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21 Super Tasty Things To Do During An Okanagan Valley Summer Safari

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The Okanagan is loaded with awesome things to do year round, but summer trumps all the other seasons combined for deliciousness. With that in mind – and with a little help from readers and Scout community members – we’ve put together a seriously distilled list of 21 tasty things to do between now and Labour Day. Check it out and get planning after the jump…

An Evening at Tinhorn Creek

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Dig live music with a drink? Of course you do! Every summer, Oliver’s Tinhorn Creek Vineyards hosts concerts in its stunning outdoor amphitheatre overlooking the gorgeous Golden Mile. Sip wines under the stars and groove to The Matinee on July 27, Five Alarm Funk on August 24, and Blackie & The Rodeo Kings on September 7. All concerts start at 7pm (gates open at 6:30pm). Score your tickets here. Bonus: the award-winning Miradoro restaurant is also on the property. Say hi to Chef Jeff for us! MAP

Earth to Table at Sunshine Farms

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We have great memories of South East Kelowna’s Sunshine Farms. Though they don’t have a store front, they do take appointments for special “Earth to Table” meals (from 2 to 20 people). It’s a little out of the way, but trust us, it’s worth a visit. It’s such a lovely setting, for starters, plus the Alcock family that runs it is really engaging (if you’re remotely interested about seeds – and the politics thereof – Jon is your man). Best of all: the food is excellent and made with love. MAP

Dinner at The Terrace

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Mission Hill Family Estate is an architectural stunner. To food and drink lovers, the center-piece is its seasonal, summer-only al fresco restaurant, The Terrace, where chef Matt Batey and his able kitchen crew translate the best of the region’s ingredients into beautiful dishes that are in a league of their own. We went last summer and were blown away by the talent on display. Bonus: they also do a summer concert series, and the setting is a jaw-dropper. This season’s line-up includes Chris Botti, Gipsy Kings, LeAnn Rimes and Pink Martini. Live music amongst the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir? Yes please! Grab tickets here. MAP.

1.6 Mile Dinner at Orofino

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We’ve done this one before and it’s a beauty. The evening – Saturday, August 10th – sees a five course meal using only the best ingredients provided by artisan producers from within a 1.6 mile radius of the Similkameen’s charming Orofino Winery. Who’s cooking? None other than Cameron Smith and Dana Ewart, owners of the highly regarded Joy Road. Expect surprises, unique produce and world-class flavours paired with Orofino’s top wines. Dinner starts with bubbly and canapés at 5:30pm. Tickets are $150 per person and worth every penny. Shuttles will be available from both Osoyoos and Penticton. Contact 250-499-0068 or admin [at] orofinovineyards.com to make your reservations. MAP

Paddle Boarding & Tasting at LaStella

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LaStella Winery has partnered with 3Phase Adventures for a stand up paddle boarding and wine tasting package. It’s called SUP n SIP; a two-hour adventure where guests meet at 3Phase Adventures new Cottonwood Beach location for one hour of relaxing paddling out on the lake to LaStella’s shores, followed by one hour of tour and tasting at LaStella’s Tuscan-inspired winery. Packages run Monday and Thursday throughout the summer and cost $85 per person (includes board rental, safety gear, instruction and premium wine tasting). To book, visit www.3phaseadventures.com or call 250-498-9989.

Road 13 Summer Dinner Series

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Cam and Dana of Joy Road will be cooking up another phenomenal multi-course supper on Saturday August 13th, this time at the South Okanagan’s excellent Road 13 Vineyards (just outside of Oliver). The dinner – served at 6:13pm – will be paired up with current and past vintages from Road 13’s voluminous cellars. Tickets are $125 each and reservations are required. Book by calling 250-498-8330. MAP

Picnic at Forbidden Fruit

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The award-winning, family-operated Forbidden Fruit winery outside of Cawston in the gorgeous Similkameen has a licensed riverside picnic area and they do a sweet “open house” spread on weekends. Think chocolate, cheese, and fresh organic fruit paired with their line of outstanding fruit wines. Another reason to visit is simply the human element. We love the Venables family. Steve is an awesome fellow; a man who enthusiastically loves dirt, especially his little parcel of it! Go for a walkabout after you’ve had your sips and bites. The property is one of a kind. MAP.

Pay a visit to Covert Farms

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This place mesmerizes! The kame terrace location of Covert Farms – 600 acres at the foot of the imposing MacIntyre bluff – is shockingly beautiful, and if you dig organic and bio-dynamic foods, welcome home. Wander the fields and pick your own produce or load up at the farm’s own market. There are 40 different crops grown on the property, so it’s worth exploring, either alone or with a guide in a vintage 1952 Mercury Truck. MAP

Friday BBQ At Hester Creek

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Every Friday (until September 27), the good folks at Hester Creek host a 3-course spit fired BBQ lunch paired with award-winning wines by winemaker Rob Summers. The meals feature locally sourced meats and farm fresh produce, and the property overlooks the breathtaking Golden Mile. Entry is capped at 12 people for a 12pm start. The cost for the complete BBQ spread – served on the cool patio – is $65. MAP

Dinner at Waterfront Restaurant & Wine Bar

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BC’s reigning Gold Medal Plates champion, the exceptionally talented chef Mark Filatow (who is also an accredited sommelier), holds court at Kelowna’s excellent Waterfront Restaurant & Wine Bar. It’s a local favourite, so reservations are recommended. If you can’t get a table, hit the bar for some wine (a multitude by the glass), craft beers, freshly shucked oysters, pakora battered squid, and crispy sweetbreads. Note: no minors allowed! MAP

Visit Arlo’s Honey Farm

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Arlo’s Honey Farm is gorgeous and if you love birds, it’s something of a paradise (though perhaps not so much for the bees). They have a great little tasting bar where you can get straight to business with the sweet stuff, which is “pure and natural, unpasteurized and unfiltered as nature intended”. Try the creamed clover honey flavoured with dried blueberries. Wow! It’s open 7 days a week during July and August. Tours are weather dependent. MAP

Tasting at The Vinegar Works

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Summerland’s certified organic Valentine Farm comes complete with its own vinegar tasting room. Known as The Vinegar Works, it tables hand-crafted vinegars made with ingredients grown on the family farm. They start by harvesting their own wine grapes, crushing and pressing them and turning them into wine. The sad next step is turning the wine into vinegar (sniff), but once the process is complete they a Pinot Meunier red wine vinegar, a Gewurztraminer white wine vinegar, and a bunch of different infused wine vinegars. Think apricots, Italian prune plums, raspberries, wild elderberries and black currants. They also bottle an unfiltered, natural balsamic. Open seven days a week all the way to mid-October, they pour from 11:00am to 5:00pm. MAP

Similkameen BBQ King Competition

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Nine Similkameen wineries have and nine distinguished chefs are coming together this Saturday, July 13th at Keremeos’ old Grist Mill to find out who will be given the title of Similkameen BBQ King 2013. The event is a partial fundraiser for the Grist Mill and includes food, wine, live entertainment and a silent auction. Guests also receive a beautiful Riedel wine glass to take home. Tickets and details are here. We’ll be there, so say hi! MAP.

Dinner In The Vineyard at Quail’s Gate

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This Saturday, July 13, Quail’s Gate will be hosting a very special Dinner in the Vineyard from 5pm to 9pm. The night starts off in the vineyard with a glass of wine and some canapés. A tour of the vineyard and an update on the current vintage will be followed by several courses of food paired with Quail’s Gate wines in the rows between the grapes with the setting sun providing an atmosphere kicker. Tickets are $140 (all inclusive) and reservations can be had by calling 1-800-420-9463 or 250-769-2514. Note that this event will go ahead rain or shine. If it’s looking gnarly, dinner will be served in the Stewart Family Room. MAP

God’s Mountain Supper

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One of the very best dining experiences available in BC, if not all of Canada. It’s hard to imagine a more emblematic setting than God’s Mountain, where the ingredients seem to sing an octave higher. This is another Joy Road joint (that makes three on this list), only this is the one if you could only eat one more meal with wine in BC before you were sent somewhere a sight nastier. As you can see from our photos, it’s just ridiculous. The ingredients are some of the best that chefs get to work with in Canada. Just about everything is local, organic and sustainable, and these guys really know their stuff. We’ve been fortunate enough to attend a few of these suppers, and they’ve never been anything short of absolutely awesome, even in inclement weather. Tickets here. MAP

Open House at Eau Vivre Winery

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The Similkameen’s lovely Eau Vivre Winery is hosting an open house on Friday, July 26th from 4pm to 8pm. Folks dropping by can enjoy wine tastings, wine specials, food, live entertainment, and taking a tour of our winery and vineyard. Try their 2010 Pinot Noir, which was recently awarded with a 2013 Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Excellence. MAP.

TELUS Sunset Concert Series at CedarCreek

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July 31st brings with it Telus Musical All-Star, Michael Burgess, who will be bringing his music to CedarCreek‘s spectacular Vineyard Pavilion as part of the TELUS Sunset Concert Series (tickets). Gates will open to ticket patrons at 6:30pm with the concert beginning at 7pm and playing until the sun sets. There will be a Wine Bar and non-alcoholic beverages available together with a pre-concert BBQ at the Pavilion from 4:30pm to 6:30pm. Think beef burgers, chicken souvlaki, ribs and veggie burgers, all with salad options. MAP

Check out Painted Rock’s new Tasting Room

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One of our favourite BC wineries is the Skinner family’s Painted Rock. We remember when the tasting facility was just a shed, but in the first week of August it will have been transformed into a brand new facility. We can’t wait to finally return and sample some Syrah, their legendary Red Icon, and one of the best views in the Okanagan! MAP

Visit Okanagan Crush Pad

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We’ve watched this place evolve from the beginning and walked its picturesque Switchback Vineyards. Once upon a time we even watched it get painted by graffiti artists. They make great wine, and here you get to taste it in the state of the art 7,750 square foot facility. MAP

Feast of Fields

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The 5th annual Okanagan Feast of Fields goes down at the Little Church Organics farm on Sunday, August 18th. The 4 hour long wandering feast (literally in the fields) is one of our favourite events on the food calendar, and every year it keeps getting better and better. The grown-ups only event costs $95. Tickets can be purchased here. MAP

The Tailgate Party

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And finally, on Saturday, September 7th, 24 wineries from the Naramata Bench Wineries Association will circle their trucks for the party of the season with 7 Naramata restaurants (The Bench Market, Vanilla Pod, The Kitchen, The Pecking Room, Hillside Bistro, Lake Breeze Patio, Naramata Heritage Inn) at Manitou Beach Park. Expect a full-on evening of wine, food, music and camaraderie as the sun sets over the lake. This year’s theme is “Fish n’ Sips – A Picnic at the Beach”. Tickets and all the info you might need here.

WE URGE YOU TO ALLOW A PATIENT DESIGNATED DRIVER TO USHER YOU TO AND FRO.

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