Unless you hate wine (a terrifying thought), you’d be remiss to visit the Okanagan without stopping into a winery or two. Or three, or six, or ten. Your choice.

Tourism Kelowna was kind enough to set us up with a picnic at Quail’s Gate, a winery founded in 1989 by Ben and Ruth Stewart. The Stewart family has been in Kelowna since 1908, and growing grapes since the 1950’s. You can find a good general history of Okanagan wine production here.

Quail's Gate's tasting room, shop, and restaurant sit atop a hill, with vines sloping towards the lake, and an unbelievably lovely picnic spot halfway down.

We feasted on a lunch by Basket Case Picnics, a local company that prepares gourmet picnic meals in easy to carry insulated boxes.

There was wild salmon wellington with raspberry sauce;

a mixed green salad with berries, nuts, and goat cheese;

and dark chocolate gluten-free cupcakes with cherries.

The meal was wonderful, and we also enjoyed a tasting of various Quail’s Gate wines, my favourite being the Chasselas (a Chasselas/Pinot Blanc/Pinot Gris blend).

The winery also has an award-winning restaurant, and hosts a variety of “Dinner in the Vineyard” events.

For Canadian wine-lovers, a trip to this region is essential; there are endless wineries to visit, and as you have already read, plenty of good food to pair with all of this wine.

Many thanks to Quail’s Gate, Tourism Kelowna, and Basket Case for the food and libations, and for showing us one of the most gorgeous picnic spots in the country. I’m not the only one who thinks so – have a look here, and you’ll see The Amazing Race Canada got in on it, too!

And with that, we headed north from the Okanagan. Onto Prince George, Smithers, and Haida Gwaii next.....

-LA