Okanagan Wine Tour 2011 Day 4 and 5

We left the south Okanagan and Spirit Ridge Resort and headed north for Vernon and the Sparkling Hills Resort. A side trip to Naramata and La Frenz to try and nab a bottle of Pinot Noir but no chance. Next year I'm going to pre order. A couple of people said it was the best pinot noir in the valley and that set my spider senses tingling. We were happy to stock up on their excellent Montage, great value at $22 but only at the winery. Worth the 20 minute detore, we were back on track. A 10 minute stop at Quail's gate to get another bottle of the Dijon Clone and be treated t a 3 Pinot Noir tasting (many thanks) and we were off to Cedar Creek's beautiful deck for lunch. Friendly service, good food appropriately priced and great wine make it an excellent place for lunch. Caesar salad with a spitted grilled quail was impressive.

We spent the evening sweating in the saunas and steam rooms at Sparkling Hills Resort, crawled into their amazing beds and slept our way to the very good buffet breakfast included with your stay.

Our next stop was a visit with a Scandinavian Antique dealer friend in Armstrong for Swedish Breakfast. Herring and Schnaps sounded intimidating but, the herring was beautifully presented alongside chopped hard boiled eggs, fresh dill, yellow nugget potatoes and creme fraiche. Orange Vodka was our hosts take on the schnaps, served on the most interesting antique and modern china and stem-ware. We sang a swedish drinking song and tossed back a couple of vodkas. Wow! Camembert covered in cloudberry jam followed. As well as excellent coffee and almond cake. The Swedes know how to enjoy life. We're looking forward to visiting Sweden with Eva next year. Cheers!