This is the second part to our Kelowna trip…
I felt like we mostly were driving, drinking wine or dining and relaxing in the spa. What a great weekend that sounds like – and it was!! We rented a brand new Ford Expedition, it had never been out yet! It was an eight seater for the 7 girls. Each time we would stop, some of us would swap seats. This made the commute feel so short for me because every time I would be sitting beside someone different. I feel like I walked away with some incredible conversations. It might feel even more heightened because those of you that have toddlers understand when I say, I never get to have full on, one-to-one conversation that is not interrupted! This alone could’ve been reason enough to get away!
Along the way, we stopped at Wineries! We stopped at wineries on our way to Vernon and then again from Vernon to Kelowna and even before we started our drive home!!
I usually end up going to Kelowna about once a year, always in the summer time. We tend to always visit at least one winery – the ones we visited this time were all new to me!
We started off at the Dirty Laundry. Its a winery I had been wanting to go to for a few years now. One of the girls that was with us had recommended it. It was a fun way to kick off the wineries. There of course, is a backstory to the name, a fun one. You can visit to find out! The décor is set up with undergarments as part of the theme. I wont go into detail about any of the wines from any of the wineries as everyone has different taste. The area we were in is best known for its whites, which is what I going to take home anyway! My husband and I prefer the Gurtz and Rieslings, the areas great for it. Pinot Gris is another one but we don’t have a taste palette for that one.
We then headed to ArrowLeaf. While we were outside taking pictures, I heard one of the co-workers say that they’ll be closing in 5 minutes. We rushed inside for the tastings before we all bought a few bottles. They were closing because a fire had started right below us, just minutes before we got there. As we were leaving, certain roads were closed so we had to detour to get around to another winery. For those that don’t know, every year we’ve to be getting several fires in our forests because it gets so hot and dry. We pull resources from around BC to help each other in the various ways possible. Unfortunately most of them are caused by humans!
We went to 50th Parallel Estate and Ex Nihilo as well.
We had lunch at Gray Monk the next day. It was the 3-6 time frame so they didn’t have a full dinner menu or the proper lunch menu. We may not have gotten to experience the full menu but we sure soaked up the surrounding beauty! We were in complete awh of the scenery. There was rows of vineyards from below the patio all the way leading up to the lake. The water connected to the mountains, it was absolutely stunning. One of the girls felt like it reminded her of Tuscany, my sister and I completely agreed! My mind and soul were at peace. The busyness of life had stopped, I was in the moment – just like I had been when we toured Italy.
Intrigue was a winery that wasn’t on the original agenda but it was so close to Gray Monk that we stopped there too. I was sure glad we did and I know the others would agree! They had some amazing art work and most of us walked away with a few bottles as well.
Our final winery, before we made our way home was Cedar Creek. It was just up the street from where we stayed in Kelowna. It ended our trip nicely! I loved how each place we visited had such a different theme and feel to it. None of it felt repetitive.
Also, just because it’s such a delicious menu and quite scenic too, I felt the need to mention that we had lunch at Two Eagles Golf Course on our first day. My husband and I (with another couple) had stopped there once before as well. I ordered two Bellini’s this time, it was one too much!
And just to end off, here’s another beautiful picture!
Raizen's momma 