...CAB...Kraze Legz, Tangled Vines and Wild Goose Winery...

....twelfth of many sips...

Straight across Lake Skaha from Blasted Church - in the little village of Kaleden, is the neatest little winery...Kraze Legz Vineyard and Winery. Getting to it is easy, but make sure you slow down in the school zone.

When we were there, Gerry and Sue were just starting out. (We had to open and shut the gate behind us) They had 2 whites and a rose -they were still awaiting the reds.

The artwork on the bottles is pretty cool. Based on prohibition times and the speakeasies, there is a clever key hole framing the label. When you swirl the wine in your glass to add oxygen, the trickle pattern on the glass has been referred to a crazy legs. I love tales like this.

We got a few bottles of the Bees Knees Pinot Blanc and the Speakeasy Rose - next time through, we'll have to try the Merlot Cabernet Franc.

The view from this property was awesome. We could totally pick out Blasted Church across the lake.

From there we traveled through OK Falls and explored on the other side. Tucked in behind the sage and the propane guns, we found Tangled Vines Estate Winery. Three Blancs - Blancs Have More Fun and R3DS - Red, Red, Red were the bottles that we jammed into the back of the almost-bursting truck. There was a really cool gallery set up just off the tasting area with with some great original art.

Across the way, we visited Wild Goose Winery. It was small, but the folks were very friendly - we stayed for a sip or two.....or even three. We decided on the Pinot Gris and the Riesling Stony Slope.

The cool thing about the Okanagan is the vast variety of operations one may come across. There are very large palatial spreads, sustainable enterprises, chic boutiques and these smaller delightful smaller family wineries that are off the beaten track. I very much recommend getting lost in BC various wine areas.

Meatgoddess Recommendations: 

Kraze Legz Vineyard and Winery - Bees Knees Pinot Blanc, Speakeasy Rose
Tangled Vines Estate Winery - Three Blancs, R3DS
Wild Goose Winery - Pinot Gris

Musical Pairings:

Kraze Legz - Bees Knees Pinot Blanc -  Otis Taylor    My Soul's in Louisiana
Tangled Vines Estate Winery - R3DS - Justin Nozuka  Be Back Soon
Wild Goose Winery - Pinot Gris   Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds  When the World Ends

Images used without permission

...CAB....Poplar Grove Winery, Monster Vineyards

....eleventh of many sips....

Wine was made for cheese and cheese for wine.

In our travels along the Naramata Bench, our lives changed for the better the day we pulled into Poplar Grove Winery. We parked under an apple tree -I totally eyed up the windfall apples- and set off towards the small little tasting shack. Before we even hit the door, there was a rustling from the adjacent vineyard and out popped a black and white border collie with a well-weathered and slightly slobbery tennis ball. This is not my first rodeo - I know my role. In the eyes of the trembling bundle of energy named Abby - I was put on this earth, to incessantly toss the slimy felt orb. 'Nuff said.

After a time, I worked up a mighty thirst. Not her fist rodeo, she kept dropping the ball further and further from the door trying to lure me into a timeless world of to and fro. It almost worked. Just then, another car pulled into the lot and she trotted off with her soggy ball looking for someone to match her limitless energy. Turns out, that she didn't even live there, but she knew that there would be a continual stream of playmates during daylight hours. Smart pup.

Surviving the canine worm-hole, into the little shack we ventured. Heaven on earth, not only was there wine, but there was cheese - and it was made on site!!! We tried several types of wine and settle on the Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, the Legacy, Merlot and some other wines in funky Monster bottles and boxes - a Rose and White Knuckle. For the cheese, we really enjoyed the Tiger Blue and the Okanagan Double Cream Camembert.

I must say that I was skeptical about wine in a box. I am not a wine snob by any stretch of the imagination, but I still have childhood memories of my father 'milking' the last of the wine from the silver sack of Hochtaler. My hesitation was swiftly swept aside with my first taste of the White Knuckle - it was not my father's Hochtaler! (Now - if the wine gods will shine on me, someone will put a delightful white in a small tetra-pac that fit in my golf bag.)

Things have now changed - the original Poplar Grove site that we went to is now Monster Vineyards and Poplar Grove Cheese and Poplar Grove Winery has built a new facility up the bench a spell and is now home to one of the more spectacular tasting rooms - the vista, as well as the wine, is well worth the stop.

Remember those windfall apples? The Camembert didn't even make it to the truck. We sat in the sun eating slices of sunshine surrounded in the warmth and smoothness of the cheese while watching the next carload toss the ball for the 4-legged character. What a great day.

Meatgoddess Recommendations:
Poplar Grove - Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, the Legacy, Merlot
Monster Vineyards - Rose, White Knuckle
Poplar Grove Cheese - Tiger Blue, Okanagan Double Cream Camembert

Musical pairings:

Poplar Grove Winery - Chardonnay    John Scofield & John Mayer   I Don't Need No Doctor
Poplar Grove Winery - the Legacy    Ana Popvic  U Complete Me
Monster Vineyards - Rose   Sam Cooke    A Change is Gonna Come
Monster Vineyards - White Knuckle    Keb'Mo    Grandma's Hands
Poplar Grove Cheese - Tiger Blue   Martin Sexton     Thinking 'Bout You


images used without permission

....CAB...Ruby Blues Winery, Red Roster Winery, Perseus Winery

...tenth sip of many...

We had our sights on the southern part of Lake Skaha, but first we had a few more stops before we cleared Penticton. Over the rise, we saw a sign for Ruby Tuesday, now known as Ruby Blues Winery...They had me at 'blues'. Aside from wine, it doubles as a shoe lovers paradise.

 I try to learn something everyday...on this day, after stumbling over the pronunciation of Gewurztraminer, the wise lady behind the counter advised us that we could remember it as 'Girls-Are-Meaner'. Brilliant!!!! Like I could forget something like that.

Across the way was the beautiful wooden building that belonged Red Rooster Winery. The grounds featured permanent art installations and there was a wonderful galley above the tasting room. It was a beautiful day, so we spent a great deal of time wandering the grounds and checking out the art upstairs. Every time someone brings over a bottle of Red Rooster, it takes me back to this beautiful afternoon. Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission have a nifty little search tool - Liquor Connect - to help you source desired beverages at local liquor shops. It's a little limited in search parametres, but it makes things super easy.

Winding back through Penticton we were a little crestfallen. We had been recommended to stop into Perseus Winery...but we couldn't seem to find it - it was not on higher ground. We were just about ready to leave when we spied a familiar constellation. We had found it!! And what a find it turned out to be. This happened to be some of the most delightful wine I had tasted - the Invictus is unbelievably full and smooth. I must admit that in the cellar, I still have a few bottles of Invictus, Tempus and Pinot Grigio.The folks in the tasting room were awesomely friendly and helped to round out a terrific day.

On the horizon - another Midnight Service at Blasted Church with the Ruthie Foster Family Band and Memphis Blues BBQ.

Meatgoddess Recommendations:

Ruby Blues Winery - Gewurztraminer
Perseus Winery -  Invictus, Tempus, Pinot Grigio

Musical Pairings:
Ruby Blues Winery - Gewurztraminer  Samantha Fish  Black Cat Bone
Perseus Winery - Invictus   Etta James    Dust My Broom
Perseus Winery - Tempus  John Lee Hooker   Crawling King Snake
Perseus Winery - Pinot Grigio   Nina Simone    See-Line Woman

Images Used without Permission

....CAB...Misconduct Wine Co, Howling Bluff Estates

.....ninth sip of many.....

Back through Penticton and over to Naramata Bench...out of the corner of my eye, I spy a sign - Misconduct Wine Co. Oh yeah - dare me not to stop! If I ever need a stage name, it will 'Miss Conduct' or maybe even 'Miss Demeanor". A stop at this particular establishment was in tall order. The labels and names were awesome: Misfit, Massacre Rose and the Big Take.We tried a Chenin Blanc Voignier that I really enjoyed. The gal that poured us are samples was a really sweetheart - If you are ever in town, I would recommend a stop here....and make sure you pick up some wine as I have yet to find it in Alberta.

Back up on the Bench we retraced our earlier steps and used Howling Bluff Estate Wines as our re-starting spot. What a great place to start. Compared to the other places we had been, it is unassuming and rather small - but we didn't let that fool us. The tasting area is literally in the house - step over the airing out hockey equipment and you are in. Could it be anymore Canadian!!! Once inside, we met the father son team of Luke and Daniel ( accompanied by a couple of enthusiastic standard poodles) and maneuvered through a down home tasting of 3 wines. There is something to be said about doing what you like, doing it well and executing it all with passion. According to Daniel, they make the wine that his Dad likes. Simple yet perfect. We acquired a couple of bottles of exceptional Summa Quies Pinot Noir and Howling Bluff Sin Cera. As with the last establishment, if you do stop here...stock up as you can't get these wines on the Prairies!

What a terrific start to the day. Two great places with lots of warm smiles and great wine.

Meatgoddess Recommendations:

Misconduct Wine Co.- Misfit, Chenin Blanc Voignier

Howling Bluff Estates - Summa Quies Pinot Noir, Sin Cera

Musical Pairings:
Misconduct Wine Co. - Misfit   Coco Montoya  Women Have a Way With a Fool
Misconduct Wine Co. - Voignier   Ernie Halter   Cyclone
Howling Bluff Estates -  Summa Quies Pinot Noir   Lizz Wright  Leave Me Standing Alone
Howling Bluff Estates  - Sin Cera   Girls With Guitars   Leaving Chicago

....CAB....Lake Skaha with Mocha of Blasted Church and Painted Rock Winery

Chronicles of an Alberta Bootlegger....

 ...eighth of many sips....

I had to ask...and according to Wikipedia and loosely corroborated by Professor H20 - a bench is a long, relatively narrow strip of relatively level or gently inclined land that is bounded by distinctly steeper slopes above and below it. Benches can be of different origins and created by very different geomorphic processes. In layman's terms - good, well-drained grape dirt that enjoys the sun's bounty.

We needed to head back to Naramata Bench...we weren't near done yet.We started out from OK Falls passing the church in town that is rumoured to have stood on the current spot that is Blasted Church. Seems that one well placed stick of dynamite was enough to loosen all the nails so that the church could be moved to its current sight in Okanagan Falls. We headed along the east side of the shore less traveled on Skaha Lake. It's a beautiful drive. Lots of winding turns right along the water and plenty of deer.

Part way up, we took the turn that brought us back to Basted Church - we hadn't seen it during the day. What a beautiful spot. The view of the lake was incredible. Behind us there were several stunning homes that were higher up on what looked like to be a cliff - I can only imagine how wonderful the view would be from those homes (still don't know how you would get up there)- no such thing as a bad day when you wake up to that kind of splendor.

The tasting room of Blasted Church is built over the winery and the larger wooden doors were very striking. As we opened the door, a blown blur shot out and jumped into the back of the truck. This was my first meeting with Mocha - the wonderful chocolate lab that lives on the premises. She was such a sweetie and totally contrived a back scratching opportunity - rascal. I think she sensed  that I was missing my dog and set out to fix that. It totally worked - Thank you Mocha!

There seemed to be a bit of a theme that we started picking out. Most places had beautiful ornate doors and many wineries had Bacchus-friendly gentle canine guardians. How could I not dig the Okanagan!

After a delightful visit with the super-friendly and wonderfully genuine folks at Blasted Church, we headed towards Penticton. As luck would have it, we spied a sign indicated the way to Painted Rock Winery - not one to pass up brown sign emblazoned the silhouette of a wine glass - we turned right. The road was very windy and we were definitely heading to much higher ground. The Bluffs above Skaha like present some of the best technical climbing faces in North America with over 650 developed routes. It is home to many species at risk and hats off the the foresight of the Land Conservatory of British Columbia and others for making the investments to keep it that way.

Painted Rock Winery is small, but features wines with a big taste.We brought back some bottles of the full-bodied Red Icon and the ever-so satisfying Cabernet Sauvignon. I see that all of their whites are now sold out - not surprised.

Meatgoddess Recommendations:
Painted Rock Winery - Red Icon, Cabernet Sauvignon

Musical Pairings:
Mocha of Blasted Church:  Big Mama Thornton Hound Dog
Painted Rock Winery - Red Icon:   R.L. Burnside Someday Baby
Painted Rock Winery - Cabernet Sauvignon  Laurie Morvan Band  It Only Hurts When I Breathe

.....CAB.....Midnight Service at Blasted Church with Ruthie Foster

Seventh of many sips....

'Mid-Night-Ser-vice'...I can't say it without stomping a little. What an unreal experience...this was not my Momma's mass!

We showed up at the gates to Blasted Church at about 9pm. Gates were to open at 9:30 and I thought they'd might open them a little early - wrong. We hung out with some really cool folk for a half hour, but I must admit - it was unusually brisk and although it was fun visiting....I really wanted to sneak back to the truck and turn the seats on. Promptly at 9:30, a couple of cheese wagons (school buses for you city folk) arrived from Penticton with many a blues-goer. We followed on foot down the beautifully lit lane edged with vines on either side. It was breath taking - an we could see that breath!

Once we got closer to the wine shop, we were detoured down a steep drive and under the winery structure above. We emerged on the other side at pool-level and adjacent to the barrel room where the performance was to take place. We were ushered into a huge white tent. This turned out to be a little piece of heaven - wine one one side and BBQ on the other!!!

I was told that the wine selection featured Hatfield's Fuse, a Rose and a Merlot. I settled on  the Hatfield's Fuse as it was almost too cold to enjoy the Merlot. Next came the BBQ. Memphis Blues BBQ put on an unreal spread. Brisket, ribs, sausage, chicken, some of the best corn bread I have ever tasted and beans. There was also salad, but I left that for the rabbits....it's really hard to BBQ lettuce! It was fabulous. They did have a few recipe books for sale and we snapped one up.The book is now fairly dogeared. We don't buy BBQ sauce anymore - we make theirs. Mmmmm BBQ.

After we filled up, we left the security of the ring of warmth of a closely guarded upright propane heater and headed inside. It was soooo cool. There were still a few barrels lining the walls and there were white tapers scattered throughout. Stunning. There was a stage at the front, so we headed there - I had seen Ruthie a few times before and I didn't want to miss a thing. Now I'm not as short as she is, but the closer the better as I quickly get lost  in the crowd. In due time the band came in...Samantha Banks on drums and 'Slow Burn' Tanya Richardson on 5-string bass and fiddle - now these two are so tight. I love a good baseline and beat and I could get lost in these two for hours. And finally, Ruthie herself on guitar. Now, she is not the tallest in the room, but when she belts out a tune she is 10 feet tall and her stories of her experiences or that of her music make you so comfortable that you could be sitting on her back porch! They delivered a terrific set, but the cold finally chased the 3 Texans with dreds off the stage near 11 or 11:30.The show was totally worth our 10 hour trek through the Rockies

It was a crazy amazing night and we were excited to do it all again the next night. - What better way to pass the day - traipsing through the plethora of Okanagan superb wineries - an oenophile's dream come true.

Meatgoddess recommendations:

Blasted Church - Gewurztraminer, OMG, Nothing Sacred and Big Bang Theory - I have seen the Gerwurz and the Big Bang in Alberta.

Musical Pairings:

Blasted Church - Gewurztraminer: Ruthie Foster  Oh! Susannah
Blasted Church - OMG - Ruthie Foster  Tears of Pain
Blasted Church - Nothing Sacred:  Ruthie Foster  Up Above My Head
Blasted Church - Big Bang Theory - Ruthie Foster  Truth
Blasted Church - Merlot - Death Came-A-Knockin'

....CAB.... Therapy, Zero Balance and Soaring Eagle

Sixth of many sips...

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