This weekend, November the 7, we have donated a Wine Tour and Wine Pairing Dinner to benefit the Performing Arts. The wine tour itself will be fun - off season staff have so much more time to talk to the clients so that will be awesome. We have also created a wonderful dinner menu with paired wines but I have already been cooking for 2 days and now I am a little nervous about pulling it all off - here is the menu
To Start
Mango Curry Crab in Wonton Wrappers -
Pairing Sumac Ridge Gewurztraminer 07
Lobster Bisque
Pairing Burrowing Owl Chardonnay 08
Seared Sable Fish Pairing Viognier Rousanne Marsanne 08
Cantaloupe and Cream Sherry Granita
Beef Tenderloin with Wild Mushroom Stuffing
w/ Port Wine reduction
Rutabaga/ Green Beans/ Stuffed Tomato
Pairing Burrowing Owl Merlot 2003, 2004, 2005
Pear St Helen
Pairing“Impearfection” from Forbidden Fruit Winery
Cheese Platter to Follow

Anyway ....wish me luck - it will be a great way to appreciate our local wines and produce but I am a little nervous - this being the first time.

Fall Wine Festival in the Okanagan

Just returned from a very successful Fall Wine Festival Tour - the tour itself consisted of 3 nights accommodation and 4 days of activities including two rounds of golf but the real highlight was the 2 Winemaker's Dinners.

The first was at Burrowing Owl Winery and the evening started with wonderfully paired appetizers served in the wine cellar with the sounds of a harp softly playing in the background - it was an extraordinary experience really. Then, the dinner was 4 courses featuring such items as "Brandy infused Bisque" paired with 2007 Chardonnay" - a simply delightful evening - with everyone very pleased with the food and the experience as a whole.

The second night - we travelled from Osoyoos to See Ya Later Ranch in Okanagan Falls. The trip itself did seem a little long but the meal once again was simply delicious. This evening featured library wines from the See Ya Later Ranch and Hawthorne Mountain Vineyards(some of my personal favorites) and wonderful food such as Pan Seared Queen Charlotte Sable fish - an evening to remember for some time!! a bit smaller, more intimate crowd and a night none of us will soon forget .

Most are already asking about next year, which speaks for itself in terms of having a great break from reality right here at home in the Okanagan.

Sunday, one of the first real days of summer

Wow, today was a great summer day - David and I decided to go biking with Colleen and John - it was my first bike ride of the season, so they were kind to me and we just rode the Back Enderby road to Grindrod and back - a short and fairly flat road.
It was perfect, the fields were such a great colour or colours of green - with the river flowing gently just beyond the fields - it is days like this that I realise just how lucky I am to be living here in Vernon - we are so close to so many truly beautiful little spots.
When we arrived back at the house, the grandkids were over having a swim - they are getting to be really strong in the water - all in all a great day - finally summer... and we can be outside again- I am thrilled

Planet Bee

Today was great fun - I met the grandkids (all seven) at Planet Bee and Ed gave us a tour of Planet Bee while we made a video for the website - it is fun to watch the different little personalities and what sort of information facinates them - Finn really wanted to see the queen bee and Loch was facinated by the "bee dance" and how they found thier way back to hive - the little ones ofcourse were way more interested in the honey sticks and some of the stuffed animals - but is was a nice way to spend some time with them and Ed from Planet Bee is a very patient man - I think it will look great on the site -

Intro

Hi I am Mary Jo O'Keefe and I own and operate MJO Tours and the Virtualvernon website in the Okanagan. As a long time resident of the area I have a passion for the Okangan and my community that I would like to share with you. Last November I was elected to Vernon City Council and currently sit on many boards such as the Downtown Vernon Association, Vernon Chamber of Commerce, O'Keefe Ranch, Greater Vernon Advisory and others - I will provide you with insights into this region and some of its delights that you should be sure not to miss.

first post

Well, the season finally started for us after a cool spring. We booked 2 tours in the South Okanagan for the spring wine festival - fantastic time to see wine country because the wineries are all open but ... not so buzy so the winemakers really have time to talk to you and give you great insight into the wine making process - so our response was great "Bill and I (and all of us) really enjoyed you and Mikey's hospitality and expertise. It really was a slice of heaven!! It was a day of memories and flavours! Nothing needs to be changed, it was perfect! Thank you,"

These two tours were a great start to our season - we are looking forward to the rest of the summer.