards (1125 Richter St., Kelowna; 250-762-9144; calonavineyards.ca), near downtown Kelowna, began production of port-style wines in the 1930s. Southeast of the city, Tantalus Vineyards makes the finest example of Riesling in British Columbia, using grapes harvested from vines planted in 1927. Call for hours of operation (1670 Dehart Rd., Kelowna; 877-764-0078; tantalus.ca).

At Okanagan Lavender Herb Farm, feel the stress being washed away as you breathe the air (4380 Takla Rd., Kelowna; 250-764-7795; okanaganlavender.com). Bring a picnic and spend the afternoon trying to find the farm's 60 varieties of lavender. Then buy some lavender stem skewers at the gift store to add a touch of aroma to your next barbecue.

Almost as far down the valley as you can go on the east side of Okanagan Lake, you'll find Carmelís Goat Cheese Artisan (170 Timberline Rd., Kelowna; 250-870-3117; carmelisgoatcheese.com). This is a dairy goat farm with a difference. Just as the Barmor family were ready to open their dairy, a wildfire destroyed their buildings in the dry summer of 2003. Charred trees still mark much of this part of the valley. Tenacious and dedicated, they rebuilt and now have a full tasting room where in addition to cheese, you can buy fabulous gelati. Scrappy, sophisticated and just plain delicious: A fine summary of the Okanagan's charms.

CHARTING A WINE TOUR

With so many wineries to visit, you should map out a game plan at the B.C. Wine Information Centre. It offers free tastings daily, selecting from among some 400 Vintners Quality Alliance wines. In the same building as the Penticton Visitors Centre, it's a great place to get your bearings, with maps and a helpful staff. 553 Railway St., Penticton; 250-490-2006; bcwineinfo.net

FARMSTAND GOODS

Don't miss the Penticton Farmers' Market, open 8:30-noon every Saturday through October 31. bcfarmersmarket.org

AND THAT'S A WRAP

And after a long day of tasting, stop in at any one of Beyond Wrapture's six locations in the valley. This day spa's vinotherapy treatment is an over-the-top body scrub made with grape pits and skins. The massage is based on the antioxidant resveratrol, found in red grapes. 250-448-8899; beyondwrapture.com; $103 for a 75-minute vinotherapy massage, $278 for a three-hour massage with a grape scrub and honey-wine wrap.

STAY

RCI-AFFILIATED RESORTS IN THE OKANAGAN
VALLEY INCLUDE:

DESTINATIONS AT HOLIDAY PARK, Kelowna
LAKE OKANAGAN RESORT, Kelowna

For more information,
visit RCI.com or call
Weeks: 800-338-7777
Points: 877-968-7476