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OSOYOOS, THE WINE COUNTRY……

TRAVEL REVIEW BY C.K.

It was almost later part of the summer of 2011 when my family decided to take the long drive to Osoyoos, BC, the wine capital of the Okanagan. It was no doubt a long drive from home, it almost took us 12 hours to reach our destination. But we definitely enjoyed the sights along the way.

“Osoyoos is a town in the southern part of the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia near the border with Washington state. The town is also adjacent to the Indian Reserve of the Osoyoos Indian Band. The origin of the name Osoyoos was the word suius meaning “narrowing of the waters” in the local Okanagan language (Syilx’tsn). The “O-” prefix is not indigenous in origin and was attached by settler-promoters wanting to harmonize the name with other O-names in the Okanagan region (Oliver, Omak, Oroville, Okanagan).

Osoyoos Lake is often believed Canada’s warmest lake, with average summer water temperatures of 24°C (75°F) – a claim disputed only by Christina Lake. The lake is surrounded by kilometres of beaches (public and private), parks and picnic grounds, such as Gyro Beach, Lions Centennial Park, Kinsmen Park, Legion Beach and Haynes Point Provincial Park. There are also major plans to revitalize the waterfront along the town core, spurred on by recent major developments such as the Watermark Beach Resort which include increased public space and an expanded marina.

(source: Wikipedia)

As for my personal experience, I am amazed at the number of wineries they have in the region. My family stayed at the Walnut Beach Resort where they have a private lake and the water is always warm. We also got around the wineries with the OK wine shuttle where you only pay $ 35.00 each and you get to see as many wineries as you want. The driver/guide will provide you a list of wineries that they can take you for the day. My husband and I went on the wine shuttle at 10 am and we got drop off at the resort at 4 pm and we ended up going to 4 wineries and brought back 16 bottles of wine, variety of red, white and ice wines. Indeed it was worth the trip. Honestly speaking you don’t see these wines in the liquor stores in Calgary, so it’s really worth it to buy as many as you can to bring back home.

We also went to one of the museums dedicated to the dry landscape of the area, both of which label the area as “Canada’s only desert”, even though it’s not technically desert and other areas of BC are similarly dry and hot, the Nk’mip Desert Cultural Centre which is located adjacent to the Nk’mip Winery on the Osoyoos Indian Reserve. Indeed they have the cultural heritage to show visitors to the area. You can watch the film at the cultural centre which will give you an insight on their history.

Another thing we did was stopped at fruit stands on our way back to Calgary. My husband love peaches so we bought 2 cases of BC grown peaches, a case of cherries and a case of apricots. The fruits definitely taste better than the one we buy from the stores here in Calgary. If you want to buy BC fruits in Calgary the best thing to do is go to the flea market. My husband and I always enjoy going to the Crossroad market to get fruits when they are in season.

So if you have plans to go somewhere next year in the summer, don’t forget to include OSOYOOS in your itinerary. You will definitely enjoy the visit especially for the wine lovers.

OSOYOOS, THE WINE COUNTRY……

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