The Okanagan valley was gorgeous, thanks Jenise & John S

It's late here so I'll just post a quick summary but took a day off from a business trip and took a gaggle of friends (and their family both older and younger) into the South Okanagan area.

Drive was just around 4 hours which was a bit longer than I thought it would be but definitely worth the drive. Came in on 3 and then up 3a to traverse 97 from North to South. First stop was Jackson Triggs where they told us it was Okanagan wine festival week. Perfect Timing. All tastings were free! Yes... Free is good. More tasting notes later but the crew at Jackson Triggs hooked us up with maps, booklets and even lunch suggestions. We drove into the town of Oliver for lunch at a small sandwich shop called Cantalope Anne which did a very nice cabbage roll and british beef steak and kidney pies.

As this was as day trip only, we did not go to many wineries. We went next to Silver Sage on the advice of a local. Err...Error....Not worth the stop. We felt like we were intruding on their family day and did not feel welcomed at all. The wines were also nothing to write home about. I generally always buy a bottle at each winery that I go to out of respect but in this place I could not even do that. Nice place to look at though. We even stopped to take a few photos.

Next stop was Inniskillin where we bought a slew of icewines. The view they have of the valley just amazing. then Golden Mile Cellars, I like their wines very much and the owner Pam was a very gracious host. We stopped our tasting half way to go out to look at a bear that had entered her vineyard. Nice stuff! The onto Nk'Mip Cellars. What an amazing place and what a view. Wines were also very nice and I've always liked their merlot's. By this time it was getting late in the afternoon so we turned and headed back to Vanq.

I've only every visited the northern okanagan before (Mission Hill, Quails Gates, etc). The glacial lakes there were larger and more imposing on the view. In the South, the valley floor is in the middle and it is stunning to see. Hope to be back in a few and will head north as per Jenise's suggestions and hit a few wineries that I will like more than the more casual group that I was traveling with that day.

Many thanks again folks for the pointers.

As we tried a lot of wines I won't post on all of the notes.

Jackson Triggs, 2006 Sauvignon Blanc, Nice light hay colour, floral nose, very crisp, clean but not much else going on. Very middle of the road.

Jackson Triggs, 2006 Okanagan Icewine, nice floral and honey nose, Rish clean texture with strong acidic backbone. All manners of tropical fruits going on, pineapple, coconut, star fruit, and citrus.

Inniskillin 2006 Malbec, nice dark color solid nose of dark fruits and restained oak, good lith texture, not a heavy wine. Great density of dark fruit falvours though and in great balance with the acidity and tannins. Wow for $29.99

Inniskillin 2006 Bordeaux blend. A bit lighter and brighter than the Malbec, a bit more lighter nose, pensil shavings, cherries, red fruits. Nice texture, not heavy again and very good balance.

Inniskillin 2006 Vidal icewine Okanagan. White florals adn light honey along with. Super mouthfeel, thick, clean smooth, and the finish lasts forever.

Inniskilling 2006 Riesling Okanagan, even better than the Vidal, more solid, less playful perhaps, great refined floral nose, and what a finish. Beauty!

Inniskillin 2006 Coyote Vineyard, Riesling, is pretty much the same as the above, except it has even more stuffing. It is an intense experienc and leasts even longer.

Golden Mile 2006 Chardonnay, straw colour and a pretty nose of citrus. Again another very clean and well made wine.

Golden Mile 2006 Syrah, the is a dark colored dense wine. Nose of dark fruits, spiciness, hints of herbs, and a hint of sweetness. Much the same on the palate but shows nice restaint. Many in our travel group called it the wine of the trip.

Golden Mile 2006 Bordeaux Blend. Another very dark wine but this was lighter on its feet than the syrah. great balance and the structure could use a bit of time before allowing the wine to do well.

Nk'Mip Cellars 2005 Merlot, A very dark rich version of a merlot that would not be out of place in CA, but done further north, showing a bit of restraint also. Great density of dark fruits, nice acidity keeps things reasonably fresht.

Nk'Mip Cellars, 2006 Icewine : nice light floral nose but on the palate, a bit of a let down compared to the day's other icewines. More aciditic than the others and lacking their elegance.

Glad to hear you had a great time!