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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Phantom Creek Estates tastings are by reservations only. We saw on Instagram that they had opened up for tastings, and promptly booked our visit. There is a tasting fee of $20 and you get it back if you join the wine club.

The indoor tasting room is gorgeous and modern. I forgot to snap a picture but got a few as we sat outside. Our whites and roses were already served and waiting for us at our table. The ambassador came by and gave us a background of the winery and of each wine. As it was described to us, I got the impression that Phantom Creek Estates was a very expensive passion project, and so I was a little suspect of the wine. Fortunately, all of the wine was really good! We enjoyed all of them and bought a bunch to bring home. Their whites are Alsace-style. The reds were also quite good, with one of their flagship wines being a light Bourdeaux-style red.

Phantom Creek Estates has invested a lot of money in their buildings, as well as their winemaking team. The winemakers are world-sourced, and they also leverage wine consultants. It will be nice to check out the restaurant whenever that opens (and we feel safe dining out again), as well as check out the “wine cave” tours.

Overall, our experience at Phantom Creek Estates made us feel like we were wine tasting out in Napa. It’s different from most Okanagan wine tastings and brings an element of luxury. It should be interesting to see how their presence in the local wine scene changes things around here. That and COVID safety protocols. It would be OK if we moved away from tastings at the bar, and had to book sit-down wine tasting experiences.

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Black Swift Vineyards Tasting Room and Outdoor Experience

The tasting room at Black Swift Vineyards is truly impressive. As soon as you walk in, you’re welcomed into a stylish, laid-back environment. But for us, the outdoor patio and picnic area steal the show. With multiple picnic tables and a setup for grass seating with blankets, the experience feels more like a cozy picnic than a traditional wine tasting. It’s a relaxed, dog-friendly space, which means Mia and Louie will definitely be joining us on future visits!

Our Summer 2020 Wine Tasting Plans

2020 was supposed to be filled with exciting plans. I had been gearing up to train for Ironman Canada, and we had mapped out plenty of adventures around Kelowna. Of course, those plans changed, and like everyone else, we’ve been spending a lot more time at home. Still, when we saw Black Swift Vineyards had officially opened after years of anticipation, we knew we had to check it out.

A Safe and Enjoyable Tasting Experience

If you’re planning a visit to Black Swift, you’ll be glad to know they’re serious about safety and cleanliness. Even though the indoor space is nice (sorry, no pictures this time), we felt much more comfortable sitting outside, where the views are simply stunning. The staff are diligent about cleaning each table between tastings, and hand sanitizer is readily available. It’s clear they’re prioritizing the safety of their guests, which helped ease our minds.

Unlike traditional wine tastings where you move from station to station, the Black Swift experience is more relaxed. You’re seated for your tastings, with a wine ambassador serving pre-filled glasses. This seated service makes the experience feel more personal, and it’s a format I actually prefer—especially in the current climate.

The Wines: Reds, Whites, and Everything in Between

We’ve always been fans of Black Swift wines from their days at The Hatch, so it was no surprise that we loved everything we tasted during our visit. The whites have a full, rich body, while the reds are bold without being too heavy—perfect for sipping on a warm summer day. The tasting experience is well-paced, allowing you to really savor each wine. We’ll definitely be back to take better notes and share more detailed recommendations next time!

Picnic Tables with a View

One of the standout features of Black Swift is their picnic area off to the side of the tasting patio. While they don’t offer tastings at these tables, you can purchase bottles to enjoy with equally stunning views. It’s an ideal setup for a more laid-back afternoon with friends, family, or just your pups.

Why Black Swift Vineyards Is Our New Summer Hangout

With its relaxed atmosphere, excellent wines, and dog-friendly vibe, Black Swift Vineyards has quickly become our go-to summer spot. The patio is thoughtfully designed with physical distancing in mind, making it one of the few places we feel comfortable visiting during this “new normal.”

Who would have thought that accessibility, distancing, and safety would become top priorities in choosing a hangout spot? Despite the challenges of 2020, it’s comforting to find local gems like Black Swift where we can enjoy a small escape from it all.

Have you visited Black Swift Vineyards yet? Let me know in the comments what your favourite wine was, or if you have any other West Kelowna winery recommendations!

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Miradoro at Tinhorn Creek Winery

We weren’t sure what wine to order, so we let the restauranteur, Manny, pick out a wine to surprise us. The only parameters were that we wanted red and from the year 2011. It was a 2011 Syrah and it was a stunner.

The food menu at Miradoro at Tinhorn Creek Winery is big on “farm to table”, with a Mediterranean influence (our fav!) and bringing in food from around the Okanagan area. It doesn’t make sense to go into exactly what we ordered, because the menu is always changing. It’s all amazing. They also have nice lunch and dinner features, so just go with an open mind and see what piques your interest. Miradoro also makes the best thin-crust pizzas, so that’s definitely something to keep in mind for an afternoon of wine tastings in the Oliver/Osoyoos area!

Miradoro is the perfect for lunch or dinner. You can order a pizza at lunch, and create a nice base for yourself before heading out to do wine tastings. Or you can do what we have been getting up to recently when we hang out in the Oliver/Osyoos region. We like to do a tasting at Black Hills, since that can be at least a couple of hours. And then we head to Miradoro for dinner, before driving home to Kelowna.

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The Pickup Party

Since the winery is closed for the winter, CedarCreek was hosting this pickup party at a community center, and honestly, Justin and I didn’t think much of it. We figured it was going to be very casual, almost like a regular tasting where we would just stand about. We were wrong! We also had to pick time slots for our pickup, and we were late to the game and could only snag an 11am pickup slot! For a wine tasting! That gave us a bit of a laugh, to be wine tasting at 11am, but who cares really. But we when we showed up, we were greeted with glasses of bubbly, a new release. And we saw that it was a seated wine tasting! There’s nothing more I love that sitting down to have my wine.

The Setup

There were 2 long tables that we were invited to have a seat at. Every seat had 4 glasses of wine set up. CedarCreek’s Winemaker, Taylor Whelan, took us through the tasting. And the Executive Chef, Neil Taylor, gave us a preview of what was to come for the new restaurant to be opening at the winery.

The Wine and Food

There were 4 wine tastings, in addition to the Sparkling Brut. There was a Sauvignon Blanc (which is not available to the public until September), a 2016 Cabernet-Merlot, 2015 Estate Meritage, and 2015 Platinum Meritage. The scallop crudo was paired with the Sauvignon Blanc, and it was beyond incredible. Scallops are not normally the first thing I would pick on menus when we’re out, because it’s usually not done very well. But I should’ve known better that when scallops are specially prepared by winery chefs, that it was going to be amazing. It was phenomenal.

The Fabada, a Spanish Bean Stew was also served as one of the food pairings. I loved it. It’s a new dish to us, and it was spicy and delicious. To be honest, I wasn’t paying too close attention so I’m not entirely sure which red it was supposed to be paired with… and also I thought it went incredibly well with all of them! We were socializing with people seated around us, and taking our time from wine to wine. All of the wine was pretty tasty. The white will be a great patio wine. 2015 Estate Meritage needs some more time in the bottle, or perhaps some aeration. Justin enjoyed the Cab-Merlot the most, and I’d say I have to agree.

The tasting moved along fairly quick, because they were doing a seated tasting on the hour every hour. We were invited to take our glasses to enjoy at some of the standing tables. And some of us took to the lineup to pick up our shipment. That proved to be a smart idea, as it did take a few minutes. They had a ton of boxes around, and people like us were adding more wine to our shipment. We picked up our shipment and grabbed a couple bottles of the Sauvignon Blanc and the the new 2016 Senator’s Red.

We’ll have to do a throwback post on their summertime event when they released 3 Platinum Whites. Stay tuned in for that! It was an alfresco sit down food and wine pairing at the vineyard, with views of the lake during the summer.

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