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It started with a bunch of Okanagan winemakers getting together to have a few. Okay,
perhaps it was a bit more orchestrated than that – but the spirit of it was fairly similar.
Over 30 years ago a group of wineries and some tourism types decided to get an event
going to increase awareness of our young (at the time) wineries, celebrate grape harvest
and eat great food. That original group of wineries matured into businesses that are now
part of the foundation of our Okanagan wine industry, and a much larger group of
vineyards and wineries – but the celebration continues every year. It’s the Fall Okanagan
Wine Festival.
This humble celebration grew from a following of local and devout BC residents to
include others from the Pacific Northwest, and now it draws wine lovers from around the
world. Year after year, the fall festival has been named to the Top 100 Events List by the
American Bus Association. Not bad for a group of wine folks who wanted to get together
and have a few.
It doesn’t stop there. By 1995 the Spring Okanagan Wine Festival was brought on the
scene to kick things up a notch, celebrate the new season and the spring wine releases.
This gave the Wine Tourism folks two key events – one at the start and another at the end
of the growing season.
Now there’s a festival for all seasons. Spring’s new wine releases often welcome fresh
new white wines; in summer, the fun spreads from Salmon Arm to Osoyoos as festival
events buzz through the valley. Fall brings harvest, ‘crush’ and more wine releases– often some really big reds. Then, by winter, we’ve got fresh powder, more wine festival
fun and some down time for our winemakers to hobnob with
wine-o-philes.
With a festival for every season, any time of year is the time of year to visit the
Okanagan.
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