Canada’s Wine Country: A focus on Osoyoos, BC Nestled in the Okanagan
Osoyoos is a small town located in the Okanagan region of British Columbia. It borders Oliver, BC and relies heavily on tourism during the Summer months due to its extensive menu of wineries and the Okanagan being one of the best wine country regions in Canada. It is considered a border town as the USA border is very close to it and unfortunately, due to the land border being closed while I was down at the end of June, there was a decrease in tourists into the town.
It’s a lovely small town if you are looking for a nice getaway from the city life and a bonus if you enjoy wine and going to wineries. As it is nestled in the Okanagan region close to the USA border, it can get pretty hot during the Summer months. The Okanagan area has a desert-like climate (hot and dry in the day time) but it can get cooler in the evenings. This year (2021), was exceptionally hot as the entire province was under a heat wave at the end of June. We saw temperatures in Osoyoos of near 40 degrees Celsius! They also had a significant lack of rainfall which resulted in an earlier-than-normal wildfire season and there was some smoke in the air.
Where To Stay
There are a few resorts in the town along with basic hotels. You can always find an air BNB as well in the area. We were fortunate to find a lovely air bnb situated in the Osoyoos Cottages just off Road 22. The cottages are situated on the opposite side of BC-97 on Osoyoos Lake with its own private beach. Unfortunately, there isn’t a connector from the cottages to the town yet so you have to go all the way back on to BC-97 to get to the town. The lake water was lovely and warm later in the day and cooler in the mornings. These cottages were lovely and feature a clubhouse with a gym and pool area – a regular pool and a kids pool along with a hot tub. There is a playground and plenty of green space to play for kids.
Black Sage road is very close where most of the wineries are all located so it makes it a great location if you are a winery lover. The town of Osoyoos is also not far and a 10-minute drive south where you can find a grocery store, some restaurants and the public beach. There is also a mini-golf adventure park for kids (and adults) in the town. The town of Oliver is very close and these cottages are actually right on the border between Osoyoos and Oliver. All the wineries on Black Sage Road are considered to be in Oliver.
Wineries To Visit
1400 Rancher Creek Rd, Osoyoos, BC V0H 1V4
Nk'Mip winery is located at the Spirit Ridge resort. It is an indigenous-owned winery with beautiful views. They have a lovely restaurant with a patio with an incredible view and I would recommend to plan to have lunch here. You do have to make reservations, especially during weekends. We ordered the burrata which was presented nicely. The fried chicken tacos were delicious and comes in a corn tortilla for those who are gluten-free. The pear butter gives it a nice sweetness and keeps it from being too try. Please note that it comes with just two tacos so you will want to order an appetizer if you are pretty hungry. The marinated feta dish that was drizzled with butter and served with a warm sourdough focaccia which was so delicious and not very salty either as some feta can be salty. I didn’t taste the wagyu burger but I heard the beef was cooked just right and it was juicy and tender. We didn’t do the wine tasting there but they have a shop where you can purchase their wines if you would like regardless of the tasting.
6094 Black Sage Rd, Oliver, BC V0H 1T8
This small estate Portuguese winery is located on Black Sage road where all the other wineries are located and can be part of your “winery day” as you travel down the road. We did a wine tasting here and they typically have a menu of 4-5 red wines and 4-5 white wines to go through and taste. The lady explains the wines to you and you are allowed to dump out the wine you don’t like the taste off. I found there was some pressure to buy the wine however they do tell you that the wine has to be kept chilled and because it was extremely hot during our time in Osoyoos and we didn’t have a cooler in the car, we used that as an excuse to not feel pressured to by a wine. I found the red wines a bit too dry for my palate but if you are someone who likes drier wines, you may like this winery and should check it out.
5462 Black Sage Rd, Oliver, BC V0H 1T1
This was my favourite winery for a couple of reasons. The building was lovely and reminded you of French architecture (even though I have never been to France). The view was ABSOLUTELY breathtaking and I highly recommend you stop at this winery and take in the full experience – the view, the wood-fired pizza and the wine tasting. I am not very into wines and I enjoyed most of the wines I tasted at this winery but my special favourite was “Lys” which is a fruity white wine.
4120 Black Sage Rd, Oliver, BC V0H 1T1
Platinum Bench has some delicious homemade artisan breads but they get sold out very quickly so it is best to go in the morning if your goal is to buy some breads. We went in the afternoon (around 3pm I believe) and they had sold out of most of them. They do hold breads for customers and if they don’t come to pick them up or want them, you may get lucky and get a loaf. My favourite breads were the Double Crème Brie + Pear Preserves and the Gorgonzola + Fig loaves.
We also did a wine tasting here and this was the only winery where I found they were pretty strict with COVID protocols and ensured there was 2m distance between where you were standing and where the employee explaining the wine was standing. You had to have your mask on if you weren’t trying the wine. They do offer their breads with the wine tasting and have paired each bread with the wine so they recommend you try the respective breads together with each wine you taste.
316 Rd 20, Oliver, BC V0H 1T0
We didn’t try the wines or do a tasting at the Kismet winery but we went to their restaurant for dinner. It was surprisingly busy at the restaurant and their patio was full of patrons. They have a view overlooking the vineyards when you are on the patio. They do have good reviews and it seems those who visit enjoy their Indian cuisine. However, being of East Indian origin, their appetizers were really good but my family found the curries to be more on the bland side so if you love Indian food and have eaten at many great Indian restaurants in big cities like Vancouver, Calgary or Toronto, you may consider skipping or just going for cocktails, wine and appetizers. I will say that their mango lassi and butter chicken was really good though.
A note on the wineries and wines
Interestingly, every winery we visited was sold out of their rose wines and it’s only the beginning of July. Apparently it was because they were very popular but also the drought as they had a lack of rainfall affected their rose wine crop.
Summerland, BC - Winery En Route
659 BC-97 S, Peachland, BC V0H 1X9
This upscale restaurant with the most stunning patio and view is located at the Fitzpatrick Winery. If you are driving to or from Osoyoos and are passing Summerland then the winery and restaurant will be on your route as it is situated right on the BC-97 highway and has an unparalleled view of Okanagan Lake. You must make a stop for lunch, especially if you have to celebrate a special occasion. They only have outdoor seating so pick a day when the weather is great and the owner said that they operate seasonally and are typically closed in the late Fall/Winter months because of the weather. I highly recommend you make reservations, especially during the hot and sunny days because they have umbrellas to provide shade but the manager mentioned they plan their umbrellas for the tables based on their reservations. They were very accommodating for my party of 3 as we made a reservation but due to traffic and a detour due to a wildfire in the area, we got delayed by 45 minutes.
The food is 10/10, delicious and healthy depending on what you order. We had their calamari, Fitz salad, baked brie and wood-fired pizza Bianca. The pizza is made with double ‘00’ flour which was a pleasant treat. This was my first time ordering a wood-fired pizza where they serve a whole uncut pizza on a wooden board and bring you scissors so you can cut the pizza yourself. It was such a unique way of serving I haven’t seen anywhere else. For three people, this was plenty of food and we ended up having leftovers which served well for our long road trip back to Calgary from the restaurant. The dessert was just as delicious as the rest of the meal and a perfect way to end a perfect meal. My mum even mentioned she hasn’t had a “really good” meal like this in a long time!
