Perhaps some of you are familiar with the historic Laurel Packinghouse? The Laurel is a nationally-designated heritage building and is the oldest and largest standing packinghouse in British Columbia. It was built over the winter of 1917/18 and was a working packinghouse until the 1970s.

The Laurel Packinghouse

In 1982 the Kelowna Museums Society fought hard to save the building from demolition. In 1988 the building restoration was completed and in 1989 the British Columbia Orchard Industry Museum was officially opened. Further renovations to the building occurred in 1996 and resulted in the opening of The BC Wine Museum & VQA Wine Shop.

The Laurel then went through a restructuring phase between October 2009 and November 2010. As part of this the Orchard and Wine Museums were redesigned to better portray both of these local industries.

Vineyard, c. 1940's (KPA#9812)

Today there are approximately 209 BC Wineries and of these approximately 125 are VQA associated, of which 80+ are represented in the VQA Wine Shop! A large portion of all proceeds from the Wine goes back to the Wineries and the remainder of the proceeds go to support the Kelowna Museums – it’s a win-win situation, as we are able to support the local economy as well as promote our cultural heritage.

VQA Wine Shop

So now that you have some facts and history on the BC Wine Museum and VQA Wine Shop come in and take a look. Chat with our wine experts, try a sample of our daily wine pick or come on by for our weekly Saturday Tasting Series (2:00 pm to 4:00pm) every week or our monthly Neighbourhood Nosh (first Thursday from 4:00-6:00 pm).

BC Wine Museum and VQA Wine Shop hours: Mon.-Fri.: 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, Sat: 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, Sun. & Holidays: 11:00 am to 5:00 pm.

CHEERS!

Edmonton-based Stone Iris Played an energetic set last night at O’Flannigans in support of their new EP, Illuminations. After kicking off with the folksy “Shalala”, the band moved on to some newer, funkier numbers. They consistently impressed with their range of style, moving seamlessly from folk to rock, blues to funk and back again.

By the second song in their set, they already had a healthy crowd gathered in front of the stage, dancing and singing along. The casual setting belied the tightness of a group that is obviously used to playing together, trading off solos and vocals with ease. Combined with a couple of beers, it was a perfect soundtrack to a cool, early-summer night in Kelowna.

The band continues their Western Canadian tour tonight in Prince George before returning to their home province of Alberta for dates in Hinton, Red Deer, Canmore, and Calgary. They’ll be home for a month before embarking on another North American tour which will take them through Western Canada, and across to Florida. If you missed them this time around, watch out for them in July.

I am quite a fortunate lad. You see, I have a wife who drags me out of bed at ungodly hours of the morning every weekend. In and of itself, this might seem like a sadistic version of “lucky” to you. However, were it not for said wife and her slightly psychotic pack of runners who convene before the rooster rises, I wouldn’t have the opportunity to explore many nooks and crannies of the Okanagan. The best part? I get to do it during the hours of the day when the silence has yet to be broken.  Prohibitive as it may be to less-rested folk, I am especially grateful on the days when I find that my unknown adventure leads to a reward greatly exceeding the early morning anguish. My venture to Pincushion Summit was one of those ventures.

Nestled in the back of a neighbourhood, just beyond the Ponderosa Golf & Country Club, lies the trail head. To get there, take 1^st Ave from Highway 97 in Peachland, and quickly turn left on to Ponderosa Drive. Follow it all the way to the end and voila, we have an adventure in the making.

Now I must warn you, if your lungs are prone to burning from a couple flights of stairs, you may want to take this one slow. At times, this hike seems like more of a climb. Pincushion Mountain is not for the faint of heart. You really have to monitor your footing on this little trek since there are some teeth-like protuberances and some gravel that really make you dance with the wrong traction.

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It all comes down to living life with passion and not letting even the largest obstacles cloud your vision, a great lesson learned through the creation of Upper Bench Estate Winery & Creamery in Penticton.

I’ve recently had the opportunity to sit down with Shana Miller, Cheesemaker and part owner of the newly opened winery & creamery in Penticton. Shana’s husband Gavin is the winemaker, Wayne & Margareta Nystrom are part owners and grow grapes for the operation, and their daughter Tessa is in charge of marketing AND will be organizing and producing Tessa’s Tree Fruit Stand this summer. Plus her beautiful photography is showcased in the tasting room!

Gavin & Shana Miller met each other while Shana was living at Poplar Grove Winery in the 90′s. That Gavin Miller has quite the following in the industry, they all know who he is and just what he’s capable of producing. Throughout the years he’s created award-winning wines at places like Painted Rock and Poplar Grove. It’s long been a dream of theirs to open their own family operation, but of course finding land on the Naramata Bench and kicking the whole thing off the ground ain’t no walk in the park!!

King Cole, the boldest of the blue cheeses produced by Upper Bench Estate Winery & Creamery

In January 2011, a foreclosed Holman Lang establishment was up for auction so Gavin and Shana viewed it, it was perfect! But hold on… after more number crunching they realized they were just not going to be able to scrape the money together to launch the business the right way, and there is no such thing as doing a half-ass job in that family. Dismayed and downtrodden they felt it all sliding away…

A peek into the cheese locker!

Until one fateful day Gavin found himself standing in line at the grocery store with an old friend he hadn’t seen in ages and the pair got to talking; catching up on years past. Gavin filled his friend in on what life’s hand was dealing them, feeling so close but so far away to building their own piece of the wine industry pie. The very next day they received a phone call from that friend in line at the grocery store, saying that his wife had recently been talking about opening their own winery (they already grow grapes on their property at Margaretta Vineyards), and they were ready to make partners. Instantly the bond was formed, they created their partnerships and got right down to business. Gavin and a realtor friend made the trip to Vancouver to fight for the property. The anticipation was fierce, but in the end the Miller’s bid was the highest. THEY WON! THEY WON! Oh how their heads were spinning, they were about to live out their dreams! The years and years of each of them perfecting their craft was about to be realized in starting their own company in the sunny Okanagan! One year later, viola! Upper Bench Estate Winery and Creamery is now open for business!

 Here’s a list of the goods they have on sale in their tasting room right now:

Wine:

Riesling (2011)

Pinot Gris (2011)

Pinot Blanc (2011)

Chardonnay (2011)

Upper Bench Winery's 2011 Rose

Rosé (2011)

Pinot Noir (2010)

Merlot (2010)

Upper Bench Estate Winery supports the “Put a Cork In It” recycling program. Cork is a 100% recyclable and renewable resource that can be used to make building materials such as cork underlay, cork flooring, acoustical cork wall tiles, and

cork fabrics which all qualify for LEED points in sustainable building practices. For more information on “Put A Cork In It” check out their website at putacorkinit.ca

Cheese:

Gold (washed rine, firm, many ‘eyes’, pairs with Chardonnay or Pinot Blanc)

Gold French (firm, brine washed, mad with basil, rosemary, oregano, thyme, lavender, fennel, tarragon herbs, pair with Riesling)

Gold Italian (firm, brine wash, made with sundried tomato, onion, and garlic herbs, pair with Pinot Gris)

Okanagan Sun (mild, soft, brine washed, pair with Pinot Noir)

U & Brie (buttery, creamy, pair with Rosé)

King Cole (12 wks old, full flavoured blue cheese, pair with Merlot)

Grey Baby (mild blue, veins throughout, pair with Pinot Noir)

Moody Cow Coming Soon!

Artist Johann Wessels paints the mural on the side of Upper Bench Estate Winery & Creamery

When it came time to start re-designing the drab building, the owners threw around the idea of having a mural painted on the facade of the building. Next thing they knew an artist walked through the door and pitched the idea of having a mural painted on the side of their building. “Oh really? Funny… we were thinking the same thing!!”

Johann Wessels is the artists name, originally from South Africa he was used to seeing great wineries cloaked in beautiful murals and just felt something was missing from the wine country in the Okanagan – there was no large-scale art. On a hope and a prayer he approached the Upper Bench owners and pitched the idea of having the murals on their building. That project went off without a hitch and Johann would love to see more being created throughout our area.

He’s been a part of the Re-Imagine Festival which is an event hosted by the Downtown Penticton Association. The organizers get artists together and disperse them throughout the downtown core to places graffiti (artists?) would target, and create a mural there instead. As a graffiti (artist?!) would not likely paint over someone else’s art it is a great way to beautify and preserve the downtown core. You will have to keep your eyes open the next time you’re in our beautiful little city!

Please check out Johann’s website at johannwessels.com

I would definitely keep this stop on your list of places to visit this summer!

The Following

Was Spotted

Enlarge

Spotted this band set up outside of Paramount theatre downtown. They played a full set. Currently on a West Coast Tour, they play May 15th at O’Flannigans. Wicked sounds! Seems the RCMP didn’t mind them not having a buskers permit and playing at an illegal buskers stop. ;)

We’ve leaned on Tania for Focus Fridays enough times to realize that she might be the Okanagan’s resident Bird Whisperer. Not that her other subjects aren’t cool — she’s got great landscapes, macros and lifestyle shots too — but a quick trip through her Flickr pages reveals her main area of interest. This is a passionate birder with strong photographic skills and a love of beauty.

Most of us pay little attention to our feathered friends — we might occasionally enjoy their songs or flashes of colour without having any idea what we’re seeing or hearing. Since I started following Tania’s photos a couple of years ago, I’ve learned a lot about the birds that frequent our valley. I notice them more now, marveling at their infinite variety and amazing ability to survive cold winters or long migrations. Thankfully Tania has not yet migrated away, and she was kind enough to answer a few questions about her pursuit.

What got you started in photography, and how long have you been taking photos in the Okanagan?

Hummingbirds got me started — I became fascinated by them and wanted to capture their beauty.  I started with a point-and-shoot camera and from there my passion for photography bloomed.  I wanted better photos of them, so I made the decision to upgrade to a DSLR about six years ago.

Favourite locations in the valley?

My favourite location in the valley is Hardy Falls Regional Park in Peachland — I never go home disappointed.  The park offers so much beauty year round, from the waterfall and creek to the smallest wildflower; not to mention the abundance of birds and wildlife.  It is one of the best places to visit for autumn foliage and winter landscapes.  Some of my other favourite places include Okanagan Lake Provincial Park in Summerland and No. 22 Road/Black Sage Road in Oliver.

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On May 19^th Awesome Okanagan welcomes Dominique Fricot and Ciseaux‘s Katie Shaan to Fernando’s (279 Bernard Avenue, Kelowna) as part of their Western Canadian tour to promote each of their new albums.

Dominique Fricot

Fricot, from Vancouver, was once songwriter and frontman for a band called “The Painted Birds”.  While together they had been involved in some remarkable events like the 2009 PEAK Performance Project, Canadian Music Week, NXNE, The Western Canadian Music Awards, and the prestigious SXSW in Austin Texas. They’ve since parted ways, but Fricot is pursuing the dream and celebrates the release of his newest record, If Baby Could Walk.

If Baby Could Walk opens with a gloriously heart wrenching track called “Seashore”. It emulates the feeling of being so goddamn sad and emotionally broken, and all the while you let yourself baste (yes, like a turkey) in the gluttonous pleasure inside the pain. Fricot’s writing style in this tune would pair ever so beautifully with someone like Dan Mangan.

“Haunted By Love”, the second track on the album made me stop and do a double take. “Yo dude, that’s not Coldplay, is it?!” Nope, not even close… BETTER. Fricot’s styling just sounds so easy, the layers are definitely complex and the way it comes together in the end is remarkable. Someone took this guy’s heart and broke it into a million beautiful little pieces.

The last track “Burn and Start Over” shows the natural progression of healing a broken heart. Realizing that he may have been blinded by the love he had for this girl and feeling a bit stupid because of it. She’s trying to avoid him, and it scares him that she’s now gone from his life. The structure of the song is the most energetic of the lot, showing faster tempo and rockin’ guitar riffs to cap off the story to this man’s heart break.

If you’ve ever had your heart broken you’ll eat this up. You might even find your new musical obsession. Keep you eye on this guy, he’s going places!

Watch this interactive Music Video he made!

Ciseaux

Ciseaux is the latest project of Katie Schaan of Victoria, BC. This young lady has wicked classical stylings and takes great influence from some fantastic genres which makes it hard to nail down what her music ‘is’. It’s magic. It’s happy, it’s tragic, it’s engaging, it’s full of flavour. This album breathes. I highly suggest you spend some time with it and uncover its many layers of craftsmanship.

One of my fave’s is “Dance Card”, an energetic approach to disco, get out on the floor and dance baby! Ya! “You want a spot on my dance card?” Classic!

“The Story” is another great track. Drawing influence from pop queens of the 80′s and current celebrity performing artists, this song is shrouded in mystery. Think Pat Benatar, Madonna, and Gaga.

I also have to mention the first two songs on the album, “The Ocean” and “The Game”. The lyrics and the music in both these tracks are epic. They remind me of songs performed by people like Florence Welch & Adele. I wouldn’t be surprised if Ciseaux’s music gets used in the film industry, every song is flawless and dynamic.

I’m very excited to see where this girl’s career takes her, I got the feeling you can’t keep her pinned down.

Where: Fernando’s Pub (279 Bernard Avenue)
When: Saturday, May 19, 2012 — 8:30pm
How Much: $8
For: 19+