Wine Bloggers’ Conference 2013 — Pre-Conference Fun

The Wine Bloggers’ Conference 2013 was held in Penticton, British Columbia, June 6 – 8. We arrived a couple of days before the Conference started so we could spend some time in Penticton and participate in one of the Pre-Conference Excursions. We chose the Kelowna Pre-Conference Excursion so we could learn a bit about the wineries along the central part of Okanagan Lake. The Excursion was organized and subsidized by Tourism Kelowna.

Here is a brief pictorial of our wanderings around Penticton and of the Kelowna Pre-Excursion. We will follow-up with a detailed post in the days ahead. Enjoy.

Tuesday, June 4

Arrived at Kelowna International Airport in the afternoon, rented a car and drove south along Okanagan Lake to Penticton, site of the Wine Bloggers’ Conference. We checked-in at the Penticton Lakeside Resort and spent the afternoon walking around the city of Penticton enjoying the lake views and the gardens. Both were spectacular.

Ok, I will stop here. There are gardens everywhere!

Wednesday, June 5

Around mid-day we drove back up to Kelowna International Airport for the beginning of our Pre-Conference Excursion in Kelowna. We were greeted by Jenny from Tourism Kelowna, who drove us to Hotel Eldorado along the shore of Okanagan Lake. This hotel has a most interesting history, more about that in a future post.

A winery tour and dinner at Summerhill Pyramid Winery followed.

Thursday, June 6

Breakfast, tour and wine tasting at Tantalus Vineyards.

Winery and vineyard tour, with tasting in the vineyard followed by lunch at CedarCreek Estate Winery.

Many thanks to Tourism Kelowna and the WBC13 staff for organizing the excursion. In particular, thanks to Jenny Rutherfurd and Catherine Frechette of Tourism Kelowna who shared their knowledge and enthusiasm for the area with us (and kept us organized and on time!).

Thank you as well to Summerhill Pyramid Winery, Tantalus Vineyards and CedarCreek Estate Winery whose winemakers and staff were so generous with their time and expertise.

What a great introduction to the wines of the Okanagan Valley.

Cheers!