Everything was sped up this year in the Okanagan Valley. A hot season has brought an early harvest across the board at Okanagan wineries this vintage. Yesterday, September 17, we caught up with harvest and crush activities at a couple of local Summerland wineries, namely Okanagan Crush Pad and TH Wines.

On Saturday August 8th, Black Hills Estate Winery, in their ultimate epic fashion (yes two descriptors are deserved), held the ultimate Vineyard Pool Party! This all-inclusive party (Food, Wine, Entertainment, Transportation) was only $98 per ticket. Their second annual event was a smash hit, with all the fun bells and whistle you couldn't have imagined to ask for... including a fashion show directed by local fashionista Marissa Fox with apparel from Penticton's premium bikini and fashion boutique,  and the elegant Aqualilies, a synchronized swim team there to put on seamless show with a splash. 

...After the tour we had a great spread made by Sysco's Executive Chefs Tom Braidwood and Chef Brent Durec, where they highlighted local artisanal suppliers they have readily available to their food service customers. In the delicious spread we sampled North Okanagan cheese from Armstrong made by the new Terroir cheese company, charcuterie and meat provisions artisanally made by Helmut's Sausage Kitchen, the best porchetta roast I believe I have ever had (so good I forgot to ask where the pork was from), salads made with S & G Farm's produce and local Penticton craft beer from Bad Tattoo Brewing...

A tradition that goes back 20 years is FarmFolkCityFolk's Feast of Fields. I remember my first Feast of Fields in what seemed like the nether-regions of Vancouver, where I lived then as an art student, not fully aware that Vancouver had such bountiful supply surrounding it. I came to the city as an Okanagan girl, expecting I had left the farms and orchards behind.

Yes, the picnic, it's the place of all summer's myth: the romance of a lake breeze, summer sun, dappled light through the trees of a park setting. Deeply imprinted memories of picnics gone by. Peaches, cold roast chicken, bbq rib left overs, watermelon slices, or brand new takes on picnic fare, like your best summer salad or vegan and gluten free treats. You can create your own idealized picnic. The sky's the limit. Im just getting your picnic appetite and creative juices flowing...

Steven Paige of The Barenaked Ladies, Erin Cebula of Entertainment Tonight, Jason Priestley of Beverly Hills 90210, showgirls on silk ropes, vineyard nymphs, fashion show, food by Joy Road Catering, what else can you ask for in a party? OH YES! NOTA BENE, the cult wine from Black Hills Estate Winery...

The Similkameen BBQ King 2015 Crown goes to a Queen! Chef Natasha Schooten of The Grist Mill 

A quick drop-in visit to my favourite Similkameen baker, Yvonne Kosugi, and garlic farmer, Morris Holmes...

One of the best highlights of the Okanagan in 2015's busy summer season has been the evolution of JoieFarm Winery that brought us to its newly opened "farmgate", where Heidi Noble and team share their food driven wines paired alongside their new offering of culinary delights from the meaningfully built kitchen of Heidi's farmlife vision.