Food & Drink

New focus for Arterra

Photo: Don Urquhart The new Cellar Door & More celebrated the new tasting room with a weekend BBQ. The Jackson Triggs wine tasting room just outside of Oliver on Tuc-el-nuit Drive that many might be familiar with has rebranded as the Cellar Door & More, offering a much bigger s

'Labour of love' winery

Photo: Casey Richardson Alysha Harker, Oak Estate Winery owner, celebrates the imminent opening of their tasting room on Sunday. After multiple years of sprucing up their location into the dream property, a Summerland winery will soon be opening its tasting room to the public. Oak E

Nearly $75K redeemed

Photo: Chelsey Mutter Vernonites redeemed nearly $75,000 at the Vernon Farmers Market last year through its coupon program. Program manager Peter Leblanc says Vernon and area families redeemed 24,888 coupons for a total value of $74,664 in produce. Leblanc says the program has been

Haywire 2021 Gamay

Photo: Contributed Wine: Haywire 2021 Gamay Secrest Mountain Vineyard, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia Winery: Haywire Why drink it? For 14 years, Haywire wines were made as part of the Okanagan Crush Pad folio, but this year, Haywire has taken over, with colourful new labels, a

It's CheckMate for Kelly

Photo: CheckMate Artisanal Winery Spencer Kelly takes over as winemaker, returns to Okanagan roots. Napa Valley winemaker Spencer Kelly joins CheckMate Artisanal Winery, which has a sole focus on making premium wine from only two grape varieties - Chardonnay and Merlot - to take over t

Big White cantina for sale

Photo: Cantina del Centro Big White There's a new restaurant opportunity for the right operator at Big White Ski Resort. The Cantina del Centro closed down after this year's ski season ended and they have since listed the space for sale for $1,250,000. Big White Ski Resort s

Arrival of summer

Photo: Pixaby Some believe Stonehenge may have been constructed to mark the June solstice. I am writing this column on the day of the summer solstice (June 21), the longest day of the year. I am grateful that the sun has decided to celebrate the occasion and come out. The last few d

Cocktail lounge opens doors

Photo: Casey Richardson Click here to view gallery Photo: Casey Richardson Photo: Casey Richardson Photo: Contributed Photo: Casey Richardson Photo: Casey Richardson Photo: Casey Richardson Photo: Casey Richardson Photo: Casey Richardson Pentictonites are now invited to pull up a chai

Legacy winery at $6.5M

Photo: Chamberlain Property Group A long-standing legacy Summerland winery is up for sale, for a cool $6.5 million. Sumac Ridge Winery has been in operation for more than 40 years, reportedly one of the first operating wineries in British Columbia. It has a 14.43-acre footprint incl

Local wine wizard returns

Photo: Contributed World-renowned winemaker Spencer Kelly is bringing his expertise home. Hailing from the tranquil town of Kaleden, Kelly is returning from the Napa Valley to become the winemaker and general manager at CheckMate Artisanal Winery, located just south of Oliver. Kelly

Lab-grown meat approved

Photo: The Canadian Press Chicken salad dishes made from Good Meat's cultivated chicken. For the first time, U.S. regulators on Wednesday approved the sale of chicken made from animal cells, allowing two California companies to offer “lab-grown” meat to the nation's

Cool temps, sweet cherries

Casey Richardson One South Okanagan fruit grower has welcomed the recent cooler weather, helping the cherries nearing harvest to have increased sugar levels and lower acidity. Balpreet Gill, the operations manager for Gold Star Fruit Company in Oliver, had concerns last month about the imp

Blasted Church Pinot Noir

Photo: Contributed Wine: Blasted Church 2021 Pinot Noir Winery: Blasted Church Vineyards Why drink it? A sassy label and a sassy wine, brimming with juicy cherry and clay aromas and flavours. This is why you want to drink this Pinot Noir. It’s the funny and fun Blasted Church

Farmers market coupons

Photo: Penticton Farmers Market File photo The province is working to continue to improve access to healthy and locally produced foods once again with the Farmers' Market Nutrition Coupon Program. "Our government is proud to support the Farmers' Market Nutrition Coupon Pro

Help feed hungry bellies

Photo: Castanet file photo of donated canned goods The Salvation Army in Penticton is hosting its Family Fun and Food Drive Saturday, working to collect food for the community. A number of free activities will be running throughout the day as volunteers will be accepting non-perishable

New vegan bistro in town

Photo: StillFood Bistro The former site of Penticton's Wild Scallion restaurant has a new operation, styling itself StilFood Bistro & Cappuccino Bar and offering vegan fare. StillFood took over the space on Front Street this spring, after Wild Scallion announced in April it wou

Do you remember when?

Photo: Pixabay I remember camping as being a time when most of the everyday rules were suspended. Bedtime was when we were done having fun for the day and parents didn’t mind because that meant we were out of their hair. I’m not sure what is new and exciting for kids tod

Atrium back with Cabana

Chelsey Mutter After years of construction – and a pandemic – a Vernon classic has officially reopened. “I'm really excited to be welcoming the Vernon community back to the Vernon Lodge today. Our beautiful garden atrium restaurant, Cabana, is officially opened,&rdquo

Asian market off to hot start

Chelsey Mutter Exciting news for Vernon foodies – a new Asian market has opened its doors downtown. Fort Asian Food “soft-launched” this week, and manager Tifany Andrade says she’s been hearing great things from shoppers. “It's been very warm, and every

Road 13's 2020 Malbec

Photo: Contributed Wine: Road 13 Vineyards 2020 “John Oliver” Malbec Winery: Road 13 Vineyards Why drink it? The new John Oliver collection pays homage to, well, the late John Oliver. The town of Oliver is named after this popular farmer, politician (B.C.’s premier