Summer Update, Summerland Fun, Fresh & New Food Scene and a Hello!
Hey friends, it’s Jess from Farm to Glass…. Not Farm to Glass Wine Tours but just Farm to Glass.
Yep, I’m not running wine tours this season, I decided to take this year off. I’m not going to lie, it’s been pretty great having some time off, spending time with family, enjoying the best of spring in Vancouver and really just being present in the moment. Last season was incredibly successful and I’m very proud of what I’ve accomplished over these past 4 years but the burnout was real and I really needed to step back and create a better work/life balance between running a business and having a full time career as a flight attendant. It’s been such a gift creating life long memories for so many of you, and I will always hold these experiences dear to my heart. But what I tell everyone when I mention I’m no longer doing wine tours is, “Instead of creating lasting memories for other people, I’m creating memories for myself and my loved ones.”
Also I do have to mention, when you step away from the wine industry… you drink a lot LESS wine, hahahaha. Though I often take a break from wine as I roll into my birthday every year, I’m actually writing to you today on my birthday as I am currently a passenger on a flight home from Toronto and I’m very much looking forward to opening a special bottle tonight in celebration.
Ok, enough about me - as you know I live in Vancouver so this means that I’m not in the Okanagan as much these days but I was recently there for a quick family visit and had the opportunity to visit some wineries, try some newly released wines, along with scooping out some new restaurants or classic ones doing a little revamp and it inspired me to want to share it with y’all… so here we go:
All things wine (scroll down for the food section):
I can’t drive down to Penticton from Kelowna (or coming off the 97c connector) without popping by Observatory Wines in Summerland, BC. First, the views are to die for with a massive green and lush picnic area. Second, owner and winemaker Blair Gillingham is a dear friend of mine (we’ve recorded some podcasts together that you can find here) and lastly, he makes GREAT (insert my trucker mouth expletive here) WINES! Blair is also a wine maker wizard with a very unique and rare white grape to the region that originates from Austria: Gruner Vetliner. (I literally texted him before coming down asking if it had been released because I’m a little obsessed with this wine). His current sparkling wine which is from grapes sourced from Vancouver Island was also my favourite bubbles of 2025 and I managed to stock up again while I was there.
Well sure enough not only is the Gruner available but I had the chance to sit down and taste through almost all his new releases and friends… They are all bangers. The wine line up has a wine (or three) from everyone and I’m excited to see what’s to come in the future as Blair has only recently taken over this winery location a year ago. His vision is to make it a destination and it’s clear he’s making that happen and I highly suggest to check out Observatory Wines social pages to see what’s happening during your visit to the Okanagan because there always seems to be live music or something else fun happening on the weekends. It’s the perfect place to pass the afternoon with your favourite people.
My favourite wines: Gruner (the Queen, of course - she means business), Merlot Rose (it was almost too good, but is that REALLY a thing), and a fun chilled Pinot Noir that will be my summer red of the year.
My next stop: Summergate Winery in Summerland, BC
I attended a private family event at this winery last weekend and I find this is a winery that is not always on everyone’s radar, but it should be. It has all the things you want (or maybe it’s all the things that I want, but I feel like we’re the same): great wines, beautiful views, family friendly, dog friendly (+++), and a winery owned by great people and family run. Friends… It's truly beautiful there. They also farm organically, have fun with some grape varietals that are classics as well as some fun aromatics I don’t see around as much anymore (like Kerner which I love).
My favourite wines: Pinot Noir rose frizzante & their 2022 Pinot Noir
***If you are wanting to plan a day in Summerland/Peachland and want some ideas of what wineries to visit: Observatory Wines, Solvero, Silkscarf, Lunessence, Sage Hills, Haywire & Garney Valley Ranch, Hainle & Fitzpatrick Family Vineyards***
Alright - it’s food time!
I’m not gonna lie, Penticton has a great food scene for the size of the community and it just keeps getting better. So I was very happy to hear that Sister Bodega on Main St in Penticton is finally open! Owners Joel and chef Charlie are giving us a NYC-bodega meets neighbourhood lunch counter but with handmade noodles and dumplings! (drool!)
I met Joel and Charlie last year at a bday party (this town is small and everyone really does know everyone) and Charlie and I both bonded over the fact that we come from the yachting industry. I've always had mad respect for chefs on yachts as they work insane hours and not only cook for guests but also take care of the rest of the crew, they are the anchor (pun definitely intended) to keeping us afloat (whoops I did it again).
It’s great to hear that their dream back then has now become a reality, and I would like to also mention that Charlie does private dining events if you are ever looking for a chef to come in and cook you a delicious meal at your vacation home. He goes one step farther and will hint at what wines to buy when you’re out wine tasting so that they pair perfectly with said meal. I’ve recommended Charlie to some of my previous wine tour groups and they’ve always had nothing but rave reviews about their experience. They currently have very limited hours (Thursday to Monday 11am-3pm) so don’t miss out.
Do you love charcuterie? If you don’t, just scroll down a bit because this isn’t for you, sorry not sorry.
The private event I attended last weekend was so spectacularly catered by Nevada - owner of Charcu-to-go in West Kelowna that I had to give her a shout out. The charcuterie masterpiece was so stunning with an attention to detail, her craft is a thing of edible beauty. If you wanted something very special for an event of any size, I genuinely can’t recommend her enough. Everyone was just completely floored by how awesome it was. I shared a picture at the end of this post so you can get an idea of what her charcuterie spread masterpieces are all about.
Lastly, just quick shout out to Italy on the Table by Gusto Ferarri in Penticton. A really authentic, family run Italian restaurant has recently changed to focusing on take out, at home meals and no longer running a dine in restaurant. Though I was saddened to hear this, I just love the idea of grabbing something and bringing it back to your vacation rental, and enjoying it on the patio while enjoying a bottle of BC wine. Great food, great wine, great views = sign me the F, up. They’re also working on getting free delivery with Penticton for orders over $100. Um… also a big fat yes! I wish them all the best in this transition. Find them here.
Alright, I’m going to sign off. It feels really good putting this out there and I just want to say if you’re still reading this, thank you. It’s been really hard for me to get any writing out into the universe and I apologize for being so quiet these days.
Thanks for being part of my Farm to Glass story, you rock.
Now to start off this 44th year around the sun with some bubbles…. Want to take a guess of what it might be? I’ll post it in my stories.
And as always…
Be Kind,
Drink Great BC Wine
xoxo Jess from Farm to Glass
damn it feels nice reading something that isn’t coming from AI slop, isn’t it?
