The beloved summer has arrived in wine country in all of its glory. This magical time of year calls for luxuriously lazy days spent tooling around, enjoying wine tastings, patio lunches and beach time with the kids. There are so many areas of this province to discover and I encourage you to plan an adventure to somewhere new! The Shuswap region is not only a destination for houseboats, they are offering all that you could want for—food, wine, farms, hiking, biking, sipping, singing…and its just a beautiful hour and a half drive from Kelowna.
The Okanagan is the hot spot for wineries, with several regions to plan for and visit. The Similkameen Valley is really something special and will complete a tour of the Oliver-Osoyoos trip. Penticton-Naramata-OK Falls and Summerland are all close by but make sure to book time, there is LOTS to see and sip! Kelowna is a wonderful base to hang out with amazing restaurants and wineries to explore and day trips to Lake Country will not disappoint. Glorious Langley and Vancouver Island also offer incredible food, drink and farm tours to embark on.
Then there are events–tons and tons of food, wine, farm and art events to participate in. Get your tickets early to the ones that interest you as time spins by too quickly here when you are having fun. The Marginal Arts Festival in Summerland September 1st to 4th is brand new and sounds fantastic: marginalarts.ca.
Enjoy your summer and remember to shop and eat local! The farmer’s markets are in full gear and there are plenty to choose from, so go native and live like a local.
This year we are celebrating the 25th anniversary of our magazine! Thank you to all of our wonderful advertisers and to our loyal readership. We love sharing stories about our amazing community behind the wine labels and menus with you. Personally, after eight years as editor, it has been remarkable watching our wine community elegantly take its place on the world stage. I am so proud to know many of these people personally and to be a part of it all.