Discovering the Perfect Fish and Chips in Kelowna

In Kelowna, there’s a spot that has redefined fish and chips for us: Broken Anchor, formerly known as the Table Cafe at Codfathers. Codfathers is a family-owned seafood market that focuses on sustainable fishing practices—our go-to place for the freshest seafood like halibut, lingcod, spot prawns, and more.

At Broken Anchor, they make what I consider the best fish and chips in the area. Their gluten-free batter sets it apart—it’s light, crispy, and pairs perfectly with the rich halibut. Add in their delicious tartar sauce and generous servings of fries, and you’ve got a rich meal that needs a drink bold enough to balance out the flavors.

Why Champagne is the Ultimate Pairing for Fish and Chips

When it comes to pairing wine with food, you want to complement the richness of the meal with something that can cut through the oil without overpowering it. While a crisp Sauvignon Blanc with citrus notes works well, we found that Champagne—and specifically Dom Pérignon—offers the perfect match.

Champagne’s high acidity balances the richness of the fried fish, cutting through the oil while enhancing the dish’s flavors. The bubbles create a refreshing contrast to the crispy batter, making each bite even more enjoyable.

Our Dom Pérignon Experience

For a special occasion, we picked up a bottle of 2010 Dom Pérignon Champagne—one of the best Champagnes we’ve ever tasted. Before we dove into our fish and chips, we enjoyed the Champagne on its own. It had classic brioche and apple notes on the nose, followed by citrus, blossom, and apple on the palate. The full-bodied texture and long, elegant finish made it a delight.

When we finally paired it with the fish and chips, it was a game changer. The light bubbles and refreshing acidity lifted the entire meal, while the flavors of the Dom Pérignon intertwined beautifully with the crispy fish. From now on, this pairing will be our go-to for celebrating life’s special moments.

How to Create the Perfect Pairing at Home

If you want to recreate this at home, here’s how to make your own luxury fish and chips experience:

1. Pick the Right Fish: Fresh halibut or cod is ideal for this meal. The lighter the fish, the better it pairs with Champagne.

2. Make or Order the Best Fish and Chips: If you’re in Kelowna, Broken Anchor is your place. Otherwise, look for a spot that offers a light, crispy batter.

3. Choose a Champagne: While Dom Pérignon is our personal favorite, any high-quality Champagne with enough acidity will do.

4. Savor the Experience: Enjoy a glass of Champagne before the meal to appreciate its complexity, and then slowly savor each bite with your fish and chips.

Final Thoughts: Why Fish and Chips with Dom Pérignon Should Be Your Next Celebration Meal

The unexpected pairing of fish and chips with Dom Pérignon Champagne elevates a simple, comfort meal into a luxurious dining experience. The contrast between the rich, crispy fish and the light, acidic bubbles of Champagne creates a harmony that’s hard to beat. Whether you’re celebrating a special occasion or just want to treat yourself to something indulgent, this combination is one that will leave a lasting impression.

This delightful combo is now a permanent fixture in our household for special moments, and I highly recommend trying it yourself. You might just discover your new favourite pairing!

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Ciao Bella Winery

Ciao Bella is a family-owned winery, and if you could guess by the name, they do wines in the Italian style! They have a cute garden area where we were able to do our tastings outside. There was food for purchase, and plenty of eating and sitting areas to enjoy food and wine.

Kalala Organic Estate Winery

We really like Kalala and always take friends and family here. The story behind the name as well as the wine itself is wonderful. Here’s a detailed post from one of our visits.

Black Swift Vineyards

We discovered Black Swift Vineyards through the hatch wines. Their outdoor patio and picnic area have views of the lake, and they are also dog-friendly. Here’s a detailed post from our first visit.

Fitzpatrick Family Vineyards

Fitzpatrick is technically Peachland but it’s a perfect stop to add to a “West Kelowna” wine tour. You can do a tasting (we love their bubbly) as well as eat at the restaurant with views of the lake. It could be a way to start your West Kelowna wine tour, from the most southerly point and head back toward West Kelowna.. however, with the views, you’re best to finish here.

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Wineries

• Tinhorn Creek – this is an oldie but goldie for us. They have really fun events for wine club members.
• Hester Creek – whites have great Character, the roses are some of our favorites, and the reds are great.
• Black Hills – we’re members here and like to enjoy wine tastings in the cabana poolside. The new winemaker is taking the wines in a French direction, which we really like.
• La Vieux Pin – Old world, French style, Northern Rhone inspired.
• LaStella – La Vieux Pin’s Italian sister.

Restaurants

• Miradoro at Tinhorn Creek
• Terrafina at Hester Creek

These are our favorite do-not-miss restaurants!

Where To Stay

• Watermark Beach Resort – waterfront views and pet-friendly! This is our favorite place to stay, given the suite setups with kitchen, dining areas, layout, and location.
• Spirit Ridge Resort – another pet-friendly resort with plenty of amenities.
• Mount View Motel – a very quaint budget motel in Oliver. We booked a last minute trip with some friends and this was the only option available and we enjoyed our stay.
• Walnut Beach – good location with a beachfront, but not pet-friendly so we never stay there anymore.

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Latest tastings:

• 2012 Gevrey-Chambertin Louis Latour
• 2014 Martin’s Lane Riesling
• 2011 Cool Climate Syrah from Cline
• 2004 Cabernet – Merlot Tinhorn Creek

2014 Martin’s Lane Riesling

This was their inaugural vintage. The grapes are from the Naramata area, which is a warmer climate than here in Kelowna. 900 cases. It was a typical Riesling, aromatic, and I vividly remember the tertiary notes. It was incredible, and would definitely be something we’d reach for again. We still have to go check out their tasting room.

2012 Gevrey-Chambertin Louis Latour

Hello, I’m in love. This wine is likely one of my new favorite Pinot Noirs. This Gevrey-Chambertin was elegant, with notes of cherry and earth. We paired it with steelhead trout for dinner.

2011 Cool Climate Syrah from Cline

This Cline was kicking around in our cellar and we were worried it was heading past its prime. We picked this up from a road trip many years ago, and it’s moved with us many times. Not sure why we didn’t tuck into it sooner, but it was fun to open it this year, as an early tribute to our 10 year wedding anniversary. Lots of black fruit, earth, and tobacco notes.

2004 Cabernet – Merlot Tinhorn Creek

We had this Miradoro. We saw it on the menu and were intrigued given that it’s a 2004. We found out they had discovered a case in their back room. It was delicate so there was no decanting involved. It drank beautifully. We got notes of plum, vanilla, and cassis.

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For this Member Exclusive Experience at CedarCreek Estate Winery, you had to book a time slot for your pickup, and it was nice that it was one household per time slot. We got a “tour guide” or ambassador to take us around to the various stations. We started on the 2020 vintage of Sauvignon Blanc. It was fresh, bright, herbaceous, reminiscent of Marlborough style SB. A small percent of this wine was aged in oak, which is not common for Sauvignon Blanc.

After the first tasting station, our guide took us by golf cart to the upper area of the winery. Here we got to visit the chickens and learn about the composting program at the vineyard. Then we headed into the vineyard to try Pinot Noirs from their new collection called Aspect. The last stop was in the building above the back parking lot where we got to try the Pinot Gris and learned about the beehives. We got to revisit one more wine, so we chose the Aspect Pinot Noir. They served us in the Aspect House, a members-only area.

It’s fun to reflect on how much CedarCreek has changed over the last few years. When we first joined, the tasting room was very rustic and quaint. Now, they have some giant structures like the new tasting room, restaurant, and Aspect House. I love the style and design, and definitely want to incorporate some of the elements into our own home.

Our other CedarCreek pickup party experience here.

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As per the WSET website for Level 2, this qualification is intended for beginners wishing to learn about a wide range of wines or those seeking to build on the introductory knowledge gained with the WSET Level 1 Award in Wines. You’ll gain knowledge of the principal and regionally important grape varieties of the world, the regions in which they are grown, and the styles of wine they produce. Through a combination of tasting and theory, you’ll explore the factors that impact style and quality and learn how to describe these wines with confidence.

WSET Level 2 in Wine happens across 3 days/classes for us, offered through Fine Vintage Ltd. Level 2 is an intermediate course and covers grape growing, winemaking, the classic grapes, tasting and so much more. Just like in WSET Level 1, it was in-person classes with an instructor who took us through the theory and tastings. If you’re interested in taking WSET courses, we took ours through Fine Vintage and had a great experience. Use our referral link to get 10% off your registration.

Fine Vintage did a pretty good job outlining their pandemic protocols, so we felt there were enough measures in place for us to comfortably attend the in-person classes. In theory, wine tasting classes sound super fun and super easy. You’re just drinking wine. It is anything but! You’re tasting a lot of wine, thinking, processing, and making tasting notes for each. The senses will tire after a while.

It is one thing to do self-study with wines, but I absolutely appreciated the in-person classes. Our instructor, Mike Lee, is a DipWSET, FWS, which means he knows his wine. It was great practice to attempt our own tasting notes, and then calibrate with someone who has a much more distinguished and experienced palate. That made the classes well worth it. The second benefit was learning about the mental models and maps for remembering the various grapes and types of wine.

This blog post was a long time in the making, and we have since learned that both of us have passed the WSET Level 2 Award in Wines. We are confident that we passed with distinction but have to wait until we get the official results from WSET. I’m excited to get our certificate, as well as another pin. We still have to figure out what we want to do with our WSET certifications, but I am entertaining the idea to pursue Level 3.

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WSET has a systematic approach to tasting wine. Every grape has certain characteristics on the nose and palate, so we’ve been working to train and align our taste buds to the smells and tastes. It’s been fun trying our favorite grape varietals from around the world, mostly from France.

Since we’ve started tracking our wines and tasting notes, here’s a list of the wines we’ve had recently. They are in no particular order.

• Veuve Cliquot Rose Champagne
• William Fevre Chablis
• Chartron & Trebuchet Pouilly-Fuissé
• Kettle Valley 2014 Syrah
• Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais AOC
• M. Chapoutier Côtes-du-Rhône

We loved the 2014 Syrah from Kettle Valley Winery. We will need to find a Côte-Rôtie to do a comparative tasting but based on our WSET studies so far, we think this Syrah is reminiscent of Côte-Rôtie AOC as this Syrah follows the traditional method of co-fermenting with a small amount of Viognier (5%). Lots of black fruit and pepper notes on the nose and palate. It is supposed to have floral aromas, but we simply may need more practice to detect that on the nose. The Syrah was amazing and we thought it provided tremendous value for its price point. We had it with lasagna.

Justin hunted around for the Veuve Clicquot Rosé Champagne because I was on a Rosé champagne/bubbly kick and they’re not the easiest to find around here. We brought this back from a trip somewhere last year. It’s non-vintage and made with Pinot Noir grapes. It was dry with light body. We got strawberry and citrus on the palate. There was a touch of biscuit, but overall we found ourselves wanting more body and toasted notes. Wouldn’t go out of our way to pick up this Rose Champagne and would opt for regular Veuve Clicquot as it’s dry and more complex.

We did our first comparative tasting with the Pouilly-Fuissé and Chablis. It was inspired by a local fishmonger, Codfathers, advertising fresh West Coast oysters. We picked up 2 dozen. It was my first time ever shucking oysters and decided to mark the occasion with a nice white. It’s a lot of work shucking oysters when you don’t know how to shuck oysters.

The Chablis was the preferred pairing with the oysters because it was more acidic, with green fruit and lemon vs. the Pouilly-Fuissé which was creamier from the use of oak and had notes of stone and tropical fruit.

Funny story: I made the mistake of confusing Pouilly-Fuissé with Pouilly-Fumé at the liquor store. Originally, I was hoping to test Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc for the oyster pairing. Pouilly-Fumé is Sauvignon Blanc grapes, and I thought we were tasting that vs. the Pouilly-Fuissé.

The Pouilly-Fuissé has medium body, stone/tropical fruit notes, and complexity from being fermented in oak. Pouilly-Fumé or Sauvignon Blanc is not typically put on oak, because its fresh and herbaceous characteristics are easily overwhelmed. Pouilly-Fuissé is made from Chardonnay. So we were tasting two Chardonnays because Chablis is also made from Chardonnay.

It was a trip tasting the Pouilly-Fuissé because I was looking for Sauvignon Blanc qualities when we were actually tasting a Chardonnay. Justin finally corrected me and we had a good laugh. I don’t know how I’ll live it down when I was trying to convince him against his taste buds. I should be able to remember the difference between Pouilly-Fuissé and Pouilly-Fumé for a very long time.

I think I will design a wine journal for us to keep track of wine that has some semblance to the WSET method as well as the way we’d want to document our wine experiences.

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WSET was founded in the UK in 1969 and seems to be a very respectable standard. There are many levels and qualifications, and there are separate courses for spirits. The Level 1 wine course is one day, a full day. When we signed up, we got a study guide and were instructed to read it a few times before the actual class. There is plenty of documentation, such as specifications and expected learning outcomes so you are really prepared for the day as well as the exam.

When I booked this course, one of my key concerns was safety protocols. It was probably my only complaint about the whole experience because I had emailed in advance to ask what they were doing but never received a response. I was pleased to receive an email letting us know what were the protocols and expectations. When we arrived on the day, they took our temperatures upon entry and made us sign a waiver. I felt pretty safe because we were all spaced quite far apart and everyone was wearing masks.

Our course instructor was local, Mike Lee, the winery sommelier from Quail’s Gate. He did a great job taking us through the content and tastings. We had assigned seating, which probably worked out best for us and our friend, so we didn’t spend all our time making comments and socializing. It would have been about wine, but it would have been such a disservice to us and everyone if I’m being honest.

Each station had a wine tasting mat, a book of course material, our ISO tasting glasses, and a black and gold Fine Vintage Ltd branded carrying bag. Safety protocols meant we got to wear our masks when not tasting, we had individual spit cups, and we only really talked to the person beside us when doing tasting notes.

We got to try 14 wines from all over the world. It was really interesting to take such a systematic approach to wine tasting. In level 1, we go into the basics of appearance, smell, and taste. I learned that I have always been a fan of Burgundy wines, which are Chardonnay or Pinot Noir. Justin’s biggest takeaways were about the effect of food on wine.

The WSET Level 1 exam is written at the end of the day, and won’t know our results for 8-10 weeks. It was 30 questions, and you need 70% to pass the exam. Upon successful completion of WSET Level 1, you receive a pin and certificate.

We’ve begun studying for WSET Level 2 and it looks like we’re going into much more detail on geographical indications (GIs). It looks like there’s a lot to learn about the regions, like PDO (Protected Designation of Origin), and PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) production. There will also be more detail on the tasting approach. We’re excited!

The WSET Level 1 class was so enjoyable, we decided to enroll in WSET Level 2 in 2021. I expect our wine blog posts to evolve quite a bit from this education. I already cringe a bit with the way I’ve written about some of our winery visits and specifically wine tastings. A little too unstructured, but now we know better.

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Kalala Organic Estate Winery is a producer of wines made with 100% certified organic grapes, located on the upper bench of West Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada. Kalala, meaning “Miracle Place”, is the symbol of our commitment to harmony with nature, organic viticulture practices, and our wines.

https://www.kalala.ca/about/

As we parked and got out of the car, someone greeted us and brought us over to the outdoor wine tasting area. They told us the wine shop was near capacity because of COVID precautions. We were happy to do our tasting outside anyway because I get anxious if we have to spend any considerable amount of time inside with other people.

The outdoor wine tasting bar was really nice, and we got a view of the vineyard as well as peeks of Okanagan Lake. Beyond the bar was a series of picnic tables and umbrellas. You can bring your own food, buy a bottle of wine, and enjoy the views.

There was a small fee for a tasting, waived with purchase. They had 4 wines to taste, and well as 2 iced wines for an additional fee. We got to learn more about the vineyards, as well as the wines. We learned afterward that we were chatting with Kalala’s Proprietor and Viticulturist, Karnail Sidhu. I really liked the Kalala logo, as Kalala means “Miracle Place” and symbolizes the legend of the origins of this particular village where farmers came upon a wolf and lamb sitting peacefully together.

The Pinot Gris was lovely, nice, and off-dry. The Rosé was an absolute rockstar, comprised of 4 grapes and tasted predominately of the Gewürztraminer. The first red Harmony Red was a blend, which didn’t really excite us. The second red, Aspire, a Merlot Cab Sauv blend really blew us away. It spent 30 months in oak, and those grapes hail from the Naramata and Osoyoos. We really enjoyed the 2014 Aspire, and were told it would be good to lay down for 2-3 years too.

Iced wines always pique our interest. We always taste them and almost always convince ourselves we need to buy a bottle. Then it sits around in our cellar for forever, because a bottle of iced wine is a lot to drink between 2 people. Kalala had 2 iced wines for tasting, a Riesling, and a Merlot iced wines. Both were fantastic! They were left to ferment for longer than usual for iced wines, which helps bring down the sugars. They had great mouthfeel, and the sweetness didn’t linger much in your mouth. We absolutely loved the Merlot iced wine but opted not to get any because while we loved it, we just wouldn’t have drunk it.

We had no idea how large Kalala’s wine portfolio was until we went inside to make our purchase. They were also selling a variety of jams as well as crystal wine glasses with their logo. They have a Frizzante that I’d like to pick up the next time we visit.

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Oliver and Osoyoos are some of our favorite hangouts in BC. We love the wine, the restaurants, the views, and the vibes in the southern Okanagan. We used to go all out every time we came down to this area, trying to taste as much as possible. In the last few years, we’ve started limiting ourselves to about 2-4 at most. We have to hit some of our favorites, and we try to check out a new-to-us winery.

The Oliver Osoyoos Wine Country Association has this “Passport Program” that encourages you to visit all these wineries for tastings and get stamps, and you get entered into a draw of some sort. We used to do it every time we visited the region, trying to taste as much as possible as the stamping system brings out our competitive side.

As we’ve grown over the years, we slowly stopped doing that because it gets pretty tricky after a few wineries. It made sense at first because every winery was new to us. Eventually, some wineries became favorites, and so we’d know what to expect. But when you go to too many wineries in one afternoon, at least in our case, everything starts to taste the same.

It was finally time to try out Le Vieux Pin Winery. We’ve driven by it many, many times because we’re always on Black Sage Road. The wine ambassador was really lovely and let us try everything. All of their wines are French-inspired, and we loved them all! We’ll have to go back and document our tasting more closely.

Black Hills was no different, they were awesome as usual! We’re wine club members and have access to the cabana tastings. We didn’t have the chance to stop for lunch, we typically like to stop by Miradoro, the restaurant at Tinhorn Creek Vineyards.

We used to take weekend trips to Oliver/Osoyoos when we lived in Vancouver. Now that we live in Kelowna, it’s easy to make a few winery visits into a day trip. In the summer, there are tons of fruit and veggie stands open, so we make sure we start the day on the earlier side, so we can swing by those stands before they close. A good portion of the drive is along Okanagan Lake, so the views are simply stunning.

We’ve seen people cycling from winery to winery around here. We’ve cycled Black Sage Road before. And we’ve participated in the Half Corked Marathon with running from winery to winery. All the power to you, but it’s more enjoyable to drive around for tastings! If you have an electric vehicle, there are a few places and a few wineries that have “free charging”, like Black Hills. However, those chargers charge so slowly, it’s not even really worth plugging in. The temperatures are super hot, so think about bringing a cooler for your wines. And it’s way too toasty to bring a dog during the summer, so it’s best to leave them back at the hotel or at home.

Have you been to Oliver or Osoyoos? What are your favorite wineries?

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