Countdown to the Okanagan Spring Wine Festival

Photo: Okanagan Wine Festivals

It’s still a month away but spring feels like it’s been whipping by, so why not start planning now for the spring version of the Okanagan Wine Festival?

Starting June 2, which will be here before we know it, and running throughout the Okanagan Valley for three weeks, the festival will include many events and experiences to choose from before the busy summer season begins.

This year’s festival will focus on a TASTE and SIPS series of events throughout the Valley, with the official festival launch June 7 at the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre.

Following the British Columbia Wine Awards private reception, where the 2024 B.C. Top 50 wines and the Wine of the Year will be announced, the wines will make their first public appearance as Valley First presents the B.C. TOP 50 Grand Tasting. It will be a great way to start your wine shopping list before the winners sell out.

A few days prior to the Grand Tasting, the TASTE series will hold its first event on the Naramata Bench, which will include six vouchers to be redeemed for an elevated tasting experience at participating wineries. The weekend after the Grand Tasting event, the District Wine Village will host its own TASTE events on June 8 and 9.

Fans of rosé may want to plan to attend Kelowna’s Sandhill Wines Rose-focused TASTE event June 13, and the TASTE series will wrap up June 23 along the Scenic Sip Wine Trail in Lake Country.

On the SIP side of the festival, two signature events are planned. With Mother’s Day and Father’s Day on the horizon, tickets for these events would make great gifts.

SUMMER SIPS will take place in the south Okanagan at Spirit Ridge Resort in Osoyoos on June 8, featuring an afternoon of wine tasting paired with bites from The Bear, The Fish, The Root, and The Berry, while SOLTICE SIPS will be held in the North Okanagan June 22 at SilverStar Mountain Resort, taking place outside in the charming resort village.

As the festival approaches, more events may be added to the roster, and conveniently, there’s a good list of experiences leading up to June that can be perused online here, and pondered with friends who may be planning to visit this season.

Before the hustle of summer, head out to a part of the Okanagan Valley that you haven’t visited in a while, check out what’s new, stock your cellar and taste and sip along the way.

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