2013 Pinot Blanc | $15.99 | Nk’mip Cellars[twitter]It’s hot in Osoyoos. Stupid hot. 28 degrees is a cool day. With temperatures on our stay pushing 40, I wanted something bright and refreshing to sip lakeside while we were in the Okanagan. My first sip of 2013 Pinot Blanc from Nk’mip Cellars sold me.

Bright apricot and peaches. The fruit that used to be in so much abundance in this valley that has been replaced by world class vineyards, still speaks through the terroir.

I snapped up a bottle quickly, and have been sipping on it all day. A slice of peach, a sliver of peach, a sip of Pinot Blanc, a gaze to the east at the vineyard where this nectar was made.

I’m all about drinking local craft beer when I travel. I’m all about eating local foods and trying to get more than just the sights of a city when I visit. In the Okanagan, that means drinking their wines.

A visit to Osoyoos and the south Okanagan could bring you past any of dozens of vineyards. The first one you pass as you enter from the east is Nk’mip, and a long favorite of mine. Nk’mip Cellars is the first aboriginal winery in Canada, and they have expanded their facility to include a heritage center, a golf course, a resort and convention center, and a campground.

Chief Clarence Louie is the forefather of the band’s involvement in the growing Okanagan wine industry. He wanted to create “self-reliance for the Band through establishing strong, diversified economic development while preserving traditions and building on lessons of the past.”

That’s a vision I will always support – and toast – from the beach across the bay.

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