There are so many new local Okanagan wineries popping up it is hard to keep track of them all! One of the best places to easily spot them is on the shelves of the BC VQA Wine Information Centre in Penticton. There are over 700 wines in stock from a huge selection of wineries and they are all at the same price as the winery. There are even rare wines from small producers who don’t have wineshops of their own! Friendly staff are extremely knowledgeable about local wines and have lots of suggestions to help plan your tours, making this store the perfect place to start your day’s adventures in the vineyards.
At this time of year, new whites and rosés are being released from the wineries and are arriving daily at the Wine Information Centre. They are the perfect wines to kick off the summer season in the Okanagan. As well as wine, there is also a huge selection of new cookbooks, local cheeses, food items, wine accessories and gifts available.
The BC Wine Information Centre is operated by the non-profit BC Wine Information Society and all proceeds are reinvested back into the community for education in the wine industry and wine tourism. The Society recently donated $300,000 to Okanagan College to construct the new Wine Sensory Lab in Penticton opening in May 2014.
The BC VQA Wine Information Centre is open 7 days a week 9am to 6pm. www.pentictonwineinfo.com
~ Luke Whittall