Wild Goose white blend

Photo: Contributed Wine: Autumn Gold (white blend), 2019 Winery: Wild Goose, Okanagan Falls Why drink it? If you’re familiar with this winery, you’ll know that this is a signature and very popular bottle. A blend of Riesling, Gewürztraminer, and Pinot

A good old-fashioned scare

Photo: Contributed This year has been full of symbols and foreboding. 2020 seems like it was made for Halloween. There is a meme going around that says there is no need to celebrate, as we have been wearing masks and eating candy for months now. I did laugh, albeit ruefully. Instead

Equinox sparkling wine

Photo: Contributed Wine: Equinox (sparkling), 2016 Winery: Township 7, Penticton Why drink it? While this sparkling wine is exclusive to the winery’s club members, that shouldn’t deter you from exploring the various Seven Stars sparkling options as Township develops its

Tribute to Ella

Photo: Contributed It’s harvest time. Halloween is coming. Pumpkins are everywhere and the last of the fresh fruit and veggies is on the tables at farm stands.  I should have lots to say as a foodie this week. But I’ve got nothing. I lost my mojo. Her name was Ella.

'Weed should be like beer'

Photo: The Canadian Press Actor Seth Rogen, right, and business partner Evan Goldberg. When actor Seth Rogen was growing up and smoking cannabis in Vancouver, he recalls there was a constant cloud of shame around the substance that still lingers. "I smoke weed all day and every

Dirty Laundry Red Blend

Photo: Contributed Wine: Hush (red blend), 2019 Winery: Dirty Laundry, Summerland Why drink it? The Hush series of wines is a popular one for Dirty Laundry, where just about everything is a little tongue-in-cheek with a dash of fun. A blend of Malbec, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon,

Memories on your calendar

Photo: Contributed I thought about doing a column on the weird food holidays on the calendar, but the more I researched, the sillier it all became.  Robbie Burns Night celebrates his birthday on Jan. 25 with haggis and scotch, but then cherries and strawberries are celebrated in F

50th Parallel Pinot Noir

Photo: Contributed Wine: Pinot Noir, 2017 Winery: 50th Parallel, Lake Country Why drink it? Fall is Pinot season. This one shies away from a delicate style with a bolder presence on the nose and on the tastebuds. Crushed red berries, rosemary spice, light cigar box smokiness lift ou

Okanagan's sausage king

Peter Kaz and David Scarlatescu are back with the latest episode of Hello Okanagan. This week, they kick off an Octoberfest two-part series as they visit the sausage king of the Okanagan – Helmut of Helmut's Sausage Kitchen. Each week, Kaz and Scarlatescu talk with Okanagan

Halloween ripple

Photo: Contributed We have been spoiled in style this October. This week, we have enjoyed sunshine and warmth as if summer were not already over. I decided I should celebrate such good fortune, so Ella and I went for ice cream. For me, summer ice cream cones are at least one scoop n

Maple Leaf Peach Liqueur

Photo: Contributed Wine: Peach Liqueur Winery: Maple Leaf Spirits, Penticton Why drink it? Winner of a gold medal at the 2020 Canadian Artisan Spirit Competition, this spirit from the Naramata Bench will take you back to the height of fruit harvest when you’re huddled inside o

For the love of cider

Peter Kaz and David Scarlatescu are back with the latest episode of Hello Okanagan. This week, they talk all things cider with the friendly folks at Vernon's BX Press Cidery – and of course they do some sampling as well. Each week, Kaz and Scarlatescu talk with Okanagan business

Beer's a byproduct of bread

Photo: Contributed Origins of old recipes Do you know the saying, “there’s no such thing as an original idea?” Some folks say the same is true of recipes. Their argument is that all we do is adapt what someone somewhere already created. My defence to that is all

Hester Creek Sparkling

Photo: Contributed Wine: Ti Amo (sparkling), 2019 Winery: Hester Creek, Oliver Why drink it? The first sparkling wine to come from Hester, this “I love you” bottle is an enticing prosecco-style blend of Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, and a touch of Semillon with fruitiness

Sufferin' succotash

Photo: Cartoon Networx Does anyone else remember that expression "sufferin' succotash?" Sylvester the cat used to say that whenever he was frustrated. I loved the sound of the words, even though I didn’t know what succotash was. Imagine my delight when I discovered

Cooking with fire

Photo: Contributed My motivation for writing this week was all around me. Despite having a year here that was not as hot or as dry as usual, we are surrounded by the smoke of forest fires. I send out positive vibes to all the people working to fight those fires and to the people workin

2018 Mandaray white blend

Photo: Contributed Wine: Mandaray (white blend), 2018 Winery:  Mt. Boucherie, West Kelowna Why drink it? A collaboration with Save On, this white blend also has a partner red under the relatively new “white label”. The 2019 is available now; the 2018 is a blend of R

The taste of change

Photo: Contributed We have been fortunate to have warm days as the calendar page turned to September. The nights are, however, cool. Everything is different as summer sets on the horizon and autumn rises.  When Ella and I walk in the orchards, the air is crisp and the aromas in

Pinot Noir Clonal Series

Photo: Contributed Wine: Pinot Noir Clonal Series, 2018 Winery: CedarCreek, Kelowna Why drink it? Why not have three bottles of Pinot Noir instead of one? CedarCreek has put together three pinots from three different clones – 115, 667, 777 – for the wine geek in all of u

An heirloom like no other

Photo: Contributed As a gardener, I look forward to the harvest all summer. All the watering, weeding, trimming, and encouragement is in hopes of a beautiful bounty this time of year. For a Prairie kid like me who grew up watching my parents hope desperately for enough warm, sunny d