After our initial 4 stops on the right side of the road, the day was running a little short and we still had to check into the condo that we had rented in Okanagan Falls. The was Midnight Mass to get ready for with some of the best blues and BBQ on the planet with the Ruthie Foster Family Band at Blasted Church with Memphis Blues BBQ. We decided to go up the road to Therapy and work our way back. Setting a torrid pace of 7-10 wineries a day is difficult. Time is limited and you want to take it all in and not miss a drop or the spinning of a great yarn.
Therapy Vineyards is almost at the end of the road and features some of the coolest labels and wine names in the Okanagan.We parked at the end of the lane and walked up. There was a great vibe to the place as there was a young trio of musicians getting their groove on. We enjoyed the sound for a time, soaking in the last of the beautiful day - I must say that I can never tire of the view of Okanagan Lake whist peering over perfectly manicured vineyards.
The tasting room was bright and cheery and the staff were really sweet. I have to say, that as soon as we walked on the door, I spied a wine bottle with a hockey player on the label. How Canadian - I made my mind up right there to love the wine regardless of the flavour 'cause I was taking that baby home. (I figured if I didn't like the wine, I could replace it with maple syrup and it would still be Canadian. - turns out, I didn't have to) You can take the referee off the ice, but you never get the ice out of the referee. It was a Malbec - I'd never heard of the variety before. According to Wikipedia, Malbec grapes can be inky-dark in colour and feature robust tannins. It is one of the six grapes allowed in a Bordeaux blend. I am fond of Bordeaux - so I was delighted to find that I was verrrrry partial to this Malbec wine.We also tried a good Merlot, Pink Freud, Freudian Sip, Freud's Ego and a Pinot Gris. We squirreled a few bottles into the getting-weighted-down truck.
We got ourselves headed towards OK Falls...but as luck would have it, not too far down the trail, we spotted a sign that said Zero Balance. We had been in the car for a least a few minutes and had worked up a mighty thirst. What the heck. We pulled down the bumpiest path in the Okanagan. It was small little after-thought of a place and the lady that ran the tasting hut was quite a character. If I recall correctly we were told that this winery was somehow linked to Lang and also Soaring Eagle. (Seeing as Soaring Eagle was right next door, we resolved to stop there too before we jetted into the night) At Zero Balance, we tried an outstanding white that was called Project 743 - it was very light and crisp. Last year we headed back to fill up, only to not be able to find the property. I hear that Lang has since sold and it sounds complicated. I hope that I can one day rediscover something similar to Project 743. At Soaring Eagle we sampled a Pinot Gris and a Viognier that made the cut to join the mixed cases in the truck.
At this point we had to get a move on - the was Midnight Mass at Blasted Church in only a few hours, but we did decide that we needed to return to the Bench the next day.
Meatgoddess Recommendations:
Therapy Vineyards - Malbec, Freudian Sip, Freud's Ego
Zero Balance - Project 743
Soaring Eagle - Pinot Gris
Musical Pairings:
Therapy Vineyeards - Malbec - Stevie Ray Vaughan - Ain't Gone 'N' Giving Up On Love
Zero Balance -Project 743 - Trampled Under Foot - Get it Straight
Soaring Eagle - Pinot Gris - Ana Popvic - Unconditional
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