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Okanagan-Taste

Light up the vines

It’s become a signature holiday-season event in the South Okanagan —The ninth annual Light Up the Vines along the Bottleneck Drive is coming up, paired with Summerland’s 32nd annual Light Up.

It’s a good idea to have a plan because the crowds gather for oohs and aahs.

Tip number one: take advantage of the “sneak-a-peek” option this Saturday, Nov. 23, as the wineries, cideries, breweries, and distilleries along Bottleneck Drive give their decorated vineyards, orchards and tasting rooms a test run.

This sneak preview on Saturday runs from 3-8 p.m. Then, get ready for the main event.

On Saturday, Nov. 30 and Sunday, Dec. 1, 18, wineries, three cideries, one brewery, and one distillery will open their doors and turn on the holiday lights. That’s a lot of potential stops, so hire a tour company if you haven’t selected a designated driver.

Visitors can ‘Sip ‘n Shop’ their way along Bottleneck Drive and enjoy tastings, live music, holiday lights and special discounts. Some tasting rooms will offer special treats such as warm spiced cider or mulled wine, bonfires, complimentary snacks such as crepes or bratwurst and DIY s’mores to name a few.

Visitors also have a chance to win a prize package valued at over $500 by collecting five stamps with a Light up the Vines passport.

Bonus, during Light Up Summerland, head to the downtown area at 5 p.m. for a beverage while exploring live music, local bites, street vendors, and fireworks.

Tip number two? Study the Bottleneck Drive map, found at https://bottleneckdrive.com/tours/, and the Light Up event map at http://summerlandlightup.com/the-32nd-festival/maps/.

More than 10,000 people will make their way to the Light Up festival. A bit of planning well help ensure you get to your favourite parts.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Nov. 22, Naramata: Join chocolatier Maison Mulnati at Four Shadows Vineyard and Winery for a Sweet Tooth Wine Pairing.

Nov. 23, Kelowna: The wineries of the Lakeshore Wine Route host open houses.

Nov.  23, Oliver: Take in the Okanagan Cheese Festival at Oliver Eats.

Nov. 22-24, Oliver and Osoyoos: The wineries of Oliver and Osoyoos celebrate Winter in Wine Country with a variety of activities.

Nov. 30 and Dec. 1, Lake Country: Visit the wineries of the Scenic Sip Trail for Flights and Frostbites.

Dec. 1, Penticton: Visit Santa at Cannery Brewing, in support of the South Okanagan Children’s Charity.

Through Dec. 21, West Kelowna: Culinary classes are now on at Mission Hill on a variety of topics and dates.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.



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About the Author

A creative thinker with more than two decades of experience in communications, Allison is an early adopter of social and digital media, bringing years of work in traditional media to the new frontier of digital engagement marketing through her company, All She Wrote.

She is the winner of the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association's 2011 and 2012 awards for Social Media Initiative, an International LERN award for marketing, and the 2014 Penticton Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Award for Hospitality/Tourism.

Allison has amassed a following on multiple social networks of more than 30,000, frequently writes and about social media, food and libations as well as travel and events, and through her networks, she led a successful bid to bring the Wine Bloggers Conference to Penticton in June 2013, one of the largest social media wine events in the world, generating 31 million social media impressions, $1 million in earned media, and an estimated ongoing economic impact of $2 million.

In 2014, she held the first Canadian Wine Tourism Summit to spark conversation about the potential for wine tourism in Canada as a year-round economic driver.

Allison contributes epicurean content to several publications, has been a judge for several wine and food competitions, and has earned her advanced certificate from the Wine and Spirit Education Trust.

In her spare time, she has deep, meaningful conversations with her cats.

She can be reached at [email protected]



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The views expressed are strictly those of the author and not necessarily those of Castanet. Castanet does not warrant the contents.

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