Okanagan wine touring day two!!

Day two of wine touring. This time we headed over to West Kelowna to check out the two other biggest wineries, Mission Hill and Quails' Gate. We also checked out four smaller ones which were all really nice but a few stood out for me more then others. We tried about 50 wines so there is no way I can remember and write about them all so I guess I'll just talk about the ones that left an impression on me the most.

Mission hill was our first stop. Definitely the nicest and biggest. However there is definitely a sense of ostentatious-ness here. The tasting room was huge but it was like an antique store as well with books about Venetian decor and architecture. I guess that theme runs throughout the whole winery.  That being said it was pretty amazing all together. Worth a visit. We tried all white wine here. The one that stood out for me was the Legacy Series Perpetua. Made from Chardonnay. It was really smooth but really expensive. The tastings here were also the most expensive at $8 for 4 wines. They have awesome Pinot Noir here too.

The Bell tower at Mission Hill Estate Winery

Mission Hill Arch

Next we went to Quails' Gate. This was one of my favorites. We tried a few different types but the ones I loved the most were the Stewart family Reserve Old Wines Foch. Which is a bold and intense red that had this crazy barn yard smell that reminded me of my aunt and uncles cattle farm. Think leather and wood and earth. It's hard to explain and doesn't sound that good but try it with a big steak or something and OMG. I will definitely buy a bottle to keep for at least 5 years. The other wine I loved was the Botrytis Affected Optima. This is a sweet dessert style, late harvest wine that has been affected with something called "Noble Rot" Basically it is a fungus that turns the grapes to a raisin which concentrates the sweet fruity juices. This sounds not that great I know but it is soooo amazing! To me it had roses on the nose and tasted like sweet fruity green iced tea with a bit of honey, but with enough acidity to make it refreshing and crisp. LOVED it. Expensive but worth it.

The view at Quails' Gate

Next we tried Volcanic Hills. We were the only ones at the tasting bar at the time but it seemed like we just went too fast through these wines. we tried about 8 kinds. None that particularly stood out for me though.

Next was Mount Boucherie. They had a few nice ones. We tried all reds here. They said they had over 300 acre of vineyards, which I think is the most of this whole area. Surprising since they have such a tiny little tasting room. They were all pretty good. Especially the Summit Reserve Syrah. It was like BBQ in a glass. Just wow. Seriously is smelled like BBQ.

Rollingdale was one of my favorites because of their amazing icewine. Made from Chardonnay. It reminded me of Honeycomb cereal. So good! worth the $100 price tag even maybe......Really cool guys who work there too. Definitely no fancy wine tasting room to be found here.

Last stop of the day because we were getting to the point where driving isn't a good idea anymore. Little Straw vineyards. They had some really nice ones too. All well balanced. Tastings were donations only BTW so bring cash!