by Margaret Swaine | Jan 25, 2008
1. Whisky: The craggy heather-covered highlands of Scotland are the source of much of the world’s best whisky. On the well-signposted Speyside whisky trail you’ll find more than a dozen distilleries within a 20-kilometre radius, many welcoming you in for a tour that ends with a complimentary wee dram. At some, such as The Glenlivet, you can even take a walk on the wild side following the legendary smugglers’ trails where illicit stills were hid. See www.maltwhiskytrail.com for some of them.
2. Bourbon: Kentucky’s famous for thoroughbred horses and bourbon, America’s only native spirit. On the bourbon trail visit Maker’s Mark, the oldest operating distillery on its original site, where you can don apron, goggles and dip your (purchased) pint of hooch into their trademark red sealing wax. www.kybourbon.com
3. Tequila: Mexico’s Tequila Train takes you on a 90-minute ride from Guadalajara to the agave fields of Jalisco, home of much of the country’s tequila. The most beautiful place to visit is Herradura distillery at the San Jose del Refugio hacienda where you learn how the agave is baked, distilled and aged. Finishing you off for the day are generous pours of tequila while a mariachi band serenades. www.visitmexico.com
4. Vodka: On the Baltic coast of Sweden is the tiny harbour town of Åhus, the sole home of Absolut, arguably the world’s most successful vodka. The town is postcard charming and the Absolut tour tells the story of how a Swedish medicine bottle became the toast of countless leading artists and a modern icon. www.absolut.com
5. Cognac: The sleepy town of Cognac north of Bordeaux on the banks of the Charente is seeped in spirits and history with its narrow cobblestone streets and warehouses full of slumbering barrels of cognac, the stonework covered in velvety black fungus that feeds on the alcohol vapours. A favourite tour is Otard, located in Château de Cognac where Francis I was born in 1494. www.otard.com
6. Rum: In Jamaica’s interior at Appleton Estate, home of fine rums since 1749, take a rum tour, which includes a documentary about the estate, a view of the 100-year-old donkey-driven mill and samples of fresh cane juice, molasses, wet sugar and, of course, Appleton rum, rum cream and liqueurs. www.appletonrum.com
Thus it is working as of the date of this article, are numerous pay-per-click ads (at top and left purchase viagra in canada of search results pages) for the product. It enhances the quality of erection and let them enjoy orgasmic sildenafil price in india on sale at pharmacy store sexual activities. A Reasonable Recession brand viagra pfizer Tactic or Not? 2011). If this change comes with aging then there is nothing to online cialis panic but if a young man develops this problem then the matter should be taken seriously as sex not only gives satisfaction for few minutes; it is also associated with various gastrointestinal problems, such as diarrhea, constipation, nausea, etc., that can negatively affect a person’s eating habits. 7. Gin: Black Friars Distillery in the town of Plymouth, England, makes the gin that starred in the first dry martini ever made. Produced from the same 1793 recipe, the base for Plymouth gin is distilled English wheat flavoured with botanicals. Parts of the building are almost as old as the recipe and equally attractive. www.plymouthgin.com
8. Flavoured vodkas: High up amidst the pine trees of Spring Mountain overlooking California’s Napa Valley is Charbay, The Still on the Hill. It’s worth the long, windy drive to sample their creative selection of flavoured vodkas made from 100-per-cent fresh ingredients (no essences or perfumes). www.charbay.com
9. Grappa: The most complex and elegant grappas come from northern Italy and no place is more famous than Bassano — the ancient town situated at the foot of Monte Grappa in Veneto. Bortolo Nardini set up there in 1779 by the River Brenta, where, to this day, there’s a shop, grappa museum and bar. Just up from the foot of historic wooden bridge over the river is the Poli Grappa Museum. www.nardinigrappa.com and www.poligrappa.com
10. Calvados: Normandy, France is home to Calvados, the world’s premier apple brandy as well as a Norman cuisine rich in cream and butter. Between dishes and meals, a calvados — or “Trou Normand” — is said to aid digestion. All over the region, producers will happily invite you in for a nip. Boulard, one of the most famous, has a restaurant onsite with tables inside giant barrels. www.calvados-boulard.com
© Default License 2008
by Margaret Swaine | Oct 1, 2007
By Margaret Swaine
Fall 2007 ClubLink NewsLink
Greg Norman continues to expand his vinous empire with ever more successful vintages. His first wine labels from Australia were launched back in the late nineties as a joint venture between Great White Shark Enterprises and Beringer Blass Wine Estates. Last year his California Estates wines debuted in Canada to great acclaim. And next?
“Given our success in Australia and California, we might be poised to develop a range in another country, which is groundbreaking as very few wine businesses have transported their brand from one region to another,” Norman commented recently.
Norman’s interest in wine started in the 70s when he was playing professional golf in Europe. “I made it a point to absorb the fine food and wine culture in the many counties I had the opportunity to visit,” he said. Now an avid collector, when he’s at home he opens a bottle most nights with dinner.
“I have 25-40 different varietals and not a real preference to red or white, but like most people tend to match wines with my meals….I’m especially fond of California chardonnays, but nearest to my heart and palate are the wines of Australia,” he said.
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However, publicity pictures aside, Norman’s not out picking grapes or topping up barrels. The Greg Norman Estate collections in both countries are in the hands of full-time winemakers. He does give stylistic direction for the wines under his shark logo label which is to make them approachable, food-friendly and good value.
As any golfer knows Norman is actively involving in course design. On a trip this spring to Ireland I was greatly impressed by his links course at Doonbeg. Locals told me Norman visited over 30 times to get it perfect. I asked him about this.
“I have been visiting Ireland for nearly 30 years,” said Norman. “I would always plan my summer schedule around a trip to the British Isles, usually traveling to Ireland or Scotland at the beginning of July, in the weeks before the Open Championship….Yes, I was working on my game, but at the same time I got to see Ireland’s and Scotland’s most famous retreats. These trips prompted me to explore the idea of creating my own course in the region, and I was fortunate to be given the opportunity at Doonbeg. And yes, I did make more than 30 trips to Doonbeg.”
Greg Norman Estates wines benefit from the same devotion to perfection. Now connected with Foster’s Wine Estates (a combo of the former Beringer Blass and Southcorp Wines) the enterprise has access to the over 15,000 hectares of vineyards in around the world. We can expect to see much from this fruitful collaboration. Currently available Greg Norman Estates Australian wines that I heartily recommend include The Limestone Coast Shiraz 2005 ($24.15) which is full flavoured, well balanced with smoky, spicy fruit and a smooth opulence. From California the North Coast Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 ($24.95) has a ripe berry character that’s velvety with oak nuances and good intensity.
by Margaret Swaine | Sep 22, 2007
Inn at Manitou plated for New York
By Margaret Swaine
(National Post September 22, 2007)
Last summer one of the guests at Inn at Manitou in northern Ontario ended her stay with a proposition. A recruiter for the James Beard Foundation dinners in New York, she suggested the inn’s chef bring his team to the Big Apple to stage a dinner. That’s like a musician being asked to play Carnegie Hall. It’s an honour that’s as wonderful as it is terrifying.
The resort perched on the shores of Lake Manitouwabing near the tiny town of McKellar north of Parry Sound is remote but not unsophisticated. As a Relais & Chateaux member it’s part of an august group of about 450 hotels and restaurants in the world. The five “C’s” of the independent owner-operated Relais members are to provide character, courtesy, calm, charm and perhaps most importantly cuisine.
Ben and Sheila Wise opened their inn in 1974 as a small 16-room tennis resort next to a camp they owned. As the place expanded so did the kitchen which quickly became a launching ground for ambitious young chefs from Europe. As a summer resort they needed staff for only six months which meant hiring anew every year. To get the best they hired from abroad. A good number of chefs returned for several seasons eventually staying in Canada. The alumni such as J.P. Challet, Thomas Bellec, Oliver Boels, Philippe Couerdassier and Christophe Letard went on to head top restaurants about the country.
Hiring from overseas is definitely a Wise decision. Around their land of cranberry bogs, granite outcroppings and lakes one would be more likely to find a moose than professional service staff. Maids, spa therapists, waiters, sommeliers, tennis pros all sport accents from places such as Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Maldives, New Zealand, Vietnam, France and Ireland. The current chef Bernard Ibanez was born in Morocco from Spanish parents. He grew up in France sharpening his culinary talent in Michelin starred and Gault Millau recognized restaurants in Paris, Bordeaux and Cannes.
Now in his seventh season at Manitou, he winters wherever fancy and a job takes him. Le Yeti in Meribel France, Villa del Sol in Ixtapa Mexico, L’Esquinade in Mégeve, Chez Moi in Hong Kong and Shenzen China are duly noted in his resume. Wiry and angular with tobacco stained teeth, a scar criss-crossing his face and passionate flashing eyes, his gypsy life style matches his looks. His passion is the kitchen. At 51 years old, never married, no kids, “My job is my family” he said. “Every year I have five or six new children in the kitchen I need to look after,” he added referring to the constantly changing staff. (His girlfriend of the past two years is in Europe studying at hotel school.)
He works everyday with a few hours break in mid-afternoon. As a point of pride rather than a complaint he mentions that world renowned Spanish restaurant El Bulli, which also is seasonal, has 40 people in the kitchen and 20 working off-season in the lab to perfect dishes. He has no sous chef, his staff is young and few in numbers yet he manages to turn out an ever changing array of gourmet dishes. The menu changes completely nine times a week so guests (on all-inclusive three meal a day plans) won’t get bored. “With a new menu it feels like they’re in a different place,” said Ibanez.
All this will serve him well when he heads to New York October 18th to cook at James Beard House. The historic townhouse in Greenwich Village is the former home of James Beard, considered the father of American gastronomy. Beard penned many classic cookbooks, taught cooking and ran a gastronomical salon in this townhouse. Rather unimposing, the rooms are small – intimate in real estate parlance – and the kitchen tiny. This intimacy of being in Beard’s old domain creates an electric atmosphere for the public and Foundation members who attend the dinners. It also creates challenges for all who cook here.
Another reason is obese men have low testosterone, a male sexual hormone, which plays a great viagra pill on line role in the process of transforming perceptions and thinking. Obesity – cialis on line cute-n-tiny.com Another common problem among younger men today is erectile dysfunction. This is generally seen in men who have crossed the age levitra generic cialis of 18 years should use this medicine. By stopping PDE5 purchase generic cialis cute-n-tiny.com from acting, PDE 5 inhibitors cause the blood vessels in your penis to relax so more blood can flow into your penis more easily. Chefs get access to the kitchen only on the morning of their dinner as each night features a different chef. Almost all chefs negotiate with New York colleagues to get access to a local kitchen for prep the day before. Vancouver’s Rob Feenie of Lumière fame however is rumoured to have done all on location. J.P. Challet who has cooked at James Beard three times (the last time representing Toronto’s The Fifth) has chef friends at the Marriot Marquis who lent him space in their kitchen. Ibanez has arranged for the kitchen at the Four Seasons.
There are other challenges. The Beard House, now in its 20th year, has always had a mantra of celebrating local seasonal ingredients. They want out-of-town chefs to bring the bounty of their regions with them. The logistics of this can be daunting for those crossing country borders. Chefs are provided a letter from the Foundation, stating they are coming to do a charity dinner (proceeds go towards culinary scholarships and the like) and they will receive no compensation. Show this note to an understanding customs official and the knives, fish, meat, sauces and stocks in the transport van get through. (Chefs generally travel with their produce to ‘babysit’ it.) If they are unlucky something will get seized and they’ll have to improvise at the dinner.
In charge of logistics are Sheila Wise and daughter Jordanna. Jordanna ran the Manitou’s camp for twenty years and when it sold had retired to enjoy time with her three children. Four years ago when her father Ben died, she returned to help her mother run the inn. The two share a miniscule office and say of each other “She’s remarkable.” The harmony between the two is impressive and leaves no doubt they’ll have the supplies and shipping carefully orchestrated.
“We’re billed as a Relais and Chateaux Canadian event,” said Jordanna pointing out that produce will be consolidated from several key suppliers in eastern Canada. “It’s a little bit of luck that you get to the border and not get something turned away.” Foie gras will come from Quebec’s La Ferme along with Artisanal cheeses. The source for oysters and lobsters is still under debate. Chef wants to bring Ontario venison as is should be in season in October but wants to ensure its quality before he commits. He’s hoping to bring Canadian caviar but worries about getting it into the US.
The shopping list so far is 10 to 15 racks of venison, 25 lobsters, 160 oysters, two to three salmon, the Quebec cheeses, stocks, sauces and cases of Peninsula Ridge wines. Coming to help in the kitchen are station chef Sylvio Alonso , apprentice chef Virginie Valembois and Than Hoang pastry chef. But while the menu is finalized, the exact recipes and plate compositions are not. Chef is offering Manitou’s guests an opportunity to order the James Beard dinner at the inn from now until he leaves for New York in October. He wants to fine-tune the dishes, their tastes and presentation. In mid July Chef cooked the meal for the entire dining room of 90 people, close to the numbers he’ll cook on the Beard big night. With feedback from customers he’s tweaking his dishes. He plans to even up to the last moment to take advantage of the freshest seasonal crops.
The Peninsula Ridge wines from Ontario’s Niagara region are a definite. Burgundy born winemaker Jean-Pierre Colas has won many accolades for his elegant, well-structured wines that display their origins with accuracy and intensity. He’s hosted very popular winemakers weekends at Manitou for four years and has a fan in the Inn’s sommelier Eric Denis who hails from the same region in France. The wines Colas will present at the Beard dinner include a zippy single vineyard sauvignon blanc, a mellow minerally unoaked chardonnay reserve, an intriguing ratafia (grape juice fortified with plum liqueur) and an intense tangy riesling icewine.
The inn brings the food, wine and staff all at their own expense. They get no monetary compensation except for a small stipend of twenty dollars per guest. Performing in New York is done partly for the media attention and the recognition given in a mailing that goes to the four thousand Foundation members. Mainly however it is for the glory.
“It’s a fantastic adventure for us and for Bernard,” said Jordanna. “It’s nice to be in the same company as world caliber chefs.” The first professional chef to cook a Beard dinner was Wolfgang Puck when he was a young rising star. Charlie Trotter, Thomas Keller and many other icons of American cooking have graced the Beard kitchen since. “It’s a career achievement,” said Izabela Wojcik, Director of House Programming. “There’s a sentiment about making it in New York,” she added.
Ben Wise’s first career was on the stage. Now his family is carrying on in his spirit by taking their kitchen to perform in New York. “It’s a bit of theatre. My father was very theatrical,” said Jordanna. “It’s scary but it’s exciting.” No need to hold the applause. Appearing on this culinary stage says it all.
by Margaret Swaine | Sep 1, 2007
By Margaret Swaine
(Where Magazine September 2007)
Travellers along the QEW highway between Hamilton and St Catharines will soon see an exciting addition to the signage directing them to wineries on Niagara’s wine route. If they are not in the know they could be forgiven for having a chuckle. The Dan Aykroyd Winery sounds like funny business. As a comic actor and writer for over thirty years Aykroyd’s name has shone on the credits of movies, screenplays, television shows and in his persona as Elwood Blues on CDs. But wine labels?
“The interest in wine really comes through one of my best friends John Paul DeJoria,” said Aykroyd. [DeJoria is owner of Patrón Spirits a tequila company and John Paul Mitchell Systems, a hair care company] “We sold a lot of Patrón in the House of Blues and one night he asked me to try it…. He poured me a warm shot of silver and I said wow this chilled would be great. I said we can’t get this in Canada and so we began to work together.” DeJoria introduced Aykroyd to the Canadian wine agency Diamond Estates and the relationship grew very fruitful.
“I started working with Diamond Estates to bring Patrón into Canada. I found out they had four wineries. They proposed the idea of a line of wine and here two years later I’ve invested with Diamond Estates one million dollars to own a piece of the distributorship that was supervising Patrón.”
With Diamond Estates Aykroyd has his finger in four southern Ontario Wineries along with his namesake one. The Toronto based agency owns EastDell Estates, Lakeview Cellars, Birchwood Estate and Thomas & Vaughan. The new $12 million Dan Aykroyd Winery will be built where the Birchwood Estate is currently located. Groundbreaking is projected for this fall with the winery operational for the fall 2008 harvest.
Aykroyd who’s a fan of the EastDell Unoaked Chardonnay offers me some as we chat at The View restaurant at EastDell near Beamsville. But first he admonishes me for not eating. “You should have something if you are going to drink. You really should have something. I order food to compliment the wine. I don’t order wine to compliment the food,” he insists taking a sandwich and urging me to do so. Then he sips on his Discovery Series Chardonnay.
“I kind of wanted them to go a little more unoaked on this. But they said the consumer likes a little bit of oak and they like the fruitiness. So I had a bit of a compromise and I’m very happy with it.” Dressed in his trademark black suit jacket, black pants and black shades, he strikes me as part cool dude and part mother hen with a clear business head.
The Dan Aykroyd branded portfolio will all be 100 per cent VQA wines from Niagara. The first released, the Dan Aykroyd Discovery series, are consumer friendly in price and taste. Already on sale at Liquor Control Board of Ontario outlets across Ontario are the chardonnay at $14.95 and the cabernet merlot at $16.95. The premium Dan Aykroyd Signature Reserve series produced in limited quantities of 300 cases each will start at around $50 with the first release being a barrel fermented vidal icewine. Also expected to come out this fall are a cabernet sauvignon reserve and a fume blanc. Head winemaker of Diamond Estates, Tom Green (no relation to that other famous Canadian comedian) is in charge of the overall production of the wines.
Aykroyd who’s partial to Lynch Bages, Pichon Longueville, Brane-Cantenac and other fine Bordeaux for special occasions is realistic about his Discovery series wines. “Ontarians love their decks, their cottages and outdoor spaces. At sixteen ninety-five for the red you can buy a case of that. Instead of thirty of forty for a Bordeaux. In volume it makes sense to go for the Aykroyd wines.”
Canadian firm Moriyama + Teshima Architects, known for such distinctive projects as the Bata Shoe Museum, the new Canadian War Museum and the Ontario Science Centre are the designers of the new winery. Plans show a multi-level hospitality building that’s sensitive to the environment. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) features include a geothermal heating and cooling system, solar lighting, regionally produced materials for construction and native plants as part of the landscape.
Aykroyd hopes to stamp his personal tastes on the menu of the winery’s restaurant as well as on the wines. He rhymed off roast garlic rosemary chicken, T-bone steak, Yorkshire pudding, pesto with pappardelle noodles, spongy black cake and mocha dacquoise as items he’d like to see served at his winery.
“The next component will be the manufacturing exhibit itself of the wine, the tasting rooms and my museum. I’m going to put some memorabilia in there,” said Aykroyd. “Then we’ll have the music and live entertainment. I hope to draw more tourists from the States than usually come up from Niagara Falls.”
“I think with my name on a winery they’ll be coming into wine country and it’ll be an annual trip for these American families from Ohio, Illinois and Michigan just bordering Ontario,’ he added.
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The entrepreneurial Aykroyd already has proven to be serious when it comes to business. He’s the co-founder of the House of Blues Entertainment Inc. which operates ten House of Blues venues in the United States. HOB was purchased by Live Nation, the world’s largest live music company in 2006, and Aykroyd continues to travel to open each new House of Blues with partner Jim Belushi (John’s brother) and the Blues Brothers band.
“I thought this is the time of life here and now when I’m just going to enjoy. But I’m busier than ever. I try to wind it down but with the concerts with Mr. Belushi, the House of Blues and now with my involvement with this winery and try to maintain a twenty-five year marriage and raise a few kids and spend time with all of them. Those four quadrants pretty much take up all of my life.”
In summer Aykroyd stays at his family’s loyalist farmhouse near Loughborough Lake in the historic Sydenham Ward of Kingston. He anticipates burning up the 401 QEW corridor as the winery goes forward. Later this year however it’s long distant travel.
“Given the expansion with House of Blues I’m going to be spending a lot of time in the Far East, in Europe and in Russia in the next five years. We want to put one in Moscow and St. Petersburg. We already have got partners. They’re dying for it. They love the concept of House of Blues worldwide. So it will be a lot of travel,” he said.
Even with that his entrepreneurial instincts won’t rest. He went on to say, “Through the Patrón we came to the distributorship, we came to the wines and now we’re planning some other things on the spirit side. I can’t talk about it. But it’s going to be a world mind blower. We hope to be on the shelves at Christmas.”
Ghostbusters aside, spirits are no laughing matter for Aykroyd. It’s commerce good and solid like the man himself. As he’s said of his support of the Ontario wine industry, “I only invest in winners.”
Side Bar
The Dan Aykroyd Wine Route
All the Diamond Estate wineries are within about ten minutes drive of each other scattered between the tiny towns of Beamsville and Vineland in Niagara’s Twenty Valley. They all have tasting rooms open to the public.
Lakeview Cellars, 4037 Cherry Avenue, Vineland. www.lakeviewcellars.ca
Offering a patio in summer and a fairly large, well-stocked boutique, Lakeview’s a popular stop for touring oenophiles. Celebrating 15 years in wine making, Lakeview also sells older vintages from their ‘library’. Best bets in whites are the chardonnay musque and riesling and in reds go for the cabernet sauvignon (Aykroyd’s a fan of it) or 2000 vintage merlot.
Thomas & Vaughan, 4245 King St., Beamsville. (Now Redstone Winery https://redstonewines.ca)
This tiny winery is cute as a button. Sample the riesling and the gewürztraminer whites or buy a bottle of the vidal icewine.
EastDell Estates Winery, 4041 Locust Lane, Beamsville. www.eastdell.com
The view at The View is spectacular. On a clear day you can see the CN Tower of Toronto across glittering Lake Ontario. Enjoy a simple lunch of salads, grilled veggies, burgers or roast chicken while you sample some wines such as Aykroyd’s favourite EastDell unoaked chardonnay. Wines from the other Diamond Estate wineries and neighbours wines are also available.
Birchwood Estate Wines, 4679 Cherry Avenue, Beamsville. www.birchwoodwines.ca
Soon to be the location of the new Dan Aykroyd Winery, but in the meantime a sweet cottage like building with a small tasting room and retail outlet. Visit to see where the footprint of the new winery will be and sample the fresh mild gewürztraminer-riesling or the firm spiced gamay noir.
www.diamondwines.com
www.danaykroydwines.com
by Margaret Swaine | Sep 1, 2007
By Margaret Swaine
(Foodservice and Hospitalilty September 2007)
Most wineries are content with creating miracles in the cellar. Some extend beyond wine to proffer picnics on their patios, dining on premises or retail counter sales of local farmers’ produce. A select few brazenly offer the full Monty to culinary tourists namely accommodations, food and wine. Such is the case with Cave Springs in Jordan Ontario, Burrowing Owl in British Columbia’s Oliver and Nk’Mip in Osoyoos BC. These are success stories many might like to emulate. It just takes an iron stomach ready for risk and a head for business.
Cave Springs founded in 1986 by the Pennachetti family and winemaker Angelo Pavan is one of the Niagara Peninsula’s leading vintners of premium wines. Still very much a family business, it all started in 1978 when John Pennachetti and son Len were among the first to plant vinifera vines in the area. Riesling and chardonnay may seem obvious grapes for Niagara today but at the time planting them was daring.
“There were basically just a handful of experimental vinifera plots back then,” said Tom Pennachetti, Len’s brother and a managing partner in Cave Springs. The riesling vines purchased from the German nursery Weis Reben on the Mosel lead not only to a commitment to cultivating quality wines but also to a another type of commitment. The Weis family, who are owners of Germany’s St. Urbans Hof Winery, saw an opportunity to start up a winery (Vineland Estate) in Niagara. Anne Weis came to work for the family business here and really put down roots. She married Tom Pennachetti.
Today Cave Springs controls more than 70 hectares of vineyards on two coveted sites along the Niagara Escarpment known locally as the Beamsville Bench and the Twenty Mile Bench. Justly proud of their vineyards, the Pennachettis and winemaker Pavan will happily bend your ear for hours about the glacial-till limestone, shale and sandstone soils, the sloping cliffs which create a unique microclimate and the density of their plantings. Their wines speak the same message by delivering consistently high quality notably in their flagship varietals riesling and chardonnay. Well-made wines from other varietals round out their portfolio; cabernet franc, merlot, pinot noir, sauvignon blanc, gamay, gewürztraminer and cabernet sauvignon.
In 1990 Cave Springs took another big leap. They bought the historic 1871 building that housed their cellars. Located in Jordan, one of Ontario’s first Mennonite settlements, the tiny town boasted just one antique shop and a few artisans. There weren’t even sidewalks. “In order to make this a destination we needed more,” said Tom. They opened the region’s first winery restaurant On The Twenty in 1993 (named after Twenty Mile Creek which it overlooks). Chef Michael Olson put the place on the culinary map and it did well from day one.
“We were pinching ourselves the first year or two. Was this sustainable? Was there enough in the area to do?” said Tom. The restaurant turned out to be the tipping point for more growth, attracting enough people that an inn became possible. Cave Spring opened Inn on the Twenty (run by Len’s wife Helen Young) a few years later with nine rooms expanding cautiously over the years until the current 28. “It became a more sophisticated hospitality offering by twenty rooms,” said Mrs. Young-Pennachetti.
The rooms are luxurious and large, some with private gardens, others on two levels. Its spa offers vinotherapy treatments as well as the more standard massage and beauty treatments. Guests enjoy breakfast across the road at Inn on the Twenty. Most recently the family bought and renovated the 1842 Jordan House, reputed to be the oldest roadhouse in Canada. Their focus with this 14 room inn and tavern is to offer stylish accommodation at a modest price.
Today the restaurant is under the competent hands of chef Kevin Maniaci. The space below the winery, used by the former owner to store massive piles of remainder books has become an area for private dining and tastings. The synergy of winery, inns, spa and restaurant has created the ‘destination’ that the Pennachettis were after. Jordan now has the power to draw not only individual tourists but also corporate groups, weddings and the like.
In the southern part of the Okanagan/Similkameen Valley in interior British Columbia lies one of Canada’s most unique ecosystems. Sunny and dry (the northernmost tip of the Sonora Desert reaches into it) with irrigation the soil is rich enough that all sorts of fruits grow in abundance. In this area from Oliver near the north end of Osoyoos Lake to the town of Osoyoos close to the US border lie some of the most highly rated vineyards in Canada especially for bold unctuous red wines. The town of Oliver has declared itself “Wine Capital of Canada” with justification.
Real estate developer Jim Wyse was a novice to wine making when the first vineyards for Burrowing Owl Estate Winery in Oliver were planted in 1993. Wisely he hired experts including Richard Cleave, a thirty-year veteran of Okanagan viticulture and renowned California winemaker, Bill Dyer who made the first wines in 1997 and for six subsequent years. Today Jim’s son Steve, mentored well by Dyer, carries on the tradition of richly textured boldly delicious wines from pinot noir, syrah, merlot, cabernet sauvignon, pinot gris and chardonnay.
The role from the medical doctor really should not be taken by men buy canada cialis suffering from any liver disorder or abnormal blood pressure problem or heart problem. Ordered drugs commander cialis view that pharmacy shop are delivered at the consumers footstep without any extra charge. These are the best natural supplements levitra buy levitra to reverse premature ejaculation. Hyperactivity can viagra sales in canada be a illness seen as an damaged brain function. The winery has expanded slowly with each successful vintage. A viewing tower with an informative self-guided tour display went up in 2002 and in 2003 a new wine shop, tasting bar and restaurant. Then in 2004 local architect Robert Mackenzie was called back to double the capacity of Burrowing Owl’s underground wine caves. In 2005 the final phase of construction began on a larger wine shop, executive offices and ten-room guesthouse which opened this past winter.
“We’re remote where we are so you have to offer more,” said Chris Wyse (another son) who is general manager of the facilities. “We added the restaurant to give people a reason to come and spend time here,” he said. The inn was another natural complement to the wine business. “It’s a nice way to give your customers a total experience instead of just the snap shot they get in a tasting room,” he said.
While the Sonora Room restaurant which overlooks 125 acres of their vineyards, is the least profitable, highest maintenance part of Burrowing Owl the Wyse family is serious about making it great. A few good chefs have come and gone for various reasons. However with the hiring in April of Chef Bernard Casavant to lead the restaurant team they’re hoping they have a long-term winner. His presence has created a buzz of excitement. Formerly executive sous chef at Four Seasons Vancouver, opening executive chef at Chateau Whistler and later owner/chef at Chef Bernard’s Whistler, he brings oodles of skill to the job. His menu showcases local produce such as west coast wild salmon, organic vegetables, Alberta beef and Carmeli’s artisan goat cheese.
Jim’s wife Midge is the detail person in the family and her talents have helped make the inn near perfection. The rooms are luxurious with reading corners, private balconies overlooking the vineyards, flat screen TVs and every modern convenience. The bathrooms are especially spacious with soaker tubs and separate rainspout showers with a cool open design. Guests also can enjoy a 25-metre pool surrounded by a large patio, a lounge, breakfast room and all seasons hot tub.
“Constructing something like this takes a toll on you,” said Chris Wyse who added they can now sit back and enjoy the fruits of their labour. And so they should as their wines continue to win top awards and their inn and restaurant garner high praise.
Nk’Mip is the first Aboriginal owned and operated winery in North America. Back in 1968, land rich but not cash rich the Osoyoos Indian Band planted southern Okanagan’s first grapevines clearing the land, removing rocks and planting vines all by hand. Eventually they had one of the largest vineyard areas planted in British Columbia extending from the east side of Lake Osoyoos in Oliver all the way to the town of Osoyoos practically at the American border. For a long time they sold grapes to other wineries, then in 2002 they partnered with Vincor to open Nk’Mip. (The long-term plan is for the band to buy back the 49 per cent of the winery that Vincor owns.)
Much of the success of this small Indian band of about 435 members can be attributed to the dynamic leadership of their Chief Clarence Louie. He’s often been quoted as saying “Be in school or be at a job or in counsel to get to one of those two places.” Along with twenty years of motivating his people towards self-reliance, he’s put his bands assets to work by forming partnerships with outside experts. Nk’ Mip Cellars today anchors a spectacular site with the four-star Spirit Ridge Resort and Spa, Sonora Dunes Golf Course and a state-of-the-art desert cultural interpretative centre.
“It’s a lot of individual partners working together for a seamless experience,” said Donna Faigaux Hospitality Manager at Nk’Mip Cellars. “Visitors can eat at Nk’Mip Cellars one night and Passatempo [at Spirit Ridge] another night.” The accommodations may be operated by another company (Bellstar Resorts) but Faigaux says there is great synergy between the different companies. “With 94 villas and suites next door we’re almost assured the people are going to visit the winery and visitors purchase wine.” With good reason she calls it a phenomenal success story. Under winemaker Randy Picton the wines from pinot blanc, chardonnay, riesling, cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir and merlot varieties have seen great success.
Everything fits together with a magical result. Tourists can start the morning exploring the network of interpretive trails that run through 50 acres of the Great Basin Desert, the reconstructed traditional aboriginal village and the exhibits of the culture of the Okanagan Nation at the Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Centre. (There are 11 different aboriginal language families, or bands, in BC.) When they’re hungry and thirsty they can walk over to the Cellars for a wine tasting and lunch on the terrace under cooling misters. In the afternoon they can cross the parking lot and tee up for a game on desert links style golf course surrounded by sage, rabbit and antelope bushes (and yes, rattlesnakes). If their muscles are sore they can go for a “golfers rescue” massage and pedicure at the Sonora Desert Spa. Evening can spent at Spirit Ridge overlooking Lake Osoyoos enjoying Chef Brad Lazarenko’s inventively excellent interpretation of local fresh market cuisine such as bison with blue cheese and dark chocolate sauce.
Simply stated all three wineries have performed a most impressive hat trick and in the process transformed their sleepy towns into tremendous destinations..
Contacts
Nk’Mip Cellars: www.nkmipcellars.com or 1-250-495-2985
Burrowing Owl: www.burrowingowlwine.ca or 1-877-498-0620
Cave Springs: www.cavespring.ca or 1-905-562-3581
