I'm Only Here for the Food!

This is the third winery I visited on my second full day in Kelowna. At this point, the weather was starting to improve (see my entry for St. Hubertus).

Wine-wise, Summerhill’s claim of fame would be the pyramid where the wines are stored for a period of time before they are sold and the fact their wines are organic. I am not sure if it makes any difference but… As for the wines themselves, unfortunately, I sampled red wines. Huh? OK, let me explain: I don’t like red wines in general (there are small exceptions). Based on the wines I have tasted and conversation with other people, it seem it is due to the tannins. I am not sure if this is true or not but, regardless, I tasted a Cabernet Savignon and skipped the rest of the sampling (as the rest of the sampling menu was red). However, the attendee noticed that and, instead, gave me something (not in the regular tasting menu) I could not refuse: ice wine!

A bit of explanation here: unlike regular wine grapes, ice wine grapes are harvested several months after the regular harvest, when the temperature drops to -8C. At this point, the grapes are frozen and, as a result, the sugar is concentrated in the single drop of juice it can produce. (If the temperature rises above -8C during this process, it can’t be considered to be ice wine). After the “usual” fermentation process, the result is a sweet, somewhat “syrupy” drink. However, when you taste it, you would not believe it is wine! Now, because of everything involved in the creation of icewine (manpower, weather conditions, low yield), these are not cheap: a 375 mL bottle can be easily $50.00 (compared to a 750mL of wine for as little as $15). Of course, I am talking about young wines, not old ones.

I also had lunch here which, in a way, was not spectacular. However, the scenery… Again, I will let the pictures do the talking. Comments appreciated!