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44 | bcliving.ca M T. B O U C H E R I E Q U A I L S ' G AT E Lake Country Home to Gray Monk Estate Winery (left), pioneers in the valley wine industry who work with some of the lesser-known varietals like Ehrenfelser, Lake Coun- try is also the place to look for hidden gems like 50th Parallel Estate Winery where you'll want to sample the Pinots. e Pinot Noir is a blend of the winery's own estate grape clones while the Pinot Gris is a bright, medium-bodied white that took home a bronze medal at the 2013 British Columbia Wine Awards. Explore the roots of the wine industry in Kelowna's Cultural District. e tasting room for Calona Vineyards, B.C.'s oldest winery, which opened in 1932, is located on the Downtown Trail near the BC Wine Museum & VQA Wine Shop (below). While historic exhibits are limited, VQA wine displays are impressive with more than 600 wines from 90-plus wineries. travel East Kelowna Fab Five Trail and the Lakeshore Trail Close to the city, the Fab Five Trail nestles among orchards to the east while the Lakeshore Trail includes vineyards cascading down the sunset slopes. Here, Tantalus Vineyards (above) is renowned for its Old Vines Riesling and you'll want to sample CedarCreek Estate Winery's multi award-winning Platinum Pinot Noir. Summerhill tops out the quirk- o-meter with its scaled-down Pyramid of Cheops where many of their organic vintages are barrel- aged. Famous for its sparkling wines, if you've got deep pockets, try Summerhill's Cipes Ariel ($85). Westside Trail Mount Boucherie's vol- canic soil avours many of the wines created by Westside Trail wineries. Put Quails' Gate (above) on your must-sip list. Tours at this sophisti- cated destination winery start from the Allison House log cabin, built in 1873, and nish in the ultra-chic wine shop overlooking the lake. Give their full-bodied Merlot a go, then drive on to lesser-known Mt. Bouch- erie Estate for the silky, medium-bodied Summit Reserve Pinot Noir. KELOWNA All grown up with skyline towers, high-tech industry, trendy shops and celebrated chefs, Kelowna anchors ve wine touring trails on the shores of Okanagan Lake. Downtown Trail C A L O N A B C W I N E M U S E U M G R AY M O N K 5 0 T H PA R A L L E L TA N TA L U S S U M M E R H I L L C E DA R C R E E K K E L O W N A EAT & STAY Start your Kelowna day with a salmon "B.C. Bennie" at The Boh (Bohemian Café) in the heart of downtown. Schedule lunch across the lake at Mission Hill's open-air Terrace Restaurant, where food presentation is as spectacular as the view. Each year's fresh menu refl ects the "cuisine du terroir," featuring local, in-season ingre- dients. Try a selection to pair with Mission Hill's international award- winning S.L.C. Syrah. Dinner is a tough choice between Waterfront Wines' Pacifi c Northwest cuisine (below) or French fare with the prix-fi xe Chef's Table at neighbour- ing Bouchons Bistro. Call it a day at the cosy boutique Hotel Eldorado (The El). But before you turn in, soak in the sunset glow on the lakeside Boardwalk patio and order a liquid dessert like Optima from The View Winery. Not as thick or sweet as icewine, this smooth sip will make you mellow. p42-47_Travel_Wine.indd 44 2014-03-13 11:42 AM