Wine and Spirits Travel

My first full day in Kelowna was jam packed with a lot more than wine. I got to spend some time with a few goats and step inside a pyramid for a piano recital among the barrels! After breakfast at the Delta Grand Okanagan , we were me t by Catherine Freschette, Media Relations Manager for Tourism Kelowna. She was our guide and chauffeur for the day. We learned quite a bit, including the fact that this area only gets about 12 inches of rain each year, making it a great vacation destination for those in the wetter areas of Victoria and Vancouver. It was easy to see how this area could attract visitors with the beautiful lake and picturesque mountains, providing skiing in the winter and watersports spring through fall. Kelowna, which means “grizzly bear” (and, yes, there are bears in this area) has five separate wine trails for a total of 25 wineries. We were spending the day on the Lake Trail, but our first stop was not about wine. Carmelis is a dairy owned by a couple who just cam

It’s been a few years since I’ve been to Canada and I’ve never been to British Columbia , so when I had the chance to spend a week here in conjunction with my Celebrity Cruise , I jumped at the opportunity. I have to admit that since I just returned from Washington and was clearing up work and packing for 17 days I did not spend much time researching my new destination. That has its good and bad points. On the one hand, I was pretty ignorant to the basics (such as the wine varieties and climate), but on the other hand it gave me a clean slate to soak up information everywhere. My flights have never gone smoother. While the South was getting rain soaked and hit by tornadoes, my section of the Midwest was smooth sailing (actually, flying). I left Champaign in the morning, had a quick change in Chicago and though I didn’t get the upgrade I was hoping for, I did have two seats to myself on my American Airlines flight. I met my friend Susan Krowitz in Seattle airport and we caught up f

After a good night’s sleep in my apartment at Walla Faces Inn , Erica Waliser of the Washington State Wine Commission picked me up for my final day in Washington.  We went over to L’Ecole No 41 winery to meet with Marty Clubb, a member of the family that has owned one of the region’s oldest wineries for nearly 30 years. In the 1980s L’Ecole only produced about 1,000 cases and they were all self-distributed.  The wine can now be found in all 50 states and has also become popular in Canada and Japan, producing 35 times what it did at the beginning. The winery itself is housed in an old schoolhouse built in what was a small French town in the early 20 th century. They make wine under three labels: L’Ecole No 41, Columbia Valley and Salmon Safe. L’Ecole is known for its Merlot, but the collection here includes something for everyone and it seemed like Marty was ready to pour it all for me to try! My favorites were the 2010 L’Ecole No 41 Chenin Blanc, crisp and slightly sweet, with l

The sun continued to shine as I made my way east through Washington.  I had plenty more to see and taste, but first I had to eat some chocolate. Jordan from Tri-Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau met me for breakfast at the Courtyard Richland early in the morning. I was a bit curious why we needed to get up early to stop by a “ Country Mercantile ,” but that question was answered when we got there. This was no country store, this was the country store.  As we toured with Max, I saw aisles and aisles of local products from produce to sauces to to tamales. This family-owned business has a place to get fresh made sandwiches and an area filled with over 40 flavors of homemade ice cream – not far from all the homemade fudge in every flavor imaginable.  And, in the back, there is a chocolate factory that would make Willy Wonka jealous! I left Country Mercantile with some goodies (it’s worth a trip just for the Big Foot, full of nuts, caramel and chocolate), not imaging a better plac