Sam’s State of the Okanagan Valley Address

As we all know, the news tends to sensationalize things to some degree or at least does not report the whole story.  This has had a huge impact on the Okanagan Valley for several years.  “Forest fires in Osoyoos” and people cancel their plans to travel to Kelowna.  A landslide near Summerland and people don’t travel to Oliver and so it goes. I am going to try to unravel some of the contradictory things you may have heard. The winter of 2022/2023 Temperatures dropped below critical bud health values. The vineyards were hit hard and crop yields were around 50% … Read more

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Raise your hand if you live in the Okanagan.  Lucky you!

While Okanagan wineries are well known to BC wine lovers, wine tourism tends to be focused on the four to five months leading up to summer and into the fall.  During the rest of the year, they rely heavily on locals to support them and support them, we do. As a way to acknowledge this support, Summerland’s Okanagan Crush Pad and Haywire Winery have developed a ‘Certified Local’ program as a way to show their appreciation.   Now fifteen years old, Haywire has become a Summerland favourite among locals and visitors alike.  They take a little different approach to winemaking … Read more

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