Food & Drink
Hester Creek Character Red
May 28, 2023 / 4:00 am
Photo: Contributed Wine: Hester Creek 2021 Character Red Winery: Hester Creek Estate Winery Why drink it? Named British Columbia Winery of the Year in 2023 by Great Northwest Wine Magazine, Hester Creek has roots dating back to 1968 when an Italian-Canadian named Joe Busnardo began
Small-batch winery opens
May 27, 2023 / 3:55 pm
Casey Richardson New wineries keep launching in Summerland this spring and the newest one to open is small-batched and focused on only a few varietals that shine in the Garnet Valley area. Solvero Wines quietly opened its doors on Friday with a soft opening, run by Matthew Sartor, the pres
Party at the finish line
May 27, 2023 / 4:00 am
Photo: Don Urquhart The joy of the finish line! The 15th Half Corked Marathon kicks off this weekend with 1,100 runners taking on a 20km route through the lush vineyards around Oliver. Now in its 15th consecutive year (even through the pandemic) this year carries a theme of "Ba
Space-age food
May 27, 2023 / 4:00 am
Photo: Wikipedia/NASA Pre-packaged food for astronauts. This week, another group of private astronauts arrived at the International Space Station. They work for Space X, and will do scientific experiments and community outreach, like talking to school kids from space. NASA is sti
Rolls up rim to new car
May 24, 2023 / 2:51 pm
Photo: Google Maps Armstrong Tim Hortons. Marty Eckert was just sitting at home on his couch on a Thursday night in March, when he realized he had 16 “rolls” on his Tim Hortons app. “I won a few free coffees, and then it came to the last roll,” Eckert says fr
Moving the culinary arts
May 24, 2023 / 12:01 pm
Photo: Jenny Popoff Neeley Brimer and Bruno Terroso both have passions for food that goes well beyond simply preparing something to eat. They realized that connection once they started working together at Hooded Merganser Restaurant in Penticton Lakeside Resort. The result is Bluebo
Weather challenges cherries
May 24, 2023 / 4:00 am
Casey Richardson It hasn’t been an easy start for the cherry growing season in the Okanagan, with a cold April followed by record-high temperatures in May damaging crops. Balpreet Gill, who is the operations manager for Gold Star Fruit Company in Oliver, said that his cherry harvest
2021 Transfiction Rosé
May 21, 2023 / 4:00 am
Photo: Contributed Wine: Red Barn Winery at Jagged Rock 2021 Transfiction Rosé Winery: Red Barn Winery at Jagged Rock Why drink it? A blend of hand-harvested Cabernet Franc, Syrah and Sangiovese, this medium pink sipper is unusual because of the Sangiovese, far from a common
Getting down and dirty
May 20, 2023 / 4:00 am
Photo: Castanet They say April showers bring May flowers. In the Okanagan this year, we seem to have mostly skipped the rain and jumped ahead to the flowers. I love seeing the spring blossoms, and perennial plants are the garden gift that keeps on giving. I love having the instant grat
Financial help for wineries
May 20, 2023 / 4:00 am
Photo: Tourism Kelowna Farm Credit Canada has vowed to step up and help the B.C. wine industry make up for impending losses due to last winter’s cold spell. Wine Growers BC is predicting there will be a 39 per cent to 56 per cent drop in wine and grape production this year due to
First Nation food security
May 19, 2023 / 9:00 am
Photo: Facebook/OKIB The chief of the Okanagan Indian Band says the announcement of provincial funding is an important step toward Indigenous food sovereignty. The OKIB is among 15 First Nations across B.C. to each receive $80,000 for cultural food programs. "The Indigenous
Watch out for fawns
May 18, 2023 / 7:00 pm
Photo: Penticton Animal Care & Control Penticton's Animal Care and Control Services are reminding dog walkers to be on alert now that baby deer and protective does are back out. "Please keep your dogs on leash and give sufficient room when passing by a doe with or without
Pub crawl with free rides
May 18, 2023 / 6:00 pm
Photo: Castanet Bright Eye Brewing on Tranquille Road is one of the stops on a pub crawl planned for next Friday, put on by Downtown Kamloops and the NSBIA. Downtown Kamloops and the North Shore Business Improvement Association are hosting a pub crawl next week that will include establ
'Refined' restaurant opens
May 18, 2023 / 4:00 am
Casey Richardson A new restaurant opened in downtown Penticton is excited to “extend their kitchen to the rest of the community.” Kin & Folk had their grand opening day on Tuesday, after many months of renovations and fine-tuning the space at 557 Main Street alongside their
Township 7 Polaris
May 14, 2023 / 4:00 am
Photo: Contributed/Township 7 Wine: Township 7 2019 Seven Stars Polaris Sparkling Wine Winery: Township 7 Why drink it? Polaris gets its name from our galaxy’s North Star and is the main bubble in Township 7’s sparkling program. Like the star, this classy sparkling wine
Remembering Julia Child
May 13, 2023 / 4:00 am
Photo: Wikipedia/Lynn_Gilbert Julia Child's cooking show, The French Chef, was one of the first cooking programs on television. I was watching a show about the late Julia Child recently, showcasing her rise to fame as a television star. Did you know she had one of the first cook
Crush pad turns into winery
May 12, 2023 / 4:00 am
Casey Richardson The community celebrated the official opening of a Summerland Winery on Thursday, as the former crush pad became a featured shop. Haywire Winery unveiled its new tasting room, wines and design to local industry members with owners Christine Coletta and Steve Lorie. When
Cambium Cidery expands
May 8, 2023 / 4:00 am
Chelsey Mutter Guests returning to Vernon's Cambium Cidery (formerly BX Press) are sure to notice something different. The cidery has added a new restaurant, built a kitchen, dining room and new patio space along with it. Owners Melissa Dobernigg and Christian Scott joke that guests
Hillside 2021 Viognier
May 7, 2023 / 4:00 am
Photo: Contributed Wine: Hillside Winery 2021 Heritage Series Viognier Winery: Hillside Winery Why drink it? Viognier is an ancient wine grape associated with France’s Rhone Valley, where it likely ended up after the Romans went through in the third century. Flash forward to n
'Thanks, mom'
May 6, 2023 / 4:00 am
Photo: Contributed When I was a kid, I was weird. I liked wearing a flowery embroidered purple tunic with just about anything, regardless of colour or pattern (it was my favourite top). I wore horizontally striped socks with skirts. I carried a book bag years before any of my schoolmat