There’s a good reason this has been one of Swans Hotel and Brewpub's best selling beers for over a decade now. It’s a very well made, serious, standard-setting fruit beer—that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Raspberry notes are very well integrated, leaning on...
Last weekend I drove down a sunbaked road north in the wee town of Osoyoos, just shy of Oliver, across acres of vines and weaving along the Black Sage Bench in the middle of Canada’s only "official" desert. I passed cow grates, turtle crossings and a freak (brief)...
From the eastern outbacks of Lillooet (well, outback for wine regions) comes this bold and bright, bone dry, Pinot Noir rosé. Fort Berens Winery was established by Dutch immigrants Rolf de Bruin and Heleen Pannekoek in 2005. On the Fraser River, rugged and...
Admit it—you’ve always wanted to spend the night in a treehouse Maybe you had a treehouse in your yard as a child. Or, even more yearn-worthy, you didn’t. But you always wanted one, preferably up amidst the branches, colorful and brightly painted, perhaps with...
Five generations in, so you know they know what they’re doing. The Ward-Turton family has been growing apples on their Kelowna property since the 1920′s when they arrived from England. Along with all their belongings, George Washington Ward brought cider apples....
You know how it is. You want to go out to a restaurant with your family, and need something that appeals to multiple generations. Perhaps you’re celebrating something special, or welcoming guests from out of town. You need a menu that is suitable for picky diners...
Try pouring this for someone blind if you want to confound and amaze. Albariño and Verdejo? From Naramata in the Okanagan Valley? And a stunning one at that? Definitely fandango-worthy. This is the second vintage of this blend, singular in Canada, and it keeps...
For a certain segment of the market accustomed to superlatives—super cars, superstars, super premium—where do you stay when you travel? In many cities in the world, the choice is simple: Shangri-La. For the last five years, Vancouver has been part of the Shangri-La...
You think growing grapes on the maritime lashed Wine Islands is tricky? What about tea leaves? Never say never to Victor Vesely and Margit Nellemann, owner/operators of Cowichan Valley’s Tea Farm. A few years ago they planted 200 uncovered tea plants, and are...
This story ran in the fall print edition. For more in-depth stories like this, subscribe or pick up a copy at your local newsstand. Behind Victoria’s “Tweed Curtain” of stately English manors, historic houses, English-village tinged architecture and cozy shops has...
