Sandhill mixer

Speaking of Sandhill, its elegant, urban tasting room and event space in Kelowna’s North End will be the site for the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce’s next Connex business networking and social mixer on Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m.

The reception is being hosted by Pushor Mitchell Lawyers, with has nice spaces on the third and fourth floors of the brick office building at the corner of Ellis Street and Leon Avenue downtown.

However, the firm is smart enough to know people would rather mingle at a winery than law offices.

Admission to Connex is $10 and includes a glass of wine and appies.

You can register at KelownaChamber.org or simply show up and pay at the door. mid-mountain, ski-in, ski-out $115 reception from 5:30 to 8 p.m. with food and wine stations.

You can also take the chairlift up to the event in the Sunburst Bar and Eatery.

The focus will be winemakers pouring hard-to-find wines.

Also on the Friday, Savour Bubbles, from 7:30 to 10 p.m., is a $99 progressive-tasting event at Masa’s Bar & Grill where nine wineries will be pouring sparkling wines to pair with appetizers prepared by chefs working at various Sun Peaks restaurants.

Uncork Your Senses is the Saturday night $99 finale from 6:30 to 9 p.m. featuring a dozen wineries pouring samples to match dishes such as salmon and artisan greens. For more details and tickets go to OliverOsoyoos.com. You can also choose to stay at Sun Peaks during the fest. Check out SunPeaksResort.com. Sun Peaks is embracing wine in a big way. The Savour the Sun Festival is a new early-season addition to the Winter Wine Festival in January that it has been throwing for years in partnership with the Okanagan Wine Festivals Society.

That fest runs Jan. 11 to 19.

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