Spring is Springing! April 2024 Newsletter
|
Well hey there you BC wine loving friends from near and far... it's me, Jess! Owner, guide, wine geek and friend behind the wheel of Farm to Glass Wine Tours. 🍷Spring is springing! We have been ever so patiently waiting to see bud break because on average, it tends to start around April 20th and I can confirm that it has started to happen down in Osoyoos with some Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon and even a bit of Syrah so we will see it happen further north in the days to come. There might be only 25-50% of wine made this year then normal vintages but right now I can tell you the wines being poured this season are plentiful and delightful. 🍷Apples and pears are doing their thing... and some cherries depending on the location but it does seem to be a devastating loss of peaches and apricots this year. 🍷But don't worry!!! Grapevines and tree fruits are such resilient little monsters and I would normally make a joke along the lines of "well they're in a rebuild year just like the Canucks" but I can't really say that as the Canucks are doing really well right now. 🍷They will bounce back and I would like to be optimistic that because of this rebuild year, 2025 just might be a goodie. 🍷The third season has officially kicked off and I have to say... I was riding a nice high all night afterward my first tour of the season... it really feels great being back at it and doing what I love.... if this ever feels like work, I'll quit. 🍷So here's some news and events locally and from afar... basically stories I have found interesting and wanted to share... so here we go! 🍷Kelowna friends! What happens when you get one of my favourite island wineries to collaborate with my favourite restaurant in Kelowna? You get magic! Humo Izakaya and Averill Creek have a spectacular 5 course meal with wine pairing on Monday May 7th. Get your tickets here! 🍷The much anticipated Volume 3 of The Sipsters Guide to 50 Must-Try BC Wines is out! Wine expert, educator who I'm also lucky enough to call friend, Luke Whittall presents his latest top 50 British Columbia wines under $50 (including many under $30) and along the way shares his thoughts on wine country and common misconceptions about certain grapes, and offers up tangents on everything from scented candles to middle children to sweatshirt weather. Buy it here! (and if you're extra awesome possum, leave a review!). Did you know Luke and I recorded a podcast episode together? Have a listen. 🍷Sunday Soul Sessions are back this summer with the first on on May 26th at Gateway Ranch in Keremeos. The first one featuring Jory Kinjo and Brent Tyler. Bring your own chair, snacks, picnic, blanket and drink and they supply the music and amazing views... sounds pretty epic. Find tickets here! 🍷Do you LOVE Chardonnay? Well Black Market Wine Co just released their 2022 vintage and it is a stunner! You can visit this winery on one of my favourite tours: The Sides of Skaha Lake - OK Falls and Kaleden Wine Tour 🍷Mother's Day is on May 12th and there are a few special events that day at wineries like chocolate and wine tasting at JoieFarm, special rose wine tasting and local waffles from True Grain Bakehouse at Haywire. If I see any moms out and about that day, I want all the mom hugs I can get! Also many wineries offer complimentary tastings on Mother's Day so go treat your momma to some amazing BC Wine! 🍷When was the last time you looked at the stars? Naramata is on it's way to a Dark Sky Certification and I recently attended an event at Eliza Wine Bar at the Naramata Inn. What I learned is that there is not one, but two observatories that offer free public viewings and tours. Go see the milky way in Kelowna at the Okanagan Observatory on Friday nights, or enjoy a weekend tour at the Dominion Astrophysical Radio Observatory on weekends from 10am-3pm. 🍷You know what winery is kicking their carbon footprint? It's Haywire Winery (formerly known as OK Crush Pad) - the 1st Canadian Winery to join the International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA), they are slashing their C02 emissions by switching to 100% renewable natural gas. Here's a video - Bravo Haywire!! 🍷Castanet writer, Melanie Eksal did an interview with me and it got featured on a post about Okanagan wine tour options, find it here! 🍷Penticton got a great shoutout on Matador Network... but of course it did because it's awesome. It's a great article that covers wineries, breweries, must visit restaurants and more. The perfect guide to your vacation planning is right here. 🍷Are you a history geek? I kind of am... and Robert Bell has been working on his Wines of Canada site since 1992 and there's a great page with bios about our industry leaders who paved the way. From Andrew Peller to Harry McWatters and Sandra Oldfield... though our industry has changed a lot in 40 years... I think it's important to remember who helped get us to where we are today. 🍷Speaking of Sandra Oldfield... she wrote a blog post that speaks to the stress of the wine industry and it's pretty raw and real. You can find that letter here. 🍷We have BC VQA, Ontario has their own VQA but what about VQA Canada? Could our provinces share grapes under one big appellation? Here's a great read from Rick VanSickle 🍷Ever heard of Kenyan wine? Me neither, but apparently due to climate change it is an up and coming region due to climate change. Here's an interesting write up about climate change and wine and how wine regions' climates are changing. 🍷Wine News in 5 mins from jancisrobinson.com is a goodie - touching on Women and Revolution (WaR), an organisation that is seeking to dismantle gender bias and fight for equal representation in the wine industry, also on BC wine and more... get your 5 mins here. 🍷Mimi Casteel is one of my wine heroes in regard to regenerative farming and winemaking. She is world renowned for her vision of transformative viticulture, her approachable communication of that vision, and her ground examples of how to produce expressive wines from vibrant, healthy, carbon-rich soils. Here is a great presentation she recently did in Napa. It's a little geeky but it's great. 🍷These aren't wine tours, they're wine adventures! 🍷Starting June 1st is the Sustainable Sip & Anchor Sailing Tour! Half-day wine tour, half-day sailing tour, full day awesomeness in collaboration with Winds of Change Expeditions in Naramata, BC. Well I'll stop here for today.... please reach out anytime about anything and everything, I'm always happy to help. I'm entering the time of year where if I don't get back to you right away, as I might be flying (for those that don't know I'm also a flight attendant). To maximize my time for wine adventures, I will be flying sometimes for up to 15 hours at a time without access to phone or email, so if I don't get back to you right away, that's why. But I promise I will.... because if you're still reading this that means we're meant to go on a wine adventure together. Cheers to the vines, good times, being kind and drinking damn good BC wine. Jess Hopwood
|
