Orofino is located at 2152 Barcelo Road in beautiful Cawston, BC V0X 1C2 | (250) 499-0068 | www.orofinovineyards.com

The GOODS from Orofino Strawbale Winery

Cawston, BC | Orofino in the Similkameen Valley has just created a new blog – The Orofino Press – that will follow the 2011 grape harvest from the vineyards to the barrels. Its not the glossy stuff created by the dozens of PR people they have hired but the everyday dirt on decisions that have to be made, the progression of the harvest and insights on making wine in the beautiful Similkameen Valley. Owners John and Virginia Weber along with their cellarhand Aaron Godard will post regular updates and pictures. What they are drinking, music they are listening to and maybe even the odd rant about the Saskatchewan Roughriders are all fair game. Its all things Orofino…

Details

2152 Barcelo Road | Cawston, BC V0X 1C2
Telephone: (250) 499-0068
Email: orofino@nethop.net
Website: www.orofinovineyards.com

GALLERY

The People

Owners: Virginia and John Weber
Winemaker: John Weber

ABOUT US

John and Virginia Weber both grew up in Southern Saskatchewan far away from anything to do with grapes and the wine industry. The closest they ever got to wine production was the jugs of chokecherry wine John’s parents made in their basement. Virginia studied nursing and became a registered nurse and John received a Bachelor of Arts in English and then went on to finish an Education degree from the University of Saskatchewan. Both got the travel bug and spent the majority of the two years after university travelling and working abroad. It was on these travels that their affair with the world of wine was cultivated. Virginia spent time as an au pair in France and then nursing with a non-profit organization in the slums of India. John travelled in Europe, studied French in Southwest France and bartended in England. He had two separate experiences with development work in Brazil. The first working with street kids in the poor Northeast and the second with a Brazilian organization that worked with subsistence farmers in the poorest part of Brazil. After these experiences, the two of them settled down and took teaching and nursing positions around Swift Current , Saskatchewan. They then met the Similkameen Valley in 2001. The desire to try something new, their love of wine and the beauty of the Similkameen convinced them to purchase a vineyard and move from Saskatchewan to the Similkameen Valley to try something new. They quickly fell in love with the area and its burgeoning wine industry.

OROFINO VINEYARD

The 6 acre Orofino vineyard was first planted in 1989 making these vines some of the oldest in the valley. It still has some original blocks including Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Riesling and Muscat. Replacement blocks include some Merlot (1999), Pinot Noir (2002 and 2008), and Petit Verdot (2010). Vines are grown in sandy loam with no rocks found for at least 2 feet. After that it is all river rock and gravel. The bench is prime agricultural land and has a proven track record for growing premium grapes.

THE WINERY

The Orofino winery buildings were constructed in 2004/2005. It is Canada’s only winery built out of straw bales. The eco-friendly design consists of two buildings adjoined by a breezeway. We chose this building method after much research and planning. “Earthy” 21 inch thick walls provide superior insulation qualities – ideal for manufacturing constant barrel room temperatures and for keeping us cool in our desert heat. The buildings are beautiful and very unique. We are licensed so visitors can purchase wine and enjoy a picnic amongst our vines, almond, walnut, and oak trees. The wineshop is stocked with hard to find artisanal food products that enhance the visitor’s experience. Salts, olives, chocolate, olive oil and specialty vinegars are all available.

THE WINES

Orofino produces small lots of premium wines from both estate grown grapes and from small vineyards tended by some of the Similkameen’s best farmers. The grapes and the terroir are a big part of Orofino’s success. We consistently produce a portfolio of award-winning wines that include our Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Red Bridge Merlot and a Bordeaux blend we call ‘Beleza”. Other ridiculously small lots of various wines are also produced such as our Gamay and fabled late-harvest Muscat. Our wines have won multiple gold medals at the All Canadian Wine Championships as well as other respected competitions.

The 1.6 Mile Dinner

Orofino hosts the annual 1.6 Mile Dinner every summer. This is a hyper-locavore experience as everything consumed that night is produced within 1.6 miles of the winery. It is a truly enchanting evening of fine-dining, our best wines and the magic of the Similkameen. It is well-worth a planned visit!

Orofino Winery is located at 2152 Barcelo Road in Cawston, BC | 250-499-0068 | www.orofinovineyards.com

The GOODS from Orofino

Cawston, BC | This unique event celebrates the beauty of the Similkameen Valley in all her forms. The evening will consist of a five course meal involving only the best foods provided by artisan producers from within a 1.6 mile radius of Orofino Winery.  Each course will be expertly crafted by chefs Cameron Smith and Dana Ewart, owners of the highly regarded Joy Road Catering company. Delectable surprises, unique produce and world-class flavours will be paired with Orofino’s best wines. Please join us in our beautiful winery courtyard for an enchanted evening of fine dining, remarkable wine, and good company! Get all the details after the jump…

THE INFO

Date: Saturday, August 6th (note the event will only be held on one evening this year!)
Time: Welcoming wine and canapés at 5:30. Dinner to follow.
Tickets: $125 per person.

Contact Orofino at (250)499-0068 or orofino@nethop.net for reservations

We are thrilled to partner with Cam and Dana of Joy Road Cooking this year! Their love of all things local is reflected in their acclaimed “Cuisine du Terroir”. They bring fresh ideas and flavours to the 1.6 Mile Dinner event and we love the opportunity to share it with them! Their credentials are super solid, having been instrumental in shaping our regional cuisine and also competing in this year’s prestigious Gold Medal Plates competition. Here are just what a few people are saying about their food:

“If you have a chance to attend any dinner or food-and-wine event that Joy Road Catering is involved in, do not hesitate.” Anthony Gismondi, Aug 28, 2010

Joy Road Catering’s owners and chefs Dana Ewart and Cameron Smith were named
to Western Living’s list of top foodies under 40. This was a great honour for them to be placed amongst a group of sensational talents. Western Living Magazine

For more details on Joy Road please check out their website at www.joyroadcatering.com.

New for 2011

TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS: Bus transportation will be available from both Penticton (40 min.) and Osoyoos (30 min.) this year. We have hired Top Cat Tours to provide professional, comfortable transport for those who wish to come to the event and leave the driving to someone else. Arrangements will be made for a pick-up and drop-off point so it is very easy to relax and enjoy the evening. Price per round trip ticket is only $25!!! Its sooo easy……Call us for details.

ACCOMODATION OPTIONS: Of course there are a few suitable accomodations available right here in the Similkameen Valley that we happily recommend but this year we have also arranged for discounted room rates at two of the top resorts in Osoyoos. Please contact the resorts directly for acccomodations and mention the Orofino corporate rate. Penticton accomodations are numerous. The Penticton Top Cat dinner bus will use the Lakeside Resort as their pick-up/drop-off point.

www.WatermarkBeachResort.com 1-888-755-3480

www.SpiritRidge.ca 1-877-313-9463

This event raises funds for the Cawston Community Kobau Park. A silent auction will be held on the evening of the 1.6 Mile Dinner with all proceeds going to the park.

Please call for further information on the event, local accommodations and other ways to lose yourself in the magic of the Similkameen Valley.

Details

2152 Barcelo Road | Cawston, BC V0X 1C2
Telephone: (250) 499-0068
Email: orofino@nethop.net
Website: www.orofinovineyards.com

GALLERY

The People

Owners: Virginia and John Weber
Winemaker: John Weber

ABOUT US

John and Virginia Weber both grew up in Southern Saskatchewan far away from anything to do with grapes and the wine industry. The closest they ever got to wine production was the jugs of chokecherry wine John’s parents made in their basement. Virginia studied nursing and became a registered nurse and John received a Bachelor of Arts in English and then went on to finish an Education degree from the University of Saskatchewan. Both got the travel bug and spent the majority of the two years after university travelling and working abroad. It was on these travels that their affair with the world of wine was cultivated. Virginia spent time as an au pair in France and then nursing with a non-profit organization in the slums of India. John travelled in Europe, studied French in Southwest France and bartended in England. He had two separate experiences with development work in Brazil. The first working with street kids in the poor Northeast and the second with a Brazilian organization that worked with subsistence farmers in the poorest part of Brazil. After these experiences, the two of them settled down and took teaching and nursing positions around Swift Current , Saskatchewan. They then met the Similkameen Valley in 2001. The desire to try something new, their love of wine and the beauty of the Similkameen convinced them to purchase a vineyard and move from Saskatchewan to the Similkameen Valley to try something new. They quickly fell in love with the area and its burgeoning wine industry.

OROFINO VINEYARD

The 6 acre Orofino vineyard was first planted in 1989 making these vines some of the oldest in the valley. It still has some original blocks including Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Riesling and Muscat. Replacement blocks include some Merlot (1999), Pinot Noir (2002 and 2008), and Petit Verdot (2010). Vines are grown in sandy loam with no rocks found for at least 2 feet. After that it is all river rock and gravel. The bench is prime agricultural land and has a proven track record for growing premium grapes.

THE WINERY

The Orofino winery buildings were constructed in 2004/2005. It is Canada’s only winery built out of straw bales. The eco-friendly design consists of two buildings adjoined by a breezeway. We chose this building method after much research and planning. “Earthy” 21 inch thick walls provide superior insulation qualities – ideal for manufacturing constant barrel room temperatures and for keeping us cool in our desert heat. The buildings are beautiful and very unique. We are licensed so visitors can purchase wine and enjoy a picnic amongst our vines, almond, walnut, and oak trees. The wineshop is stocked with hard to find artisanal food products that enhance the visitor’s experience. Salts, olives, chocolate, olive oil and specialty vinegars are all available.

THE WINES

Orofino produces small lots of premium wines from both estate grown grapes and from small vineyards tended by some of the Similkameen’s best farmers. The grapes and the terroir are a big part of Orofino’s success. We consistently produce a portfolio of award-winning wines that include our Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Red Bridge Merlot and a Bordeaux blend we call ‘Beleza”. Other ridiculously small lots of various wines are also produced such as our Gamay and fabled late-harvest Muscat. Our wines have won multiple gold medals at the All Canadian Wine Championships as well as other respected competitions.

The 1.6 Mile Dinner

Orofino hosts the annual 1.6 Mile Dinner every summer. This is a hyper-locavore experience as everything consumed that night is produced within 1.6 miles of the winery. It is a truly enchanting evening of fine-dining, our best wines and the magic of the Similkameen. It is well-worth a planned visit!

Forget the 100 Mile diet. Orofino Vineyards and Bogner’s restaurant of Penticton have redefined the redefining of local. Last month the team put together two dinners that really celebrated local cuisine, sourcing everything from within a radius of just 1.6 miles (2.57 km) of the Orofino winery.

With the trend towards eating and celebrating local food gaining momentum all the time, it was fantastic to see what could be unearthed and discovered from within such a tiny area. John Weber, owner of Orofino, and Darin Paterson, owner and chef of Bogner’s, toured the local farms and hungrily eyed the unsuspecting local livestock in order to come up with a menu to showcase the Cawston region.

Cooking only ingredients grown this close to home is never easy, particularly having to forego some of the staples of the kitchen – oil, most spices, butter, salt. In spite of these, Paterson was very creative – making his own cheese and butter from local milk, cooking chicken confit style and marinating lamb in some delicious Orofino wine. The precious butter was used to luxuriously poach chicken breast and then to give gloss and flavours to the sauces. The team did make an exception for salt justifying it’s history of being traded as currency.

Another feature of local eating is trying to use as much of the fruit, vegetables and animals as possible. While we were spared the innards of the chicken and lamb, we were able to make sure that the local veggies did not go to waste. In our fickle world of supermarkets and fine dining restaurants, many of the poor little carrots, beets and the like just don’t make the grade in terms of good looks, body shape or colour, in spite of their delicious taste. Paterson was able to salvage these orphans and give them the ending they deserved.

The wines were also sourced from the Weber’s own vineyard surrounding the winery. We were treated to the delicious 2008 Riesling, the last bottles from the Orofino library of the 2004 Canadian Oak Chardonnay (tasting perfect with 5 years age), a 2005 Merlot-Cabernet that is starting to show complex developed character while still maintaining its generous fruit and finishing off with the Orofino Muscat.

All the proceeds from the event were given back to the local community in the form of a donation to help maintain the popular Kobau Park.

It was a fantastic experience to attend this event and see the amount of effort that went in to sourcing and cooking the amazing local food. It challenges the creativity of chefs and forces them to expand their repertoire. Perhaps not strangely, the food seemed to taste extra special on the night, most of it plucked from the earth or a tree just minutes before hitting the kitchen.

Probably every region could pull off something like this and it is great to see it happening with increasing frequency. Hats off to John and Virginia at Orofino and Darin from Bogner’s for bringing it all together. I would recommend contacting the winery to get on the list for next year to join in the experience (www.orofinovineyards.com).

THE MENU

Barrel Smoked Beetroot
Faux Tapenade Walnut Crostini
Orofino Riesling 2008

Double Hung Jersey milk fresh farm cheese
Rhubarb Confit with plucked greens
honey comb and shucked peas
Orofino Canadian Oak Chardonnay 2004

Chicken leg Confit
Butter Poached Breast
shaved ‘cull’ slaw
sun dried cherries
Orofino Pinot Noir 2006

Chilled Fennel and Apple Margarita ice palate cleanser

Spit roasted Rosemary Merlot Cab Lamb
warm Siegle Potato Salad
Ugly sous-vide Swiss Char
02 Foot Stomped Riesling Zabaglione
Orofino Merlot Cabernet 2005

Grilled Peach
Apricot Sorbetto
Roasted Cracked Almonds
Strawberry foam
Orofino Late Harvest Muscat 2008

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Rhys Pender is a wine educator, freelance wine writer, wine judge and consultant to the industry. Visit his company Wine Plus+ online at www.wineplus.ca.

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The Similkameen Valley (wiki) is not a new wine region in BC, but it seems like it has only recently been remembered, or maybe, more appropriately, rediscovered. Located in the very south of BC, just west of Osoyoos, it is surprising that the Similkameen has taken so long to get serious attention.

The acreage has more than doubled in the last few years (now roughly 7% of BC’s vineyards), and – finally – the majority of wineries (there are 12 in total) have joined together to form the Similkameen Wineries Association in an opening effort to promote the region.

The perception of the Similkameen today is that it is too remote, too far away from everywhere. It has thus been largely forgotten. I am guilty of this too, having always thought of it as ‘hours away’ in my nearly 8 years living just to the north in Peachland. This common misconception has been the main reason this fantastic region remains largely unvisited by the majority of wine tourists and media.

When I checked out the area and found out how great it was, we packed up the family and moved there to take full advantage of the affordable land and top quality acreage potential. We are planting a small vineyard this year (just under 4 acres of Riesling & Chardonnay), and I am also helping out the local wineries to launch the Similkameen Wineries Association – a regional marketing group that was just begging to happen.

The Association is launching its new logo and hosting its inaugural event – an afternoon Spring release tasting – on May 9th. The eight member wineries of the Association will be pouring alongside many food producers, hosts and artisans of the area. If you visit the new website in time you can even help choose the logo for the new Association (you will also find ticket info there).

On the horizon is a media event in Vancouver as well as a second local event in late summer to showcase the summer/fall releases. The goal of the Similkameen Wineries Association is to get people to visit and experience not just the wines but also the fantastic food and the various agri-tourism spots. Most importantly, it’s here to remind us of how close the region is to the rest of the Okanagan.

View Larger Map

A word of advice. Be careful… if you look more into this region, you may well want to move here.

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Rhys Pender is a wine educator, freelance wine writer, wine judge and consultant to the industry. Visit his company Wine Plus+ online at www.wineplus.ca.

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Now that I regularly drive the 1.5 hour journey from the Similkameen to Kelowna to teach my wine classes I have had to create a coffee route to keep me fueled along the way. One of the most important things for me in any place is to find out where to get the best latte. It’s easier said than done up here, but over the years in the Okanagan (and now Similkameen) a number of decent coffee houses have popped up in the towns along my new path.

The first stop as I head north is Penticton. There are now two very solid stops to be found. If you are heading up the hill towards the Naramata Bench, a visit to the Bench Market is essential for good coffee and panini (and you can pick up some Vij’s curry for dinner). The second stop in Penticton is a new entry, the Bellevue Cafe. This little spot on Main Street makes for a perfect break as you browse your way through the farmer’s market in the summer months, and with free wireless it is also a good stop en route from which you can send a few emails.

After jumping back in the car and heading north, you are probably just finishing one coffee as you roll into Summerland. The Beanery at the end of Main Street makes a pretty decent latte and I am visiting this place a lot more as the roadwork between Summerland and Peachland causes many unplanned delays.

By Peachland, you can drop into Bliss Bakery for a coffee or sandwich and kill some time by staring out over the lake, but it is the next stop that is probably the most exciting for me.

Now, in one of the many large strip malls that have popped up in Westbank, you can find the Okanagan’s first Caffe Artigiano. This is the now the best coffee in the Okanagan and a forced stop on any journey through the big-box storeland of Westbank. I was there on opening day a couple of weeks ago and was pleased to see the new staff just making latte after latte until they’d reached the expected perfection. It is nice to see such commitment to product quality.

The only challengers to the Artigiano crown are the two Bean Scene cafes in Kelowna (Bernard Ave and Ellis Street). The coffee they call the “Traditional Cappuccino” is actually a small, strong powerhouse with perfectly textured steamed milk and intense flavour. The Bean Scene food is very ordinary, but for coffee they were the first ones here who were really committed to training staff to make it properly.

I have yet to explore in-depth the caffeine scene of Okanagan Falls, Oliver and Osoyoos, or the north Okanagan around Vernon, but at least, for a good length of the Okanagan and Similkameen, we can be sure of finding a great cup of coffee now, another sign of the improving food scene in the Okanagan.

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Rhys Pender is a wine educator, freelance wine writer, wine judge and consultant to the industry. Visit his company Wine Plus+ online at www.wineplus.ca.