Okanagan Valley a bonanza of epic flavours and beautiful views
Stunning Okanagan Valley in Canada, surrounded by mountains, lakes, orchards and vineyards
A bowl of juicy cherries amongst the amazing views of the Okanagan Valley
Okanagan Valley
The stunning Okanagan Valley in British Columbia, Canada, is surrounded by mountains, lakes, orchards and vineyards, making it both a destination playground and an agricultural treasure trove.
Over 240 wineries in the region
With four vibrant seasons, an abundance of natural resources, and unparalleled beauty, the opportunity to ski, golf, swim, and cycle (often on the same day!) makes it a magnet for visitors from around the world.
Along with world-class wines and the orchards’ bounty, the Okanagan Valley nourishes both body and soul.
Orchards are heavy with ripe apples
If Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and indulgence and Opora, the goddess of fruits of the earth, ever needed a vacation, they’d skip California and head straight for the Okanagan Valley.
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With orchards and vineyards stretching under blue skies, trees heavy with ripe fruit and plump grapes bursting into wine, this isn’t just fruit country – it’s fruit with attitude and Canada’s juiciest secret.
Canned peaches and peach pie
Grapes, peaches, apples, apricots, plums, nectarines, cherries… welcome Dionysus and Opora, indulge your vices in uniquely Okanagan locales.
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With over 240 wineries in the region, two stand out in expressing distinctly opposite personalities; the one thing they have in common is the mighty grape that produces their fabulous wines.
A bounty of apples during harvest time
The Dirty Laundry Winery in Summerland serves up a cheeky slice of local history to complement their award-winning wines.
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Legend has it that in the late 1800s, when the railway was being built, a Chinese immigrant by the name of Sam Suey opened a laundry that housed a bordello upstairs.
Dirty Laundry Winery’s history and award-winning wines
Workers on the railway would drop off their clothing at the laundry to be cleaned, but the real business took place behind the curtains.
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Today, the winery plays on its risqué past: when a hostess steps up to the wine-tasting bar, she regales customers with naughty tales about the laundry downstairs and the dirty upstairs, thus inspiring the winery’s name.
Ripe plums are ready for harvest
Leaning into its mischievous heritage, wines are given suggestive names that conjure intrigue, romance, and a hint of scandal: Dangerous Liaison, Secret Affair, Bordello.
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Even the pizzas served on the patio are in keeping with the saucy theme; enjoy a Veggie Vixin or a Fiery Affair with a bottle of Let’s Get Fizzical.
Succulent peaches are a summer favourite
A playful clothes-peg motif and women’s unmentionables hanging from a laundry line strike a little sass with a nod to the dirty laundry theme (wink wink).
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Further along the wine trail, the Hidden Chapel Winery is tucked behind thick shrubbery outside the town of Oliver.
Hidden Chapel Winery
Upon entering the tranquil grounds, one is greeted by a miniature white chapel standing alone in a forested glade behind the vineyard.
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The hobbit-sized sanctuary, complete with tiny pews and stained-glass windows, seemingly invites guests to atone for their naughty thoughts at the bordello down the road.
Interior sanctuary of the white chapel at Hidden Chapel Winery
Or if quiet contemplation is more one’s style, sit a spell on the rough-hewn step beside the ceramic angel and enjoy a pail of freshly picked apricots while watching for fairies in the forest.
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It might well have been just this ambience – along with a glass or two of their best – that provided the inspiration for bestowing the winery’s Pinot Noir, Syrah, Viognier and sparkling wines with chapel-inspired themes: Holy Smoke, The Collection, Amazing Grace on the Run, Hallelujah, Angels Gone Wilde and The Flying Nun.
The miniature white chapel standing behind the vineyard
The wedding-themed trilogy, White Wedding (Sauvignon Blanc), Blushing Bride (Rosé), and Shotgun Wedding (Cabernet Sauvignon), aptly applies to each of these varietals.
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Whether a winery’s personality is naughty or nice, Okanagan Valley grapes are the juicy little powerhouses they have in common, turning sunshine and soil into the very heartbeat of every bottle of wine.
Cherries are synonymous with summer itself, and Okanagan varieties are prized for their exceptional quality and flavour; a sweet celebration whether munching in your backyard… or packing in a picnic for an afternoon outing.
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A perfect mini adventure is to explore the Kettle Valley Railway trestles, high above the sweeping canyons and forests of Myra Canyon, just outside Kelowna.
Okanagan fruit ripened under endless sunshine
Once part of a railway route carved through rugged mountains, the eighteen towering wooden structures form one of the most scenic cycling and hiking trails in Canada, with views opening to dramatic cliffs and deep forested ravines.
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Stop to soak in and savour the dramatic scenery, and refuel with a snack of nature’s candy: Okanagan cherries, ripened under endless sunshine, designed to flirt with your taste buds and keep you wanting more!
Cherries of the Okanagan varieties are prized for their exceptional quality and flavour
Succulent peaches and plump plums have long been summer favourites, and a visit to many a backyard will find trees heavy with fruit lazing from branches and begging to be picked.
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With the velvety skin of peaches blushing from amber to crimson and just fuzzy enough to make one’s fingertips tingle, the first bite into the tender flesh is simply magical.
Baking with canned fruit preserves the memory of summer
With the sweet nectar dissolving on the tongue and juices shamelessly dripping down one’s chin, it’s the only way to surrender to a just-picked backyard peach.
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Once considered a powerful symbol of immortality, the gentle peach continues to invite us to succumb to its intoxicating pleasure.
Juicy jewels of the Okanagan
The understated jewels of the Okanagan are the deep purple and ruby red orbs dangling in clumps behind leafy curtains; behold the humble plum.
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Reach under the canopy of leaves, pluck a handful from a branch dripping with the ripened fruit and gently bite into the tangy zing of the smooth skin to savour the sweet-tart flesh.
Fragrance and flavours of the Okanagan summer
To capture the decadence of the first dizzying moments of love at first bite, it’s a rite of passage to preserve the memory by baking, freezing, roasting, dehydrating and canning fruit to be savoured on those days one needs to be reminded of the fragrance and flavour of an Okanagan summer.
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Peach chutney plum wine, anyone? And while the backyard gardener is preserving the crop of fruit for posterity, why not enjoy a warm peach pie or a zesty plum tart nestled in the folds of puff pastry?
A warm peach pie
In Greek mythology, apples symbolise love and beauty and are considered the fruit of the goddess Aphrodite.
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It would be fitting then, to have her join Dionysus and Opora to dance in the moonlight while apples party in the orchard, raining a cacophony of red, green, pink and yellow as they tumble into baskets below.
Backyard fruit trees
With over twenty varieties, popular Okanagan versions include Ambrosia, Honeycrisp, Gala, McIntosh and Spartan.
There is no shortage of inspiration with the versatility of the fruit that has mastered temptation in so many ways; apple pie, apple cider, applesauce, apple fritters, apple chutney, caramel apples… or simply cradle a perfectly ripened apple in your hands and bite in to revel in the satisfying crunch and crispness of Aphrodite’s treasure.
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If Isaac Newton had joined the party of Greek gods amongst the falling apples, would it have altered his theory of gravity?
Summer in the Okanagan Valley is sunshine, wine and fruit all rolled into one fabulous adventure.
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The vibrant colours alone inspire wonder, and whether wandering through orchards with a basket, cycling along sweeping vistas with a backpack of cherries, or lingering over another glass of wine (or the second piece of apple pie!), the only dilemma is where to start in this paradise of the gods.
Welcome to the wonders of the Okanagan!
Life is a bowl of cherries
Fun Okanagan Cherry Facts
The region produces 26-33 million pounds of cherries annually.
Unlike many other fruit, cherries do not continue to ripen once picked.
Every cherry is picked by hand to avoid bruising. Canadian-developed varieties can be identified with names beginning with the letter ‘S’: Satin, Sentennial, Skeena, Sonata, Sovereign, Staccato, Stardust, Suite Note, Sweetheart, and Sylvia.
Cherries selected for export will have been photographed 32 times by eight computers in the production line to meet size, weight, firmness, and colour standards.
Courtesy of Gold Star Fruit Company, Oliver, BC
Text and photos Elaine Crebo
