The Okanagan Reconnect – Week One

(A 5-week series presented by Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association)

 See Full Video below!

The SHOW

 It’s been close to two years since Tasting Room Radio toured the vineyards and restaurants of the Okanagan.

TRR started its 14-year existence on the Naramata Bench in 2007.  Since leaving the valley we’ve stayed in touch through Zoom, Phone, Text, What’s app, Skype, email, and in person. The in-person was usually in Vancouver or Victoria when wineries poured for the media and public.

I truly missed traveling through the Okanagan, walking the vineyards, seeing and smelling the cellars, and listening to the winemakers and winery principals tell great stories of bud break, harvest, and release days. The past year and a half also included a heat dome, wildfires, and Covid19.

With the assistance and support of TOTA –  The Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association – On Aug 3 we headed back to the Okanagan.

Rather than drive around to 20 plus wineries and losing valuable interview time to the driving, we decided to try and base ourselves at our sponsor locations.

The Hatch in West Kelowna, Hillside Winery and Bistro on Naramata Bench, Moon Curser in Osoyoos, and Noble Ridge in OK Falls.

This first week we called The Hatch our home.

Winery Guests were asked to bring a red and white to feature.  They included:

 

Mark Filatow – Executive chef and Sommelier Waterfront Wines Restaurant (Kelowna) waterfrontrestaurant.ca

David Patterson – GM and Winemaker at Tantalus Vineyards (East Kelowna) Tantalus.ca

2018 Chardonnay and 2019 Pinot Noir

Jason Parkes – Founder of The Hatch Wines  (West Kelowna) (also Black Swift/Crown and Thieves/Screaming Frenzy) The HatchWines.com

Grayson Riordan, Mikayla Jones, Graham Dell – (Manager Black Swift/Manager The Hatch/CFO) blackswiftvineyards.com

2017  Crown and Thieves Arch Doxy Cab Franc   2020  Black Swift Pinot Blanc

Ellen Walker-Mathews – new CEO of TOTA (Kelowna)

Jeff Hundertmark – Chef Winemaker of Mt Boucherie and Rust Wine Co mtboucherie.com/rustwine.com

 

Rust Wine 2020 Chardonnay  &  2019 Solus

Christine Coletta, Matt Dumayne and (standing) Duncan Billing  – Founder of Okanagan Crush Pad and Haywire Wines/OCP Winemaker and Director of Viticulture

2019 Narrative Chenin Blanc  Haywire 2019 Gamay Rose  okanagancrushpad.com

 

STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON

Okanagan Reconnect Week Two ( at Hillside Naramata Bench)

Rickard & Jill Branby – Sperling Vineyards

Jay Drysdale – Bella Wines (Naramata)

Marcus Ansems – co-founder/winemaker/master of wine  Daydreamer Wines (Naramata)

Chef Ned Bell and Sommelier Emily Walker – Naramata Inn

Penelope and Dylan Roche – Roche Wines (Naramata)

Kathy Malone and Evan Robertson – Winemaker Hillside Winery and Bistro Executive Chef

 

Okanagan Reconnect  5 weeks series  presented by Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association