WEB EXCLUSIVE: Fall Okanagan Wine Festival
Kelowna, British Columbia
In British Columbia, the Okanagan Valley is a fertile and bucolic area that produces fruit and grapes in abundance. It has become one of western Canada’s most popular wine regions, and for 10 days in October, the entire valley celebrates its bounty with the Fall Okanagan Wine Festival.
“The festival happens right during the fall harvest,” said Blair Baldwin, general manager of the Okanagan Wine Festivals Society. “You can see the whole Okanagan wine country. It’s an amazing perspective for a tour, because you can drive the entire valley in about three and a half hours. There are a variety of beautiful lakes, and [there are] vineyards on the sides of beautiful hills.”
Unlike some festivals, which take place in one central location, this celebration is spread out all throughout the Okanagan Valley, with more than 120 events taking place at some of the 250 area wineries. These range from free grape stomps to $200-per-plate dinners. Groups can participate in outdoor pig roasts, farm-to-table dinners, wine tastings, and seminars focusing on pairing wine with cheese or chocolate.
Two larger events anchor the festival. The first is a two-night tasting in Kelowna, the area’s largest city.
“We bring in 60 wineries to a really funky building in Kelowna,” Baldwin said. “It’s a tour of Okanagan wine country under one roof. There’s live music, wine tasting and light catering to cleanse the palate.”
The festival wraps up with a similar, larger event in Penticton, which features about 100 wineries and an on-site wine store.
The American Bus Association has named the Fall Okanagan Wine Festival one of the Top 100 Events in North America for 12 of the last 15 years.