- TOURING A_ wine
region and tasting its
delights are strong lures
for the lovers of the
grape. ‘

By lan Noble
News Reporter

. Luckily for North Shore
residents, the wine experi-
ence is only a drive away, in
the heart of the OXanagan.

Among the region's lake,.

mountains and orchards lie
22 commercial, estate and
farm-gate wineries within
150 km of one another.

And many of them invite
visitors inside for guided
tours to get to know their
wineries and sample their
products.

Vintners share informa-
tion about crushing, fer-
menting,. aging, bottling,

corking, and shipping wine. __

Gray '. Monk Estate
Winery tour, guide Carol
Baker said wine lovers tour-
ing Gray Monk watch a six-
minute video that informs
visitors of the winery’s oper-
ations, including the harvest,
the different varieties of
wine made and the area the
winery's located in.

Then visitors descend to
the cellars, where wine
matures in stainless steel
tanks that hoid up to 8,000
gallons.

Wine can sit in the tanks |

for as much as a year before
bottling, she said.

Visitors can watch the
bottling process on the 50
days or so a year that the
winery bottles its products,
which include
Gewurztraminer, Rotberger,
Pinot Gris, Bacchus and

Chardonnay varieties.
'., Approximately 90% of
the winery's output is white
wine. Gray Monk makes
three reds, said Baker.

Visitors can enjoy a no-
charge wine tasting at the
end of the tour.

Ross Mirko, the wine-
maker ut Cedar Creek Estate

KA:

SEEMINGLY ENDLESS Vineyards stretch throughout the Okanagan, welcoming
visitors with winery tours and taste tests. The region's 22 wineries offer visitors
fact-filled tours of thelr operations which can include a visit to cellars and infor- .
mation on the wine-making process. Sampling of the products is often included
at the end of the tour.

Wednesday, March 27, 1996 — North Shore News - 34

ait
Nearer cde

te barb

eras para ain
sabia arcane _

Shy creature
lurks in lake

ONE NEED not hike the
heights of the Himalayas
or visit a Scottish loch to
find large, mythical crea-
tures,

Reportedly swimming
the 333-metre (1,000-
foot) depths of Lake
Okanagan is a monster
dubbed Ogopogo.
Rumour has it Ogopogo,
who has been reportedly
sighted on numerous
occasions, is six metres to
21 metres (20 feet to 70
feet) long, snake-like,

and somewhat fearsome.

Sightings of the lengthy
lake serpent predate
white settlement in the
area. Natives told of a
water monster that they
called N’ha-a-itk — the
Devil of the Lake.

Film crews worldwide
have visited the lake, try-
ing to catch a glimpse of
the shy legend. For best
Ogopogo watching, go to
where the monster is
thought to reside across
from Peachland.

CATHEDRAL LAKES

L@ oOo GE

THE DEVIL'S WOODPILE - STONE CITY - THE
GIANT CLEFT are just some of the rock formations
you see while hiking the CATHEDRAL RIM TRAIL.
Ac 8500 feet-above sea level, over 30,000 square miles of
Southern British Columbia and Washington State are in
your view. After a day of hiking, return to one of
Canada's highest full service lodges (6800 ft. elev.) and
enjoy the hot tub, a good meal and a relaxing evening

around the fireplace.

This summer, guests of the lodge are able to join photog-
rapher ROY LUCKOW for one of his scheduled photog-
raphy workshops or learn the art of designing and print-
ing on T-Shirts with wildlife artist GRAHAM
HOWARD - scheduled for June 13-16.

SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY - OPENING OFFER
VALID JUNE 1st to 30th.
ANY 2 NIGHTS IN LODGE OR CABINS
$224.00 PER PERSON + TAXES
Includes all meals at lodge & transportation from base camp
Rate based on double occupancy - single supplement add $50.00

CATHEDRAL LAKES LODGE
RRI CAWSTON, B.C.
VOX 1C0
(604) 499.5848

Winery, said his winery
won't start tours until May,
but visitors are always wel-
come.

At the estate winery,
pruning of the vines has just
been completed and planti-
ng of new vineyards has
recently started. Bottling of
vintage wines has also
begun.

in the cellar wine is

being racked. Mirko, who
was raised in West
Vancouver, explained rack-
ing involves pumping clari-
fied wine from barrels and
leaving the solids behind.

The barrel is cleaned and
wine is put back in. “It’s the
most basic way of clarifying
wine,” he said.

Other wine is being read-
ied for bottling.

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