Sam The Wine Teacher 
2022 Pinot Blanc Gray Monk Okanagan Centre, BC $19.99 Lemon yellow with medium-light intensity. Pear, orange zest, green apple, cloves, and lime on the nose. Good balance and good body with just a slightly sweet entry. Pleasing flavours on the palate with stone fruit dominating. A medium-plus finish. Serve this delicate wine with herb-roasted chicken, … Read more
If you happen to be in Kelowna sometime this season, including a Saturday, consider signing up for a free wine tasting at Franco’s Liquor Store, located near the University of BC Okanagan campus (UBCO) and just south of the airport. These events are listed on their website: https://francosliquorstore.com/ Most tastings are free, though some premium … Read more
2024 Unoaked Chardonnay River Stone Oliver, BC $24.90 From their Good Neighbours series. Made with grapes that came from the Columbia River area of Washington State. Lemon yellow with a hint of green and medium-minus intensity. The nose opens with lemon, apple, mandarins, nectarines, almonds, melon, and wet stones. Good balance with medium-plus body. … Read more
Have you ever dreamed of travelling to Italy, touring the rustic countryside, drinking wine, eating pizza, and practising your newly acquired Italian language skills? No need to call your travel agent, just set a course for West Kelowna and the Westside Wine Trail (https://www.thewestsidewinetrail.com/wineries) where Ciao Bella invites you to discover ‘La Dolce Vita’. Ciao … Read more
2024 Chenin Blanc River Stone Oliver, BC $25.90 A part of River Stone’s Good Neighbours Series. The grapes for this wine came from the Columbia River area of Washington State. Lemon yellow with medium-minus intensity. The nose is pronounced with aromas of honey, floral, lanolin, beeswax, peaches, citrus, and apples. Very good balance with full … Read more
2024 Sparkling White Merlot Sourced from Washington State’s Horse Heaven Hills in the Columbia Valley as a part of their Good Neighbours Series. Only 237 cases produced. “The fruit for this wine arrived in pristine condition and with similar ripeness to our estate fruit, producing a White Merlot consistent with previous vintages.” $27.90 “Delicate, lean … Read more
As a well-known slogan once proclaimed, “Membership has its privileges.” Nowhere is this truer than at Fort Berens Estate Winery. With two membership tiers—Discovery Club and VIP Gold Club—wine enthusiasts receive much more than just a curated selection of fine wines. The Discovery Club includes six bottles delivered three times a year, while the VIP … Read more
Located just steps from several of downtown Kelowna’s most popular venues, Gather offers the perfect pre-show dining experience. Blending Italian and Korean influences, the restaurant presents a unique culinary adventure that’s both surprising and satisfying. My wife and I dropped in for dinner before a concert, intrigued by the fusion concept. The evening began with … Read more
The Garnet Valley Ranch truly is a magical place. Located just over 15 kilometres from downtown Summerland along the bucolic, gently winding Garnet Valley Road, this property is home to vineyards, organic vegetables, and a lavender farm. It is a place where the land speaks-and the growers listen. Here, nature leads. The crops, the vines, … Read more
Fort Berens Estate Winery, located on a stunning site overlooking the Fraser River in Lillooet, has just released three Cabernet Franc wines, and I had the opportunity to sample two of them. While the winery offers almost two dozen different wines, it is fair to say that Cabernet Franc is their flagship red wine. … Read more