Travels with Chili: Perched in Penticton

I've been dying to write this post since we got back from our Okanagan road trip, but I've forced myself to stick to the itinerary and not spill the beans. On this vacation there were so many places that really stood out, and people who blew us away with their kindness, as well as their commitment to their communities. I've already mentioned some like the Methow Valley Inn and Tappi in Twisp; and Gene Covert, Road 13, Tinhorn Creek and Miradoro in Oliver. But little did we know what was in store for us as we moved north.

The living room.

Our next destination was centered around the city of Penticton, bordered by 85-mile-long Okanagan Lake to the north and much smaller Skaha Lake to the south. We were scheduled to spend the night at a place called God's Mountain Estate, whose name gave me pause. Were little monk men or, worse, evangelical fanatics going to set upon us with religious tomes and chanting?

The narrow two-lane road to the estate was wedged between the eastern edge of the lake and the hills that rose up precipitously from it. About halfway around the lake we saw a tiny domed white stucco structure with the address we were looking for stuck on it. A gravel road ran up the hillside, and about halfway up that drive there was a white iron gate. We paused, wondering if this was really where we were supposed to be since there was no sign and no one appeared to be around. But as we inched closer the gate mysteriously swung open, so we cautiously continued.

Stairway to a landing.

At the top of the drive we finally saw a building, a rambling white stucco house that wouldn't have looked out of place on a hillside in Greece. Out of the house charged three large dogs of varying ages, barking madly. Since we're dog people this ferocious display didn't dissuade us in the least, accompanied as it was with wagging tails and broad smiles (not bared teeth). Behind them came a woman in a long flowing dress, her hair tied up in a loose bun and a smile on her face as she shooed the dogs away.

The roofless room-with-a-view.

It turns out Sarah Allen knew she had to have this house from the moment she walked in the door, even though it was in a physical condition that, generously speaking, could have been described as crumbling and with the interior walls all painted black. Eventually she and the owner came to an agreement on the price, and she and her partner started (literally) bringing the house back into the light.

The view of Skaha Lake from one room.

The house is oddly laid out with stairs and landings leading to rooms on various levels, some cantilevered to take in the view. One is actually roofless, featuring its own hot tub, an Asian-style gazebo and a 360° view of the property and the lake. We kept taking wrong turns trying to find our room, but it became part of the fun of the place. Everything about the house reminded me of a movie set for a Liz Taylor/Richard Burton film, filled as it was with (several) life-sized deer statues and an idiosynchratic-but-sophisticated jumble of antiques.

The property is a vineyard, as well, producing just a few cases of wine from the riesling grapes grown on its steep hillsides. There are several excellent trails that meander through the property and along the summit of Skaha Bluffs, offering spectacular views over the valley. Even better? One of the hounds will escort you on your hike. But for us the best part of our stay was simply sitting on the shaded wraparound veranda reading a book or taking a dip in the cliffside hot tub as the stars came out over Skaha Lake.

Breakfast was quite the spread, with everything from muesli to eggs, bacon, French toast, pastries, fruit and, most importantly, terrific coffee in the sunny breakfast room. There was also a full kitchen for those who wanted to cook their own meals or just store a bottle of wine. Sadly we only had one night at this place, but it made us long for several more to really kick back and relax. Maybe on our next trip?

Details: God's Mountain Estate, 4898 Lakeside/Eastside Rd., Penticton, BC, Canada. 250-490-4800.

Read the other posts in this series, The Great Okanagan Road Trip, Okangan's Lake Country, Magical Moment, Penticton Personalities and Crazy for Kelowna.

Travels with Chili: Okanagan's Lake Country

It helps if you think about BC's Okanagan region as a squished Willamette Valley, only instead of a river running its length, there is a series of long lakes glistening from its head in Kelowna to its toes in Osoyoos. And rather than being cloudy and/or raining 222 days a year, it has about that many sunny, dry days. Which means the irrigated floor of this narrow valley is lush farmland known for its fruit orchards, and the hills that enclose the valley, unlike the lush green found here, are dry and scrubby.

In addition to orchards, the area was historically known for growing table grapes and producing some pretty mediocre (to put it kindly) wines. Then about forty years ago some visionary started planting vinifera grapes on the drier "bench" lands between the valley floor and the hills. The soil of these benches is primarily sand and gravel left from the Pleistocene-era glacier that carved out the valley, perfect for growing wine grapes.

Gene Covert with McIntyre Bluff behind him.

So it was appropriate that our first stop was to visit Gene Covert, owner of Covert Farm Organics and co-owner of Dunham and Froese Estate Winery. The land was purchased by Gene's grandfather in the late 50s and was conventionally farmed until the late 90s. That's when Gene and his wife Shelly decided to convert the farm to organic agriculture. Located at the narrower northern end of 14-mile-long Osoyoos Lake, the winds that blow up the valley are blocked by a large rocky promontory called McIntyre Bluff. The air circulation from these winds helps Gene grow grapes and vegetables that don't grow as well in other parts of the valley.

During the conversion to organic, a friend and local restaurateur, Mary Theodosakis, introduced them to a new revenue stream in the weeds they'd formerly fought with pesticides. On a visit to the farm with her young family, Mary saw, growing among the farm's tomatoes, the "horta," or greens, her mother used to prepare in Greece. And now Coverts' purslane and amaranth are featured in the farm's store and on some of the valley's hottest restaurant menus.

Our next appointment was at Hester Creek Estate Winery, with dinner at Terrafina, the property's brand new Tuscan-themed restaurant. The winery also boasts five "villa" rooms that look like they'd be a nice splurge for a night or two, considering their gorgeous views of the lake. Our tour guide, the bubbly Sarah Lefebvre, tasted us through the wines—we particularly loved the reserve cab franc—then escorted us to our terrace table for dinner. Restaurant co-owners April Goldade and Chef Jeremy Luypen came out and introduced themselves, insisting we sit down and eat while our seared scallops (above right) were still warm. For a restaurant that's only been open a few months, Luypen is presenting an ambitious menu that shows potential to become a real showcase for the region's cuisine.

A tasting at Road 13 winery the next day included an introduction to their new winemaker, J.M. Bouchard (left), a handsome young French-Canadian with big ambitions. He said his job thus far had been as babysitter to the wines made by the vineyard's previous winemaker, known for big, juicy, internatonal-style pinots. He was obviously excited to start his first harvest at the winery, which, like Oregon's, was delayed due to the cool temperatures early in the summer.

Wine tasting first thing in the morning had us longing for lunch, so we zipped back to Osoyoos and into Dolci Deli, where owner Annina Hoffmeister has become known for her house-made bacon and a German-style dried, smoked meat called bündnerfleisch. She said that in the southern part of Germany where her family hailed from, the meat was traditionally hung in the large fireplace opening where the exterior would become blackened by the smoke from the fire. I can only imagine how delicious that might have been, if her version is any example. She also makes and sells her own jams, which made nice gifts to bring home, though I saved her rhubarb rosemary for myself.

All this wine tasting and eating made us feel like we needed to insist on having a light dinner that evening at Tinhorn Creek winery and their new restaurant, Miradoro. I should have known better.

Read the other posts in this series, The Great Okanagan Road Trip, Magical Moment, Perched In Penticton, Penticton Personalities and Crazy for Kelowna.