Riesling and Rattlesnakes - Canadian Writers Group

HILLSIDE ESTATE WINERY
IF YOU GO
From Kelowna, drive 68 kilometres south on Hwy 97
to reach Penticton. From Penticton, Osoyoos is
another 58 kilometres south on Hwy 97
(126 kilometres from Kelowna).
Visit www.tourismkelowna.org, 1.800.663.4345;
www.penticton.org, 1.800.663.5052; and
www.destinationosoyoos.com, 1.888.676.9667 for
more information.
Places to Visit:
• Observatory B&B, a must-stay in Osoyoos;
www.jacknewton.com, 250.495.6745
•Okanagan Nature Centre; www.oknaturecentre.com,
250.763.2003
• Mission Hill Family Estate, Kelowna;
www.missionhillwinery.com, 250.768.6448
• Gray Monk Estate Winery, Okanagan Valley;
www.graymonk.com, 1.800.663.4205
• Nk’Mip Cellars and Desert Ecology Centre, Osoyoos;
www.nkmipcellars.com, 250.495.2985
• Tinhorn Creek Vineyards, Oliver (halfway between
Penticton and Osoyoos); www.tinhorn.com,
1.888.484.6467
• Hillside Estate Winery, Penticton;
www.hillsideestate.com, 1.888.923.9463
• Burrowing Owl Estate Winery, just south of Oliver;
www.bovwine.com, 1.877.498.0620
DAY 3
Ken Lauzon is uncorking another
bottle of Riesling at his Hillside Estate
Winery in Penticton, B.C., when
naturalist Mike Sarell tells him there is
a rubber boa den above his property.
Like many people, Ken has a
longstanding fear of snakes, and Mike
suggests that the impressively passive,
almost toy-like species might just be
Ken’s ticket out of his personal fear
factor.
Mike and I spent the afternoon in
search of a rattlesnake den, hiking and
climbing through a Dr. Seuss-like land
of rocks and cliffs above the Naramata
bench outside of Penticton, home to
half a dozen famed wineries. After
several false turns, he finally located it
at the 11th hour, high on a narrow
shelf of rock that fell away over a cliff.
We’d found a few snakes and teased
one into the light for a photo, so we
were, in a way, celebrating. This all
seemed very strange to someone like
Ken who kept his fear at bay while we
described our adventure with zeal.
Somehow — and it could have been
RIESLING & RATTLESNAKES
MIKE SARELL AT CLIFFSIDE DEN, PENTICTON
the Riesling — Ken seems to come
around at the description of the rubber
boas, and agrees to have Mike come
back and show him the den.
FOR PEOPLE WITH A
LONGSTANDING FEAR OF
SNAKES, THE INCREDIBLY
PASSIVE, ALMOST
TOY-LIKE SPECIES OF
RUBBER BOAS MIGHT BE
THE TICKET OUT OF THIS
FEAR FACTOR
“Wow, this has been quite a day
of discovery for all of us,” I remark of
Ken’s catharsis, also thinking back to
my own epiphany at the rattler den
teetering on the side of a cliff.
“Sure was,” agrees Mike. “That’s
the best Riesling I’ve ever had.”
january/february 2005 < AirLines 47