Après-ski is more than a tradition in ski culture; it’s a snow lover's instinct!
After a full day on the slopes everyone feels like relaxing the muscles, grabbing a drink or a hot beverage and socializing in a warm place with good music and nice friends willing to hear exaggerated ski tales. But if you add a winter wine festival to your après-ski then you will have the ultimate gourmet experience.
That's what happened here in Sun Peaks Resort last week: The 12th Annual Winter Festival of Wine.
Several culinary events, wine tastings, educational seminars and even bartender competitions took place here in the village. It was a real gastronomical marathon and a great opportunity to learn more about the famous wine varieties of the Okanagan Wine Country region.
Thursday I stopped skiing a little earlier than usual and had a good reason for that, I was going to join the Icewines & Nothing More seminar. What a treat! No wonder they call this wine Okanagan’s liquid gold.
We tasted at least 15 different kinds of Icewine during that afternoon, from the famous Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Merlot to others that were completely new for me, like the Zweigelt and the Ehrenfelser.
The variety of colors and aromas amazed me and it was pretty neat to know that they are produced from grapes that have been frozen while still on the vine, actually, it has to be at least -9°C when the grapes are harvested!
With tons of new wine knowledge I headed to Delta Sun Peaks Resort for the Winemasters’ Dinner. But they didn't just serve a dinner, they served a real Canadian banquet! A seven course feast with six different kinds of wine.
Everything was made using local ingredients: Croquette bouche with pear, goat cheese and spiced maple syrup, Dungeness crab salad, pentangle bison steak with double smoked bacon...
It's needless to say that on Friday my legs were tired and I was a little exhausted. But that is ok, there was still lots of great wine to taste!
Friday afternoon I joined as a volunteer in the Sun Peaks Progressive Tasting and as a reward for my hard work, I won a glass and the right to wander around the village while tasting wines from 20 local BC wineries. That was a huge wine tasting event! There were hundreds of people holding glasses and taking notes while jumping around hotels and restaurants seeking for their new favorite wine.
The grand finale of my participation in the Festival was being one of the judges for the Sun Peaks Bartender Mixology Face-Off on Saturday. There was an ice bar built outside of Masa's Bar and Grill where bartenders were competing to create the best cocktail that included wine as part of their drink.
Some real masterpieces were created and I had a hard time having to choose only one cocktail.
Now it is time to rest and ski hard again, well, at least until next Tuesday. After all, it will be local’s night celebrating Australia day! Any doubts there will be more partying?
Thiago,
the Snow Bum
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