Port in a Storm

Photo: Contributed Wine: Port in a Storm, NV Winery: Pentâge, Okanagan Falls Why drink it? Port comes from Portugal, but “port style” wines are emerging from wineries throughout the Okanagan, and these fortified wines can vary greatly depending on the grape and winem

Getting in the spirit

Photo: Contributed Everyone loves to visit during the holiday season, and many people have friends and family who come from far away. It’s lovely to hang around the house in one’s jammies and be lazy but at some point, it’s a good idea to get a bit of fresh air and st

Middle Bench Pinot Blanc

Photo: Contributed Wine: Winemaker’s Middle Bench Pinot Blanc, 2017 Winery: Clos du Soleil, Similkameen Valley Why drink it? The name, an “enclosed vineyard of the sun” is a reflection of the winery’s location in the Similkameen, wrapped by rocks and a stone

Traditions can be stressful

Photo: Contributed Well, we’re in it now. You might have been resisting - maybe you’re not a fan - but the holiday season is in full swing and the countdown is on. So now it’s all about the festivities, isn’t it? So much to do - decorations, gifts, a tree, parti

Foch Eh, Averill Creek

Photo: Contributed Wine: Foch Eh, 201 Winery: Averill Creek, Vancouver Island Why drink it? It’s nice to see a winery having fun, and when this bottle was dropped in the middle of a table full of conference goers, it brought smiles to everyone as they admired the maple leaf on

Cold and flu remedies

Photo: Contributed Tis the season; almost everyone is sniffling, coughing or moaning about feeling “flu-ish.” I know you’ve heard the ancient litanies before: don’t catch a chill wash your hands cover your mouth when you cough That’s al

Vista's Edge Cabernet Franc

Photo: Contributed Join our wine writer, Allison Markin, every week for a wine review complete with food and music pairings. Featuring Okanagan and Canadian wines, with an occasional international bottle, Castanet celebrates the bottles of our Valley and the diversity of the Canadian wine

Food with a pseudonym

Photo: Contributed William Shakespeare, or rather, Juliet, said: “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet."  Juliet was speaking of family names, saying that it didn’t matter to her that Romeo had the name of the family with whom her family feuded.

Rising from the ashes

Chantelle Deacon Not much is left after a fire engulfed three structures west of Armstrong early Sunday morning. At about 5 a.m. the Vernon North Okanagan RCMP assisted the Armstrong/Spallumcheen Fire Department with a structure fire located at a ranch in the 4500 block of Chamberlaine Roa

Township 7 Sauv Blanc

Photo: Contributed Join our wine writer, Allison Markin, every week for a wine review complete with food and music pairings. Featuring Okanagan and Canadian wines, with an occasional international bottle, Castanet celebrates the bottles of our Valley and the diversity of the Canadian wine

Rations and bread crusts

Photo: Contributed Rations, care packages and bread crusts I suppose at first glance that title might not seem like a logical bunch of stuff. But since I have your attention, let me share my train of thought… Remembrance Day is approaching. It’s been 100 years since t

BC apples take top spot

Photo: Contributed B.C. apples competing in this year’s National Apple Competition claimed top spot.  “The National Apple Competition raises awareness of the many great varieties and the outstanding growers,” says Glen Lucas, general manager of the BC Fruit

Burrowing Owl merlot

Photo: Contributed Join our wine writer, Allison Markin, every week for a wine review complete with food and music pairings. Featuring Okanagan and Canadian wines, with an occasional international bottle, Castanet celebrates the bottles of our Valley and the diversity of the Canadian wine

Changing my gears

Photo: Contributed Martin Eager, The Leaf Charmer, 2d_fantasy  I have now unpacked my wool sweaters and long pants and tucked away the flip flops and flimsy sun dresses. The tender plants in the garden have been brought in or covered with mulch and the patio chairs are stacked

Time Winery, Penticton

Photo: Contributed Join our wine writer, Allison Markin, every week for a wine review complete with food and music pairings. Featuring Okanagan and Canadian wines, with an occasional international bottle, Castanet celebrates the bottles of our Valley and the diversity of the Canadian wine

Food for your Soul

Photo: Contributed I have talked about the strong feelings of change that many of us feel at this time of year. The changing colours and weather seem to bring a sense of melancholy to some, restlessness in others. Historically these tumultuous feelings have been linked to the holidays of

Van Westen, Naramata

Photo: Contributed Join our wine writer, Allison Markin, every week for a wine review complete with food and music pairings. Featuring Okanagan and Canadian wines, with an occasional international bottle, Castanet celebrates the bottles of our Valley and the diversity of the Canadian wine

The transition of taste

Photo: Contributed Here in the Okanagan, we have been particularly fortunate this year with beautiful fall weather and the corresponding slow change of colours. Have you noticed the colours of our food changes too as we head into cooler, shorter days? It is a scientific fact that pe

Terry Vulcano

Photo: Terry Vulcano Castanet posed a question on truth and accountability to all 24 candidates and gave them four days to respond.  The candidates were asked to keep their responses to a maximum of 300 words and were asked to respond to the truth and accountability question no la

Baillie-Grohman, Creston

Photo: Contributed Join our wine writer, Allison Markin, every week for a wine review complete with food and music pairings. Featuring Okanagan and Canadian wines, with an occasional international bottle, Castanet celebrates the bottles of our Valley and the diversity of the Canadian wine