Do you want to taste wine with 649 other people?
How about some Merlot with cello music?
Does sipping rose lakeside sound divine?
The signature events of the revived Spring Okanagan Wine Festival, May 5-15, lets you pick and choose your experiences or take in all three.
"There's quite the buzz about this spring festival because it's the first one in two years (the parties in 2020 and 2021 had to be cancelled because of COVID) and we have two brand new signature events," said festival marketing manager Jennalyn Christopherson.
"We're back. We're excited and we know that wine lovers are also excited to be getting back to live, in-person events. And it will be nice to do everything without a mask, too."
There are still limited amounts of tickets available to each of the three signature events.
The Valley First Spring Wine Tasting on May 7 at the Rotary Centre for the Arts in Kelowna (tickets: $109 at TheWineFestivals.com) gives you the chance to taste over 150 all under one roof at various winery booths while appetizers are passed around and live music plays in the background.
The Valley First tasting is always the biggest and flagship event of the spring fest with 650 people attending.
From Cellars to Classics May 12 at the Laurel Packinghouse (tickets: $99) is a brand new event in partnership with Okanagan ChamberFest, which features an hour wine-and-hors d'oeuvres reception and then two 45-minute piano-and-string-quartet concerts with an intermission with more wine.
Another new event is Blush & Bubbles (tickets: $99) May 15 at Summerland Waterfront Resort.
The afternoon indoor-outdoor lakeside party is a celebration of Okanagan rose and sparkling wines with chef stations and passed canapes.
"In addition to the signature events, there's lots to do everyday of the festival at wineries throughout the Okanagan," said Christopherson.
"Rather than just tastings at the tasting bar, most wineries will be putting on elevated experiences."
For instance, Hester Creek Winery in Oliver on fest kick-off day May 5 (and other days through the fest) is offering three experiences.
Happy Hours from 1-5 pm means $6 glasses of wine on the sunny patio.
The 11 am tour and tasting ($25) is just that -- a tour of the estate followed by a sit-down tasting of Hester Creek's Storied & Origin wines in one of the winery's private spaces.
And the $15 Signature Tastings at 1, 2 and 4 pm also feature a tour and seated tasting.
There are plenty more special and seated tastings (many with cheese and other nibblies) at plenty more wineries on plenty days throughout the festival.
Learn how to saber (cut the top off a bottle of sparkling wine with a sword) in the vineyard at Volcanic Hills Winery in West Kelowna on May 6, 7, 8, 13, 14 or 15.
Or, pick from a myriad of events at wineries on Mother's Day, May 8, such as Bubble & Brunch at Time Winery in Penticton, Picnic in the Blossoms at The View Winery in East Kelowna or free tastings for mom at River Stone in Oliver or Four Shadows on the Naramata Bench.
See the full list of events at TheWineFestivals.com.
