Okanagan Falls and back

Day 2 of our Southern Exposure June wine tour focuses on a quick trip up to Okanagan Falls, BC, working back to the Golden Mile. Here are our impressions of the wineries we visited on this day.

See Ya Later Ranch (Hawthorne Mountain)

See Ya Later Ranch, also known as Hawthorne Mountain Vineyard, has been one of our favourite stops in the Okanagan thanks to their stunning view of Skaha Lake, a restaurant (open only during summer months) which features a yummy Mediterranean-style menu, and the always friendly and knowledgeable counter staff.

Stacey and I have to admit we are disappointed to learn that the Hawthorne Mountain label is being shelved for the See Ya Later Ranch premium label. The See Ya Later Ranch concept evolved out of the life of the original owner of this property, and his love of dogs. Look closely at the label and you’ll see little angels wings on a dog that is ascending to heaven. Hence, see ya later in the after life.

As a premium brand See Ya Later still has not hit it out of the park for us. We can be a lot more generous in our praise of the now defunct Hawthorne Mountain label, whose 2005 Chardonnay ($12.99) was one of the last true Okanagan wine bargains. Same for their Gewürztraminer, which was top notch and under $15 a bottle. Hawthorne’s Cabernet Franc, a red varietal that seems to like the cooler climate that this mountainside winery provides, is another highlight.

We learned that the restaurant wouldn’t open for 3 more weeks, and the Cab Franc wasn’t being produced that year. Needless to say, this wasn’t our best visit to Hawthorne, but we’ll come back again. We look forward to seeing how the See Ya Later line-up evolves.

BC Wine Lover picks:

See Ya Later Gewürztraminer 2006
See Ya Later Ping 2004

Wild Goose Vineyards

Wild Goose Vineyards is probably our favourite independently-owned winery in the Okanagan, and we consider it to be one of the best wineries in British Columbia. Therefore we should elaborate about WGV in another post. If you are in OK Falls, be sure to stop in and say hello.

BC Wine Lover picks:

Wild Goose Blanc de Noir 2006
Wild Goose God’s Mountain Vineyard Reisling 2006
Wild Goose Merlot 2004

Stags Hollow Winery & Vineyards

Stag’s Hollow Winery, named after the vineyard where deer often gathered, have a small but elegant tasting room. When it is crowded as it has often been during past visits here, we usually don’t stick around. This time it was just Stacey and I, and no crowds to dodge so we were able to have a proper tasting, with time left over to ask a few questions.

BC Wine Lover picks:
Stag’s Hollow Renaissance Merlot 2004
Stag’s Hollow Tragically Vidal 2006

Jackson Triggs Okanagan Estate

Jackson Triggs Okanagan Estate is a relatively new wine destination along Highway 97, just north of the town of Oliver and outside the cluster of the Golden Mile. We’ve visited there on 2 occasions and always at the end of our route, which sometimes means we’re a bit tired and thinking about heading back to our motel. JT Okanagan is well-known for its first-rate Shiraz, which is among the best in the whole valley.

I’m not sure if it is the pricing or presentation, or the fact it is not hard to buy JT’s wines back home in liquor stores, but we usually only come away with a single purchase.

BC Wine Lover pick:
Jackson Triggs Okanagan Shiraz 2005

Inniskillin Okanagan Vineyards

Inniskillin Okanagan Vineyards proves 2 things. You don’t have to be a small, independently-owned winery to be charming, and you don’t need a grand tasting room to have great ambiance. Their parking lot is not paved, and the winery is not that inviting to look at from the outside. Don’t let the dull exterior stop you; there’s lots to love inside.
Inniskillin Okanagan is owned by the large Constellation Brands corporation, yet they practically write the book on how to treat customers at a wine tasting bar. The women (I’ve never seen a male working at Inniskillin in 4 visits) are all warm, friendly and knowledgeable about their products. As soon as we walk into this tasting room we are immediately acknowledged, no matter how busy or full the tasting bar is.

And, this is important, they acknowledge our daughter and offer her a refreshment too.

It is worth noting that the winemaker lives right on the property here, and that he has nurtured the vines for the past 17 years. The quality is evident in the wines.

We rely on Inniskillin Okanagan to provide us some of the best reds in BC. On this occasion we bought the Chenin Blanc & their Pinot Noir. A special salute must be given to their 2006 Merlot, which we must pick up back home.
A new Inniskillin Okanagan tasting centre is being built and is set to open in late 2008.

BC Wine Lover picks:

Inniskillin Discovery Series Chenin Blanc 2005
Inniskillin Pinot Noir Reserve 2006