Winery offers winter getaway

Quails’ Gate Winery in West Kelowna is offering a winter getaway for couples.

It includes lift tickets and shuttle service to and from Apex Mountain, Big White or Silver Star resorts, a private wine tasting, dinner at Old Vines Restaurant & Wine Bar and four nights’ accommodation at the winery.

Packages for four couples for four nights ($8,000) and for two couples for two nights ($4,000) are available until the ski season winds down. For information and reservations email sbrown@quailsgate.com.

Despite U.S. President Donald Trump, Canada remains a strong market for California wines. U.S. wines were No. 1 in the table wine category in Canada during 2016, boasting retail sales of a record 6.5 million cases with sales of $1.1 billion. B.C. wine of the week

Quails’ Gate Pinot Noir Stewart Family Reserve 2014, Okanagan Valley $45 | 90/100

UPC: 778856213201 The flagship Pinot at Quails’ Gate is estate grown on the volcanic slopes of the Mount Boucherie bench. The mix of Pinot clones are now between 12 and 29 years old and are just beginning to stretch their legs. What we like here is the intensity and purity of fruit that has been given a coating of elegance and finesse. Balanced, long, silky and complex, this is a fun wine to try now, but will only improve over the next five years in bottle. A beacon for B.C. Pinot Noir.

WINE FOR THE CELLAR

Rodney Strong Rockaway Cabernet Sauvignon Single Vineyard 2013, Alexander Valley, Sonoma County, California, United States

$99 | 94/100

UPC: 87512090125 A powerful, mountain wine that delivers flavour and finesse. In the middle of Alexander Valley with average temperatures of 62 F, Rockaway Vineyard provides the perfect balance of warm afternoons and cool Pacific mornings and evenings. Its welldrained hillsides and low pH soil give up mostly small-berried clusters. Long rich and complex, this has a long life ahead.