Summer 2012 marks the first full season that Dirty Laundry Vineyard (DLV) fans can experience their beautiful renovations. The expansive outdoor patio, the parking, the tasting room, the meeting room – everything is better than ever – all without sacrificing the winery's charming ambiance.
If anything, the reno's have simply paralleled the success of DLV's savvy marketing. If you haven't visited the winery since their Grand Re-Opening last year, you simply must go. If you've never been…well….what? Really? It's so worth the trip!
Recently, well-known Okanagan painter Dorothy Tinning and her friend Bonnie Bodker cycled the Kettle Valley Railway (KVR) from Penticton for a visit.
“From the entranceway on, the whole presentation is breathtaking,” exclaims Tinning.
Views from the gorgeous patio envelope a 180-degree view of the Okanagan's beauty – the Lake, mountains, vineyards and generations-old fruit orchards, not to mention the famous KVR and Trout Creek trestle bridge. Sit in comfort on the sun-dappled patio; enjoy a deli-basket as you savour that last drop of sinfully delicious wine.
As in previous years, there's free live music on the patio most summer weekends. Enjoy harpists (who play Led Zeppelin), jazz trios, Neil Young tributes and more– check DLV's website for this year's line-up.
In the spirit of DLV's quotes from Hollywood starlets, here are some tasting notes with celebrity-appeal.
2011 Not so Knotty Chardonnay $18.99
Light, bright, crisp & lively, this 'virgin' of chardonnays never touched oak, highlighting Chard’s proclivity for fresh fruit aromas & flavours with a citrus-y finish. Perfect with seafood, roast chicken, summer pasta salads. Very Anne Hathaway.
2010 Private Reserve Naughty Chardonnay $24.99
The more sensual chardonnay sibling, Naughty had a little fun in the barrel: but just long enough to morph her brightness to a more sensual mouth-feel. The fruit still shines through, with a soft, subtle finish and barely-there vanilla notes. Think Scarlett Johansson or Brigitte Bardot.
~ Sarah Willard