Links to Regional Articles

OKANAGAN - (September 2, 2008)
MISSION HILL SCORES WITH ICEWINE
(Shortened from the AP press report.)

Mission Hill Family Estate has won the International Wine Challenge (IWC) Trophy for the "World's Top Icewine" at Europe's major wine competition. The Trophy will be presented to Mission Hill proprietor Anthony von Mandl at a black tie awards banquet in London in front of 800 members of the UK and international wine trade this Wednesday for the Mission Hill Family Estate 2006 Reserve Riesling Icewine. In the past eight years only three Icewines have been successful in achieving this award. This will be the first category Trophy awarded in the past four years with competing wines judged from five countries. ... CONTINUE READING.


Filed in DRINK/wine news




OKANAGAN - (August 27, 2008).
DOING THE OKIE-POKEY

If my life was a Hollywood movie right now, it would probably star Diane Lane or Renee Zellweger.

It would be about a hapless city woman who escapes from a stressful job and toxic relationships to a borrowed cottage in a sleepy, wine growing town, only to survive a series of encounters with the local eccentrics: her apple growing Sikh neighbours, members of the church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints, improbably hunky RCMP officers, half-naked bogey men at the door, uninvited squatters camping in the winery building, lightning storms, flooded basements, burst irrigation pipes and death-risking deer on the I 97. ... CONTINUE READING...

Filed in REGIONAL/Okanagan.

VICTORIA - July 18, 2008
SPINNAKER'S INTRODUCES BLUE BRIDGE DOUBLE IPA
(Edited from the press release.)

Canada’s oldest brewpub, Spinnakers Gastro Brewpub & Guesthouses in Victoria, is celebrating 24 years of bringing people together with the release of Blue Bridge Double IPA.

“Bridges link people – they bring them together and that’s exactly what the Johnson St. or ‘Blue Bridge’ does here in Victoria,” says publican and owner Paul Hadfield. “And that’s what we’ve always wanted to do – bring people together to enjoy beers that weren’t readily available in our marketplace. The bridge was opened in 1924 and we’re celebrating our 24th year – so there’s some nice symmetry built in.” ...CONTINUE READING...


Filed in REGIONAL/Victoria

OKANAGAN - (May 23, 2008)
TABOO - CANADA'S ONLY ABSINTHE

If we were the bohemian type and Starbucks was licensed, we’d probably want to hang out at the local café, cradling a glass of Taboo in our fingerless gloved hands and staring morosely at a sheet of our upcoming production schedules.

Thankfully, in Canada, we wouldn’t be arrested for it either.

Canada’s only genuine absinthe, Taboo is an “almost new” product, having been in distribution in BC and Alberta for a mere six months. It is produced by Okanagan Spirits, the Vernon-based company that bears the distinction of being not only Western Canada’s first artesian distillery (they produce excellent eau-de-vies), but also recognized as a Master Class Distillery by the World Spirits Organization in Austria. ... CONTINUE READING...


Filed in REGIONAL/Okanagan.



VICTORIA - (May 16, 2008)
VICTORIA GIN

If 2007 was the year of the 100 mile menu, then perhaps 2008 will become known as the year of 100 mile drinking.

Helping to promote that possibility is the Fairmont Empress Hotel in Victoria, who have just come up with their own in-house gin.

A project to help celebrate the grand old lady’s 100th birthday, Victoria Gin is more than just a custom label slapped on a bottle of premium spirits. The handcrafted gin was distilled by local winemaker Ken Winchester of Winchester Cellars, who used the winery’s wood-fired copper pot still to blend ten locally grown, organic botanicals, from juniper berries to rose petals (plus one secret ingredient known only to the distillery). ... CONTINUE READING ...


Filed in DRINK/Cocktails ... and .... REGIONAL/Victoria.





OKANAGAN - (May 15, 2008)

BIBO WINE BAR OPENS IN OSOYOOS

Wedged into a block of small, flat-roofed Mom and Pop shops on Main Street, Bibo Wine Bar may be the hippest thing to ever happen to Osoyoos.

The one week old watering hole (opened May 8, 2008) is the latest project from Chef Brad Lazarenko and his restaurants partners in Edmonton's Manduco Restaurant Group , the people who also brought us the Passa Tempo restaurant at the Spirit Ridge Hotel and Resort. Many of the kitchen staff and design associates are also Passa Tempo alumni. ... CONTINUE READING ...


Filed in REGIONAL/Okanagan.




OKANAGAN - (May 13, 2008)
OKANAGAN SPRING WINE FESTIVAL COMPETITION RESULTS


As they so often do, little Wild Goose Vineyards Winery of Okanagan Falls, BC, came out the big winner at the recent Okanagan Spring Wine Festival. The winery which is well regarded for the excellence of its white wines, took the "Best of Class" awards in six varietal categories, including: Riesling, Gewurtztraminer, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Open Table Whites (2007 Autumn Gold) and Rose. Sumac Ridge Estate Winery of Summerland also scored well in the white wines division, earning the Chardonnay, White Meritage Blends and Sparkling Wine categories.

The following is a list of the finalists in all divisions of the 2008 Best of Varietal Judging Competition: ...CONTINUE READING ...


Filed in DRINK/Wine News.






OKANAGAN - (May 13, 2008)
MORE UPDATES ...


A sneak preview of Penticton's Amante Bistro.

and ...

Honk if you feel like a winner!








SUNSHINE COAST - (May 9, 2008)
PAINTED BOAT RESORT

The newest buzz magnet on the Sunshine Coast these days is the Painted Boat Resort Spa and Marina, newly constructed on the former site of the old Lowe’s Resort, and due to open for business early this summer.

At CF Central it seems like birth announcements for new luxury time share resorts lands on our desk every day, but this one has a couple of features that make it stand out from the pack: 1) ownership by a developer with a long history for accommodating demanding eco-sensitive building standards, and 2) serious intentions to make the resort restaurant a central focus and resource for the surrounding community. ... CONTINUE READING...


Filed in REGIONAL/Sunshine Coast.



OKANAGAN
SPRING WINE FESTIVAL - (May 5, 2008)

We're back from a brief trip to the Okanagan with a notebook full of news and stories. Here's a sneak peek of the two hottest new restaurants in the Valley. In the photo at top: Chef Ned Bell's 8,000 sq. ft, new restaurant Cabana Grille, currently under construction on Lakeshore Drive in Kelowna (and due to open this May long weekend). Below: two shots of Abul Adams' And Rose Amante's one-year-old, tiny but chic Amante Bistro, located on Main Street in Penticton.

more coming up later ....


Filed in REGIONAL/Okanagan.



OKANAGAN - (April 23, 2008)
BEST KEPT SECRETS OF THE SOUTH OKANAGAN

(The following is a condensed preview of an upcoming article in the print version of CityFood Magazine)


Mick and Pam Luckhurst of Golden Mile Cellars in Oliver have been doing some ground breaking (excuse the pun) work identifying and categorizing the rare and indigenous Okanagan soil (non glacier deposit) to be found in their vineyards and experimenting with how these ancient soils affect the flavours and acidity of the grapes growing in various locations around the property. It all makes for an interesting, complex Chardonnay blend. www.goldenmilecellars.com.

A place that locals would prefer to keep to themselves if they could is Forbidden Fruit, a tiny winery tucked away within a Shangri-la like corner of the Similkameen Valley near Cawston. ... CONTINUE READING.

Filed in REGIONAL/Okanagan.



VICTORIA - (April 3, 2008)
FOOD NEWS FOR SPRING FROM VICTORIA

Granny Socks it to the Tourists …

On May 2, 2008, The Fairmont Empress Hotel in Victoria, BC will continue its year-long 100th anniversary celebrations with a Centennial Tea every Friday until September 26. In addition to its regular afternoon tea service in the grand Tea Lobby, The landmark hotel will offer the special "Centennial Tea" at 12:30 pm and 3:30 pm in the library or in The Empress Harbourside Room. The service starts with a glass of bubbly followed by a selection of sandwiches and pastries, centennial blend tea and a commemorative gift.

The price for such gentility? Only $100 CDN per person.

Imagine what that would have bought you in 1908 ... CONTINUE READING.


Filed in REGIONAL/Victoria.

OKANAGAN - (April 2, 2008)
NARAMATA WINERIES ASSOCIATION


So you think you know BC wines? When's the last time you slipped your boots on and got up close and personal with the local vines? The 22 members of the Naramata Bench Wineries Association are offering you that opportunity with an educational program they have put together entitled Naramata Unfiltered.

The two-day event (May 5th and 6th, 2008), is based on a similar set of vineyard visits, tasting seminars, winery dinners and "meet the winemaker" sessions developed in 2007 for Vancouver restaurant sommeliers -- except that his one has been adapted for the seriously interested wine lover who may not necessarily be employed within the hospitality industry.

No matter what level of knowledge you have already acquired with regards to BC wines, it is guaranteed that you will know a lot more after this oenological adventure. More than likely, you will also have some highly sought after wine bottles to prove it. Get all the details about the Naramata Unfiltered Educational retreat here.

Filed in REGIONAL/Okanagan.




WHISTLER - (March 21, 2008)
A PREVIEW OF NITA LAKE LODGE

When we were at Whistler a week ago, we dropped into the newly opened luxury hotel in Creekside, Nita Lake Lodge (located at the terminus of the Rocky Mountaineer Train Station), and although the outdoor light was falling fast, we were able to get a few quick shots of the interior: the lobby and lounge areas; one of the bedrooms with its king size bed, loft-high ceilings and hideaway kitchen-in-a-closet feature; the on-site cafe (the current hot spot in Creekside for coffee and casual meals); as well as the gorgeous view across Nita Lake from Jordan's Crossing dining room's wall-sized picture windows. ... CONTINUE READING ...

Filed in REGIONAL/Whistler and Pemberton.




OKANAGAN
NEWS FROM THE OKANAGAN - SPRING 2008
(March 7, 2008)

Vincor is the latest winery to hire an in-house chef. We hear that Roger Planinden, the executive chef of the Fairmont Hotel at the Vancouver International Airport and its restaurant (YVR), has been hired away to the Okanagan to oversee all activity of a culinary nature at the company's wineries at Sumac Ridge, See Ya Later Ranch and Nk'Mip .

Up till now, Sumac Ridge had been leasing out its on-location restaurant, Cellar Door Bistro, but this will now be run under the corporate umbrella. Apparently we will still be able to see former Cellar Bistro chef, Neil Schroeter as he makes appearances at Farmers' Markets around the Valley this summer, selling his line of fresh pastas, stocks, street food and other food items.

Still, with Sumac Ridge, Roger Gillespie, who formerly ran the wine shops at both SR and See Ya Later Ranch is reported to be opening a new takeout and deli in Summerland. ... CONTINUE READING.


Filed in REGIONAL/Okanagan.