Unless you hate wine (a terrifying thought), you’d be remiss to visit the Okanagan without stopping into a winery or two. Or three, or six, or ten. Your choice.

Tourism Kelowna was kind enough to set us up with a picnic at Quail’s Gate, a winery founded in 1989 by Ben and Ruth Stewart. The Stewart family has been in Kelowna since 1908, and growing grapes since the 1950’s. You can find a good general history of Okanagan wine production here.

Quail's Gate's tasting room, shop, and restaurant sit atop a hill, with vines sloping towards the lake, and an unbelievably lovely picnic spot halfway down.

We feasted on a lunch by Basket Case Picnics, a local company that prepares gourmet picnic meals in easy to carry insulated boxes.

There was wild salmon wellington with raspberry sauce;

a mixed green salad with berries, nuts, and goat cheese;

and dark chocolate gluten-free cupcakes with cherries.

The meal was wonderful, and we also enjoyed a tasting of various Quail’s Gate wines, my favourite being the Chasselas (a Chasselas/Pinot Blanc/Pinot Gris blend).

The winery also has an award-winning restaurant, and hosts a variety of “Dinner in the Vineyard” events.

For Canadian wine-lovers, a trip to this region is essential; there are endless wineries to visit, and as you have already read, plenty of good food to pair with all of this wine.

Many thanks to Quail’s Gate, Tourism Kelowna, and Basket Case for the food and libations, and for showing us one of the most gorgeous picnic spots in the country. I’m not the only one who thinks so – have a look here, and you’ll see The Amazing Race Canada got in on it, too!

And with that, we headed north from the Okanagan. Onto Prince George, Smithers, and Haida Gwaii next.....

-LA

Eating local in the Okanagan is rather effortless. I knew this before arriving, but I did not quite anticipate how much excellent regional food we would enjoy in the short time we were there. Our time spent at Deerpath Lookout B&B in Kaledon, BC succeeded in introducing us to a variety of signature Okanagan edibles.

Deerpath is a large Arizona-adobe style house built by John and Doug in the late 90’s, surrounded by the characteristic pines and dusty desert-mountains of the Okanagan.

They prepared exquisite breakfasts every morning, featuring the bounty of the local area. At 600 pounds, even the table we dined at contributed to the grand feeling of brunching at Deerpath, made of immaculately restored wood from on old submerged barge.

During our stay, we enjoyed poached apricots, eggs from their neighbours, mulberries, rainier and lapin cherries, roasted tomato salsa, bread from Cam and Dana at Joy Road, and fresh, rich and flavourful Upper Bench cheeses. The Upper Bench Winery is run by a husband and wife team, and they produce both wine as well as artisanal cheeses. Shana Miller, the cheese maker, handcrafts eight different cow’s milk cheeses including Okanagan Sun, Grey Baby, and Italian Gold.

Both John and Doug are so naturally hospitable, it’s easy to see why they do the work they do. Before we left, John sent us on the road with two bags of his incredible homemade granola. This stuff kept us extremely well-fed during the many days of camping that followed.

Deer Path Lookout B&B Granola

4 C     raw oats
3/4C    sweetened, shredded coconut
3/4C    slivered almonds

toss them together in a large bowl. Then, whisk together the following and blend completely

3/4C    vegetable oil
3/4C    maple syrup
1T    vanilla
2T    cinnamon
2T    dried ginger

toss the oat mixture to cover the dry mix completely

bake on a large baking sheet in a 375F convection oven, turning when necessary to ensure an even roast and colour – about 15 minutes – remove and cool in large bowl

then add a variety of seeds, dried fruits and nuts - add flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, dried apricots, a variety of raisins and sometimes chocolate chips – the choice is yours – and enjoy!

Thank you John and Doug!

-DV

A Quail's Gate Picnic

Deerpath Lookout and Okanagan Bounty