Food & Drink

2021 Transfiction Rosé

Photo: Contributed Wine: Red Barn Winery at Jagged Rock 2021 Transfiction Rosé Winery: Red Barn Winery at Jagged Rock Why drink it? A blend of hand-harvested Cabernet Franc, Syrah and Sangiovese, this medium pink sipper is unusual because of the Sangiovese, far from a common

Getting down and dirty

Photo: Castanet They say April showers bring May flowers. In the Okanagan this year, we seem to have mostly skipped the rain and jumped ahead to the flowers. I love seeing the spring blossoms, and perennial plants are the garden gift that keeps on giving. I love having the instant grat

Financial help for wineries

Photo: Tourism Kelowna Farm Credit Canada has vowed to step up and help the B.C. wine industry make up for impending losses due to last winter’s cold spell. Wine Growers BC is predicting there will be a 39 per cent to 56 per cent drop in wine and grape production this year due to

First Nation food security

Photo: Facebook/OKIB The chief of the Okanagan Indian Band says the announcement of provincial funding is an important step toward Indigenous food sovereignty. The OKIB is among 15 First Nations across B.C. to each receive $80,000 for cultural food programs. "The Indigenous

Watch out for fawns

Photo: Penticton Animal Care & Control Penticton's Animal Care and Control Services are reminding dog walkers to be on alert now that baby deer and protective does are back out. "Please keep your dogs on leash and give sufficient room when passing by a doe with or without

Pub crawl with free rides

Photo: Castanet Bright Eye Brewing on Tranquille Road is one of the stops on a pub crawl planned for next Friday, put on by Downtown Kamloops and the NSBIA. Downtown Kamloops and the North Shore Business Improvement Association are hosting a pub crawl next week that will include establ

'Refined' restaurant opens

Casey Richardson A new restaurant opened in downtown Penticton is excited to “extend their kitchen to the rest of the community.” Kin & Folk had their grand opening day on Tuesday, after many months of renovations and fine-tuning the space at 557 Main Street alongside their

Township 7 Polaris

Photo: Contributed/Township 7 Wine: Township 7 2019 Seven Stars Polaris Sparkling Wine Winery: Township 7 Why drink it? Polaris gets its name from our galaxy’s North Star and is the main bubble in Township 7’s sparkling program. Like the star, this classy sparkling wine

Remembering Julia Child

Photo: Wikipedia/Lynn_Gilbert Julia Child's cooking show, The French Chef, was one of the first cooking programs on television. I was watching a show about the late Julia Child recently, showcasing her rise to fame as a television star. Did you know she had one of the first cook

Crush pad turns into winery

Casey Richardson The community celebrated the official opening of a Summerland Winery on Thursday, as the former crush pad became a featured shop. Haywire Winery unveiled its new tasting room, wines and design to local industry members with owners Christine Coletta and Steve Lorie. When

Cambium Cidery expands

Chelsey Mutter Guests returning to Vernon's Cambium Cidery (formerly BX Press) are sure to notice something different. The cidery has added a new restaurant, built a kitchen, dining room and new patio space along with it. Owners Melissa Dobernigg and Christian Scott joke that guests

Hillside 2021 Viognier

Photo: Contributed Wine: Hillside Winery 2021 Heritage Series Viognier Winery: Hillside Winery Why drink it? Viognier is an ancient wine grape associated with France’s Rhone Valley, where it likely ended up after the Romans went through in the third century. Flash forward to n

'Thanks, mom'

Photo: Contributed When I was a kid, I was weird. I liked wearing a flowery embroidered purple tunic with just about anything, regardless of colour or pattern (it was my favourite top). I wore horizontally striped socks with skirts. I carried a book bag years before any of my schoolmat

Robot vs. man-made beer?

Photo: The Canadian Press It may have been the greatest battle between robots and humans to ever take place inside a Saskatchewan brewery.  The grain mash was masterful and the fermentation feisty as a brewer went head to head in a taste-off with ChatGPT to find out who, or what,

New mural for JoJo's Cafe

Photo: Don Urquhart Wina Poliquin (left) with the mural artist Emily Muller in the seating area behind JoJo?s Cafe where the panel will be installed. The Osoyoos mural project may be taking a new direction as JoJo’s Cafe is the latest business to sponsor a mural for its back wall

'Elevated spirits' at distillery

Photo: Casey Richardson A spot on the corner of Martin Street and Nanaimo Avenue will soon be open again in Penticton, filled with craft cocktails and distilled spirits. Sunny Mehta, the owner, operator and 'liquor baron', as he refers to himself, exudes passion as he speaks ab

Lake Village Bakery farewell

Photo: Don Urquhart The bakery lies silent, dark and forlorn with a "For Lease" sign in the window. An Osoyoos institution closed its doors for good last week as the owners of the Lake Village Bakery were unable to find a buyer for the bakery and have shuttered the business.

Special wines from Harper's

Photo: Harper's Trail Winery Kamloops' first winery will be releasing an exclusive selection of library wines to celebrate the owners’ retirement. Ed and Vicki Collett, Harper's Trail's owners, will be showcasing a collection of signature cellared varieties from 2

Asparagus snapped up fast

Photo: Chelsey Mutter Local asparagus season is officially here – if you can get it before it's gone. The arrival of the first local produce of the season is always eagerly anticipated, and that was the case Monday morning at the Vernon Farmers Market. The first pickings s

Dirty Laundry Vineyards

Photo: Contributed Dirty Laundry Vineyard's Let's Get Fizzical Wine: Dirty Laundry Vineyard 2021 Let’s Get Fizzical Winery: Dirty Laundry Vineyard Why drink it? As if the fun reference to the Olivia Newton-John hit from the early 1980s wasn’t enough of a reaso