Something New

What the hell ..... other people got here first!!!

Life in the Vineyard - I don't think anyone in this picture was picking anytime recently!!

Picking stopped for pictures

The famous "Burrowing Owl" Winery

So…….. when was the last time you toured a wine region in which you couldn’t buy wine? In our case……. today! It’s called the Okanagan Valley!! This area is so hot (Think Paris Hilton...... popular …. not temperature …… although the temperature is very warm .. ie: 80°F) that many wineries are sold out of their best wines. We went by one that was sold out ….. period! The 2005 Estate grown Shiraz at Burrowing Owl Winery sold out in 30 minutes after it was released on the internet. And, the good wines are expensive ( ie: $45 - $75 per bottle). Is this a good business model or what!! Prime grape growing land here is going for $100,000 - $120,000 per acre. In Niagara it’s $80,000 per acre. In Prince Edward County it’s $3,000 per acre. That is for raw land with the POTENTIAL to grow grapes. So buy a few acres, spend $15,000 per acre to prepare and plant, wait 3 years for your first meager crop and guess what……. you might end up with plonk!! Too bad!! Seriously though, the region is beautiful and, it is said that the grapes love the near desert climate. We, on the other hand, love the wine (that which can be had).

The Vendage (grape picking) started here yesterday for the earlier maturing grapes and will stretch for the better part of a month until the later grapes are all snug in a stainless steel vat somewhere. Grape growing regions always seem to come alive during the Vendage so, our timing was great!

We are always impressed when a sense of humour is exhibited on signs. As we drove through the mountains yesterday on the way to the Okanagan, we were passed by a septic tank pump-out truck emblazoned with “Yesterday’s Meals on Wheels”. We also passed a B&B for horses – “Bed and Bale”. So much more fun than the usual business signage!