Kelowna wineries add so much!

Shakespeare’s Merry Wives, Colin James, The Canadian Tenors, Barney Bentall, Jim Cuddy, Chris Isaak, and a host of terrifically talented visual artists and chefs – these are just some of the creative minds that you can expect to come across at Kelowna-area wineries this summer. So this summer, in addition to tasting wines, enjoying an enlightening tour of wineries, shopping in gift shops, picnicking, dining in winery restaurants, and meeting some fascinating personalities along each of Kelowna’s 5 wine trails, there are now some very compelling events to draw you into our vineyard settings. Here is a round-up of winery events to mark down on your calendar.

Photo: Contributed

CedarCreek Sunset concerts are among the unforgettable entertainment options at Kelowna wineries this summer. (Photo courtesy of Tourism Kelowna)

In June, CedarCreek Estate Winery (Lakeshore Wine Route) begins its Summer Dinner Series with a savoury event called “Vancouver’s Best Thai” featuring Maenam Restaurant’s Chef Angus An on June 23. The dinner series continues on July 13 with “Burgers & Bluegrass”, the launch of the Canadian Angus Gourmet Burger and following up dinner with dancing to the tunes of Barney Bentall and Shari Ulrich. Then make way for Colin James, who kicks off the Sunset Concerts at CedarCreek on July 28. The legendary Jim Cuddy will play on August 11 as part of this series.

Back to June! The Vibrant Vine (East Kelowna Wine Trail) is offering free live music every Saturday between 2 pm and 5 pm. The winery’s new patio and expanded picnic area will be hosting the Okanagan’s best Jazz, Cuban and Latin talent. Kids are welcome! Bring a picnic and enjoy a bottle of their fine wine on the lawn. Check the Vibrant Vine schedule for details.

Starting on July 2/3 and continuing every weekend through mid-August, House of Rose (East Kelowna Wine Trail) is launching its “Artists in Action” series. The series will bring together a wide variety of artists who will be exhibiting their work at the winery while also working on new pieces on-site. Each artist will offer one of their pieces for House of Rose’s end of summer auction taking place on September 3. Proceeds will go to the Kelowna Women’s Shelter and to the artists who offered their time, talents, and energy. Visiting House of Rose and seeing the Artists in Action is free to the public and will be a dynamic and inspiring visual display.

Also in July, Okanagan Villa and The Vibrant Vine will be bringing in Shakespeare Kelowna to present The Merry Wives of Windsor at the Villa (behind The Vibrant Vine wine shop). The play will show Wednesday through Saturday evenings from July 13 to July 30. Call the Okanagan Villa for more information.

At nearby Camelot Vineyards (East Kelowna Wine Trail), there will be a Medieval Festival on August 20. Last year’s inaugural festival was a huge success, with Medieval foods, weapons demonstrations, and of course some great wine!

August brings with it Mission Hill Family Estate’s concert series (Westside Wine Trail). This year they have The Canadian Tenors gracing the amphitheatre at the winery on August 13. On August 21 Mission Hill is welcoming Chris Isaak for his Okanagan Valley premiere in celebration of his latest album “Mr. Lucky.” Speaking of premieres, Mission Hill is showcasing an installation of the astounding sculptural pieces of Parisian artist Nathalie Decoster in a Canadian premiere for this artist. Ms. Decoster’s work can be seen throughout the grounds of the winery all summer long until October.

As you can see, summer brings with it a wide variety of art, music, food, and wine combinations at Kelowna-area wineries. Pick up a free Kelowna Wine Trails brochure at the Visitor Centre at 544 Harvey Ave. as your wine touring resource. Between the special events and the special experiences to be had on our wine trails, there more reasons to get out into the vines than you can shake a paintbrush at!

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.