FOOD AND WINE ABOUND AT ANNUAL PIG OUT FEST
Event showcases South Okanagan’s culinary talents and vineyards
The annual Oliver Osoyoos Pig Out Festival, a whole-hog weekend full of delicious food and local wine, is set for May 3-5. The main event occurs Saturday, surrounded by the vines at Cellar Door and More, home to Jackson-Triggs and Inniskillin, just north of Oliver. Local and guest chefs will unite to showcase their culinary talents under a fiesta theme that celebrates South Okanagan’s diverse food and wine culture. To purchase Pig Out Festival tickets, currently $109 plus tax, visit oliverosoyoos. com. Tickets include entry to the festival, tokens to enjoy the food stations and wine samples throughout the afternoon, a shuttle service from Oliver or Osoyoos to the festival location, and a safe ride home. The event is only for guests aged 19 and older.
The Secret Garden has returned to H Tasting Lounge at the Westin Bayshore. You and five friends are invited to immerse yourself in a spring season dining experience in a private garden-themed dome. The beauty of Coal Harbour backdrops cocktails and a rich menu crafted from the finest local ingredients as cherry blossoms spread a blanket of pink and white along the seawall. Each dome has lush foliage, twinkling lights, sound, heat, and fresh-air systems. Minimum spends for party sizes of up to six people, excluding tax and gratuity, are: weekday lunch $150; weekend lunch $300; Sunday to Thursday dinner $250; Friday to Saturday dinner $500. For menu details and reservations, log onto Tock.
B.C. WINE OF THE WEEK
Moraine Pinot Gris 2023, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley $22 I 89/100
UPC: 626990127703 Winter damage has shortened the 2023 crop by half, but it looks as if the quality is just fine. This Moraine Gris came off the Naramata Bench only in 2023, pitching vibrant notes of white peaches, pears and wet stones. The mid-palate is lively and fresh, helping sweep the juicy lemons, tangerine and lime zest along a stony mineral finish. Cool as a cucumber salad, don’t wait to buy this one in restaurants, private wine shops or direct from the winery.
VALUE WINE OF THE WEEK
Tania and Vincent Carême Le Blanc Terre Brûlée 2020, Swartland, South Africa $18.99 SP I 91/100
UPC: 3770003649540
Vincent Carême is a wellknown Loire producer in Vouvray, at Domaine Vincent Carême, but more interesting, his wife Tania is South African. Together, they farm just over four hectares of vineyard located on Swartland granite. Terre Brûlée is the winery’s flagship label and delivers from start to finish at the flagship label. The vines are well on 40 years old and sit at a comfortable and cool 625 metres of elevation. The nose is fresh with a distinct bony saline nose, and the palate is tweaked with quince and green peach. There is intensity and length, and a suggestion you could age this for a decade. It’s currently on sale at a bargain price.