Wine Tour of West Kelowna

A little smoky today but epic nonetheless

Due to all the fires in BC right now, we had hazy skies today, but it didn’t stop the fun we were embarking on. For my people around the world if you have never explored British Columbia…The Okanagan is known as Canada’s playground…with epic summers and mild winters…There are so many things to enjoy when wine tasting in the Okanagan: capture stunning views, swim in the many many lakes, golf on over 40 courses, sun bath on one of the many many beaches, sail into the sunsets, ski champagne powder on the surrounding mountains there are a few to choose from, hike or dare to climb the mountains, and savor the fresh local produce and indulge in the wine obviously. It is one big playground.

GREAT WINE IN CANADA?

Yaasss, for almost 200 years now

In the eyes of the world, the Canadian wine industry is still very unknown, and perhaps our best kept secret. It’s not surprising when you look at our volume in comparison to other countries in the world. Canada represents only 0.1% of global wine exported.

But…If you have a globe in your home, take a look at what lies mostly on the same latitude around the world, you will notice a quaint little town called Champagne in France. It’s perhaps why we produce such sensational sparkling wines.

Having learned a few things in my Sommelier Certification, I learned all about Terroir, which are the environmental factors that affect a crop’s phenotype and gives the wine it’s identity…and we have it.

Award winning wineries

West Kelowna’s Full Day Wine Tour

On this wine tour we enjoyed 5 wineries and lunch while exploring Kelowna’s westside that is home to historic award winning wineries with stunning lake Okanagan vistas.

Bare Wine Tours offers several options for wine tours, since I have been living in Kelowna now for a few months, I have sampled several of the wineries on the East side….so it was ideal to explore the West side of the bridge without the stress of having to worry about transportation.

Bare Wine Tours picks you up and drops you off, it really is a beautiful concept for a fun day with friends or solo as well….if you do a public tour, you are sure to be paired up with some adventurous groups.

Having recently completed my Level 1 Sommelier certification, I was intrigued about this tour and was looking forward to satisfying my ‘thirst’ for local knowledge, enjoying the story telling about the wineries’ history, production, and what makes them each unique.

Let’s go on this experience together.

First Stop

Rollingdale Winery

Cosmetically speaking…first impression is ‘where did we go’? BUT….I know…that the smaller the winery the more attention and love they give their wines which results is a far superior product. In my humble opinion. I have noticed that the bigger the winery, the more attention to the ‘experience’ of the mind and less attention to the ‘experience’ of the palate. Prove me wrong….

These guys are super humble and down to earth producing some GREAT organic wines where their tasting room doubles as their wine cellar. They opened in 2004 and have been certified organic since 2007 specializing in environmentally conscious wines.

4 Bottles Purchased…just the start.

Second Stop

The Hatch Winery

This the funkiest venue we visited…as far as vibe goes, these guys are on point. For the experience itself, at the beginning…I felt as though the person attending our party was a little ‘cold’ at first, but it was also very busy and our group was large so I took it with a grain of salt and persevered with my personality and she warmed up after a bit and was quite lovely after a little more time together. This left me with a win for venue, a win for vibe and service and a BIG wine for wine range.

I ended up walking out of there with 4 bottles purchased and 1 bottle gifted to me as a promo.

The Fifty Shades of J (pictured on the left, I bought 2) was intense and I felt it was me in a bottle, mysterious and layered… a little snobby on my high horse at times but in my core down to earth and relatable. Oaked for 38 months to perfection. This is an absolute pleasure-driven beast and my tastes buds screamed f*ck ya.

Jackelyn Approved

7 Bottles Purchased and counting…

Third Stop

Mt. Boucherie Estate Winery

Since 1968 with over 200 acres of land, only 3 years ago in 2020 they expanded their modest tasting room to a new luxurious tasting experience with over 15,000 square feet. 

Now I have several levels of my experience to share…cosmetically it’s stunning, it’s beautiful but not pretentious at all. The tasting room experience was the best and my favourite of the 5 wineries we visited. It was so busy but we were met with grace at every step. Every wine I had the pleasure of tasting was incredible and left me with not a shred of disappointment…so much so that I decided to sign up for the wine club right then and there. So now I am officially a Wine Club Member. buwahahaha. 

BUT….then we moved upstairs to extend our visit to the dining experience and have some lunch. The food itself was superb, but the service…what is happening. The woman at the front, who is supposed to be your first impression was a total wad (that’s me being polite), she was rude and dismissive and I had to take several deep breathes to not pop my cork (buwahaha). If I had the lunch experience before the tasting room, no way would I have signed up for the Wine Club based on that alone.  

My two cents…go for to enjoy the wine for sure, if you must eat, take the food to go or ensure they are not busy if you plan on staying. It’s such a shame…To recap: Wine = Jackelyn Approved, Food = Jackelyn Approved, Lady at the front door greeting people = Full disapproval.

17 Bottles Purchased & 1 Wine Club Member and counting…

Fourth Stop

Off the Grid Organic Winery

Rustic appeal, environmentally conscious, solar powered, goats on the roof named after Friends characters, epic vistas, garden backyard games…I mean this is a place to visit if you are in love with laid back vibes.

The land has a long history of farming, famine and war…but the most important take away is they can make great wine and that’s all that really matters isn’t it? While I truly enjoyed the wines we sampled, I was already running up 2 boxes of wine so I had be conscious of this and I only walked out with 2 more bottles of wine.

19 Bottles Purchased and the desire to go back here to soak up the vibes some more.

Fifth Stop

Frind

Ok…this was our last stop. It was hot and it was a long day so we were all feeling a little spent. But all that aside, by far the worst service. The wine was decent, but purely out of spite, I chose to walk away empty handed. 

The story of this winery is fun and unique…The Plenty of Fish founder purchased this land after he sold POF for a fortune. Originally this was a residence on the lake front…it’s truly a stunning venue. The only lake front winery where you can arrive by boat, how rad is that? 

He converted the residence into the tasting and dining experience that exists today. The backyard and lake front is so fun with outdoor dining, grassy picnic areas, lounge chairs and of course sandy beach and swimming. A full OK lifestyle (OK = Okanagan) experience…

Frind Estate Winery is one of the most advanced wineries in the world, using cutting edge technology to create truly distinctive wines. Taste wine and savour the lake views!

I can admit that part of the poor experience can be placed on me having been spent already with a full day of wine tours and sun so I would love to return here for a second chance and I think I will before the season is over.

_{Please note that I have not received these products for free or at a discounted price in exchange for my opinion.  There may be links that are affiliate links but at the time of posting this review, I have not received any monetary kickbacks.}