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y James Nevison and Kenji Hodgson
SuMMEr’S KnoCKinG AnD For THE WinE SWASHbuCKLEr, WHAT bETTEr WAy To SEiZE THE
SEASon THAn To SToP SiPPinG in THE PLASTiC PATio CHAir AnD inSTEAD MobiLiZE A roAD
TriP To SoME oF THE HunDrED TASTinG rooMS THAT DoT THE oKAnAGAn VALLEy?
There’s nothing like going on site for the
vintage stuff and barring being allowed
to drink from one of the tanks, there’s
something special about getting your sip
on right at the source.
HErE ArE A FEW TiPS
For your oKAnAGAn WinE
CounTry ExPEDiTion:
THE RIDE
If you’re on the long haul from the city,
may we suggest a comfortable vehicle.
We’ve seen what happens when five guys
attempt a 400 km run in a Ford Fiesta
and it ain’t pretty. Instead, opt for leg
room and air conditioning. And remember
to do your daily drawing of straws for
who’s the designated driver (DD).
THE MIX TAPE
Good road trips call for good music and
next to the vino, this might just be the
most important part of your experience.
So make sure you allocate plenty of time
to creating the perfect wine touring
playlist. Tempos up and treble down, it
should include a healthy dose of garage
rock Canadiana, funk, old-school rap and
something produced by Danger Mouse.
Don’t run out of batteries.
PER DAY WINERY VISITS
It’s never easy to put a cap on your
Per Day Winery Visits (PDWV). The
temptation is ripe to cram in as many
tasting rooms as possible – maximum
wine in minimum time – but curbing
the number of sojourns will help you
keep your wine wits. We’ve tried to do
the ten-wineries-in-a-day super itinerary,
but trust us, prudence is a leisurely three
or four.
THE SPIT BUCKET
Not to be confused with the water
pitcher. Spitting out the wine you’ve
tasted is optional and the common
practice of connoisseurs, DDs and those
who have been “cut off.” And if you
really don’t want to put a particular wine
into your gullet, you can spit it out with
no hard feelings.
ELBOW ROOM
On busy days, some tasting room
counters will be three people deep, with
everyone trying to get their taste. Don’t
be discouraged – it probably means the
wine is good – but keep it orderly, get
your sample and stand back to swirl and
sniff. This goes a long way to preserving
tasting room sanity. Plus you’ll avoid
confusing the aroma of your wine with
your neighbour’s Old Spice.
WHAT NOT TO ASK
The key is to be courteous. When you’re
at the bar, you don’t know if you’re
talking to the owner, the winemaker
or someone else with an equally vested
interest in the wine. At the same time,
no wine question is a dumb question, so
if you think the drink is a little tart, a bit
sweet or otherwise, it’s fair to ask why
the wine is this way or that.
CASHING OUT
So you’ve tasted through all the bottles
on offer and now it’s judgement time.
For us, if we’ve paid a tasting fee, we
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