Story Ideas

Napa North

Stately wineries, neat rows of vines stretching over rolling hills. Napa? Nope. Kelowna, in Western Canada’s Okanagan Valley is gaining the respect and admiration of oenophiles around the globe. Its wineries are winning International Awards and its wines are being snapped up by savvy high-end restaurants. Then there’s the magnificent Okanagan Lake which curls for 110 kms through this vineyard-laced valley. The package? Pretty as a picture and perfect for Pinot.

New this year is the firming up of 5 distinct wine trails in the Kelowna area, the flagship of a Kelowna imbibing tour: 24 storied wineries, one meadery, two microbreweries, two cideries, and one distillery all within 25 minutes of downtown Kelowna (three of these right downtown, in fact!). Come and witness the building of these 5 distinct winery trails, each with its own identity (“Scenic Sip”, “FabFive of East Kelowna”, “Heritage Trail”, “Lakeshore Wine Route”, and “Westside Wine Trail”). The story of the development of these trails is of wineries in each geographic cluster building each trail’s identity, working together as never before in order to boil down the essence of what differentiates each trail from the others. It’s a story of building community, building family, and it is all happening this year.

A Golf Experience Tidal Wave: Golf Kelowna.com

Come and rediscover the quintessential Canadian golf destination of Kelowna at the height of its spring beauty. New for 2011, sixteen of Kelowna’s 19 golf courses have come together to form Canada’s newest golf experience tidal wave, giving golfers access to an unparalleled critical mass of diverse and quality golf courses in any single city in Canada. Come play golf with us, dine with us, wine taste with us, and discover why Kelowna is this year’s hot ticket to golf. Once in Kelowna, you can also enjoy a first-glimpse of Greg Norman Signature Course, set to open in 2012.

Allow us to introduce you to the Golf Kelowna participating courses:

Teach Your Kids to Spit

Sandcastle aficionados will tell you that carefree Kelowna has always been a family vacation stronghold. The long and sunny days of summer lend themselves well to all sorts of kid activities, like playing on the beach, mini-putting at 19-Greens, exploring rides at Scandia, petting goats at Carmelis Goat Cheese Artisan, or just eating ice-cream in a park. Even Kelowna’s award-winning wineries welcome kids. Wine tasting? That’s right. While mom and dad slurp and spit the region’s Pinots, kids can get into the action with their very own juice tastings at wineries like Summerhill Pyramid Winery or Mission Hill Family Estate. It’s a great opportunity to teach kids about the beauty and farming of vineyards and the culture around wine. So go ahead and inject a little grown-up culture into your carefree family vacation. Just don’t forget to teach your kids to spit.

The Scenic Myra Canyon

In 2003 many Canadians learned the news of the Okanagan Mountain Park Fire, and watched in horror as 12 of the historic trestle bridges in the Myra Canyon – a portion of the Kettle Valley Railway – burned down. The Kettle Valley Railway was built at the turn of the 20th century to transport silver, nickel, and other ores from the Interior of BC to the Coast. Later, this railway became part of the Trans Canada Trail and the rail lines were taken out. The most scenic portion of the railway is the Myra Canyon, a steep-walled, high elevation canyon overlooking the Okanagan Valley, Okanagan Lake, and Kelowna. Since 2008, the Myra Canyon has been open again with all 12 trestles rebuilt. With our history in North America so closely tied to the railway, this is most certainly a story of true continental pride and breathtaking scenery.

Can’t be Canada?!

The Okanagan Valley is the northernmost tip of the Sonora Dessert and lies in the rain-shadow of the Coastal Mountain range. This means that Kelowna – the Okanagan’s commercial hub - is in a microclimate, getting over 2000 hours of sunshine per year and only about 12 inches of rain annually. The ecosystem in the area is a surprise to most. Among the plant and animal life in our mountains: cacti, rattlesnakes, even Black Widow spiders. The glaciers carved this valley thousands of years ago, leaving interesting rock formations, like Layer Cake Mountain (at left - reportedly the only formation of its kind on earth), and extinct volcanoes. The rocky, mineral-rich soils are particularly perfect for grape growing (at wineries such as Quails’ Gate, you’ll find shards of volcanic rock in between the vines), and temperatures in the summer range from 85 to 100 degrees. Surprised yet? Wait till you see it. That’s why the city’s brand is “Ripe with Surprises”.

Think Globally, Eat Locally

It’s no wonder Kelowna’s food scene mantra is Eat Locally. This is a city originally populated by agriculture and orchards – its rich soils, sunny climate, lakes for irrigation, and mild winters all perfectly suited to growing food. As acclaimed chefs are discovering the merits of the city – refined local wines, dedicated farmers as neighbors, and fresh sun-ripened ingredients exploding with taste – Kelowna’s culinary scene is burgeoning. Dining options include winery restaurants with vineyard views, lakeside dining rooms with casual elegance, and downtown bistros serving up high-end culinary artistry. Ask them, and the chefs will tell you that the food on your plate and the wine in your glass is pretty well all sourced locally. You’ll find chefs pouring over seed catalogues with farmers, dreaming up their wish list. You’ll run into chefs at the Kelowna Farmers’ Market – the largest market in the interior of British Columbia – chatting with vendors who know them by name. But mostly, your evidence of the mantra will be looking down at the dish before you, and knowing that the food didn’t have to travel far to end up as flavors in your mouth.