Happy hour and dinner

Friday Happy Hour and Fall Dinner Series are back at Sandhill Wines in Kelowna.

During the fall, winter and spring, the winery throws a party every Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. with $8 glasses of wine, appetizers by a revolving line up of restaurants and live music.

The Fall Dinner Series is also Fridays, starting at 7:15 p.m. in the barrel room.

Only 46 people get to sit under the chandeliers at the long table for $89 for a three-course wine-paired dinner prepared by a different chef every week.

When my wife and I dined earlier this month, chef James Holmes from Salt & Brick served up seared foie gras as a starter, duck breast with blueberries as a main and cherry pot de creme for dessert.

The courses were paired, respectively, with Sandhill’s 2017 Terroir Driven Pinot Gris, 2015 Sangiovese and 2015 Small Lots Block 11 Chardonnay.

Check out the schedule of upcoming dinners at SanhillWines.ca. Burrowing Owl in Oliver, Glenn Fawcett from Oliver’s Black Hills and vice-president of winemaking Craig McDonald of Andrew Peller Limited, which owns Sandhill, Peller Estates, Conviction, Calona, Wayne Gretzky, Red Rooster, Gray Monk, Black Hills and Tinhorn Creek wineries.

Interviews with winemaker Taylor Whelan of Kelowna’s CedarCreek and winemaker Phil McGahan from CheckMate in Oliver will air the weekend of Oct. 13-14.