Located in Penticton, the BC VQA Wine Information Centre opened 16 years ago as British Columbia’s first VQA store. Centrally located in wine country, the Wine Information Centre features over 600 different wines including sparkling wine, icewines and dessert wines. And, because of the location of the Centre, the wine is often personally delivered direct by the winery owner or winemaker! Working this closely to the action also means that staff is extremely well informed about the wines, the wineries, and the vineyards.
The staff is passionate about wine and enjoys sharing their passion with customers to help choose wines in a down-to-earth, unpretentious and fun way. Small wineries that are closed during the off-season are often available all year at the Wine Info Centre. Wines are for sale at the same price as the wineries. Operated by the BC Wine Information Society, this not-for-profit store channels all proceeds back to the community, supporting the wine industry, education, and wine tourism.
Daily complimentary wine tastings are offered allowing customers and staff to try new wines to keep up on the latest vintages. There is also a large selection of wine related accessories, aerators, Riedel stemware, and cookbooks – including “Soup Sisters”, “The Butcher, The Baker, The Wine & Cheese Maker – An Okanagan Cookbook” and the new “Quinoa Revolution.” Custom gift baskets can be created for you at any budget and are ideal for wedding or housewarming gifts.
Open daily throughout the year, check out the website at pentictonwineinfo.com for more information on the newest wines in the store and featured tastings with guest wineries.
~ Luke Whittall