Spring fest

It’s not too early to be thinking spring.

The Spring Okanagan Wine Festival to be exact.

The 24th annual edition of the fest will feature 90 events up and down the valley from May 2-13.

Tickets for events, ranging from mass tastings and seminars to wine-pairing dinners and Mother’s Day brunches, went on sale this week at TheWineFestivals.com.

The fest kicks off with the Best of Varietal Awards announcement and reception May 2 at the Penticton Trade & Convention Centre, followed by two nights of WestJet Wine Tastings at the Rotary Centre for the Arts in Kelowna on May 4 and 5.

“Spring is a special time for all the member wineries and tourism partners of the Okanagan Wine Festivals Society,” said society chair Lindsay Kelm of Quails’ Gate Winery in Kelowna.

“For us, this festival is the unofficial kick-off to the busy summer season and gives us the chance to celebrate the new spring releases.”

The society also puts on the marquee Fall Okanagan Wine Festival to celebrate harvest, a winter fest at Sun Peaks Resort near Kamloops and a summer party at Silver Star Mountain Resort near Vernon.

Steve MacNaull is The Okanagan Weekend’s business and wine reporter and columnist. Reach him at steve.macnaull@ok.bc.ca.