When you see a bottle of wine on a shelf, what goes through your mind? You probably think about the winery name, label design, winery location, grape varietal and price, but do you ever stop to think about all the work that goes into the delicious final product? From the vineyard crew tending to the delicate vines, to the winemaking team carefully crafting each wine, and the marketing and sales specialists ensuring these wines make it to restaurants and stores, there are a lot of unsung heroes that help produce every bottle. At this time of year, the dedicated cellar team at Volcanic Hills is busy getting ready to put the finished wines in bottle. In one week, their team will bottle seven different wines including Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer (two different versions), Magma Red, Lava, Reserve Pinot Noir and Reserve Chardonnay. The whites are expected to hit the shelves in early summer, Lava red in July and the remainder later this year.
With the arrival of spring, so to arrives the start of wine touring season with the Spring Okanagan Wine Festival. As part of the festival, Volcanic Hills is hosting an Open House and BBQ on Sunday, May 3rd from 11:30 am to 4:00 pm. Guests will be treated to complimentary tastings (regular $5) throughout the day, as well as free winery tours (regular $10) offered at 12:30 and 2:30. In addition to the Open House offerings, Chef Colin Rayner of Blu Saffron Bistro will be working the grill creating delicious BBQ dishes (starting at $5), all perfectly paired with Volcanic Hills’ outstanding lineup of wines. For more information on the Open House, visit www.volcanichillswinery.com.
~ Lindsay Kelm