British Columbia's Sparkling Hill Resort perfect pick for Relaxation-cation, pt.3

The Tasty Part

Another dynamic duo, Winnipeg-born Chef Ross Derrick and Manual Adamiker, the resort's Viennese pastry chef (I could just kiss him for his fresh Austrian-style apple strudel gracing the morning buffet) orchestrate "Peak Fine" the 250 seat main dining room, that offers a side of floor to ceiling breathtaking views, and a generous sprinkling of crystals. A perfect setting for the sparkling fresh Euro/B.C. blended cuisine. Talented chef Derrick is still creating his spa-cuisine menu but don't dispair since lighter dishes are readily available incorporating seasonal organic produce. Selections are categorized by land, earth and sea, although mix-and-matching is encouraged. A recent lip-smackingly tasty sea meal consisted of a beautifully composed Albacore Tuna & Dungeness Crab salad, a delicately seasoned Butter Fish, White Bean and Spinach Cassoulet, and an ethereal Lemon Mousse Sponge Cake with Strawberry Coulis. Lunch is a la carte. Dinner changes nightly and offers beautifully balanced two or three course selections. Don't even entertain the notion to bypass the third course or you'll miss out on some killer desserts.
Although local wines play a starring role on the wine list, be sure and try the tasty (and inexpensive) Bodegas Norton wines, imported from Gernot Lange-Swarovski's own vineyard in Mendoza, Argentina.  

Drinking off-campus

The fertile, sun-drenched Okanagan, BC’s oldest and largest wine-producing region is producing some surprisingly high quality wines. These winesare garnering  rave reviews as well as their fair share of awards.  Many of the wineries are as unique and original as the wines they are crafting and well worth a full day of wining and dining.
 

Recommend stops include:

Summerhill Pyramid Winery Canada’s largest organic vineyard best known for sparkling wines made in the authentic French method and ice wines. Stay for lunch in the Sunset Bistro, offering tasty organic bounty fresh from their garden. Try the interesting homemade charcuterie platter featuring duck confit and musk ox prosciutto. Don't miss a tour of owner, Stephen Cipes' four-story high Pyramid built to test geometry’s effect on the aging of wine.

Tantalus Winery,  the only LEED certified winery in B.C, produces only three terroir driven wines, a Riesling, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and they are all exceptional. Tastings are held daily in the dramatic gallery style tasting room, brightly adorned with First Nation masks.

 

Ex Nihilo, Latin for “out of nothing” is really Something!   Jeff and Decoa Harder got the bug after many visits to his brother’s winery in Napa, and returned to Lake Country to build their dream house, winery and Mediterranean style tasting room, which just opened last month. The famed Rolling Stones ‘Sympathy for the Devil Ice-wine’ is made from grapes grown exclusively at Ex Nihilo. They also make a dynamite Merlot.

The granddaddy of them all, Gray Monk was opened by pioneers George and Trudy Heiss back in 1972, after they moved here from Europe. Both were hair stylists who knew absolutely nothing about winemaking, so after shearing locks all day they would stay up late at night reading oenology books. They obviously taught themselves well since Gray Monk now produces around 70,000 cases and won a wall full of medals. Make this your last stop.  Their restaurant, The Grapevine, is perfect for an enjoyable al fresco dinner. Chef Willi Franz’s menu of European classics done Okanagan style pairs beautifully with their German grape varieties, including Riesling, Ehrenfelser and Siegerrebe.

Insider tip: you might want to check the Okanagan Wine Festivals calendar for upcoming tasting events.

Sunset at Sparkling Hill