The Days of Wine & Slapshots - 2004 The Days of Wine & Slapshots Story and Photos by Sue Frause Special to The Herald Oct. 31, 2004 It seems like an odd pairing, hockey and wine. But after spending a long weekend in Kelowna, B.C., enjoying both the sport and the grapes, I found it to be a fun mixture, indeed. Kelowna, B.C. is a booming city of 100,000, situated on Okanogan Lake and a quick 50-minute flight from Seattle (it�s 315 miles from Seattle or approximately a six hour drive via the border crossing at Sumas).  Located in the Okanogan Valley, Kelowna and the region are known for dry air and bright skies, outdoor recreation, fruit orchards and vineyards. And then there�s hockey. Kelowna is mad about hockey. Lucky for me, the Kelowna Rockets were playing at home the first weekend in October against the Prince George Cougars (they team up with the Everett Silvertips in Kelowna on Jan. 26, 2005).  I had a chance to sit down and chat with Rockets team captain Brett Palin at Prospera Place, home of the Kelowna Rockets (also a venue for concerts, with upcoming shows including the Tragically Hip and Avril Lavigne). The 20-year old from Nanaimo, B.C. is now in his fifth and final year with the Rockets, and chatted about his �home� for the past five years. �We�re mainly a hockey city,� said Palin with a grin, adding that wine and golf are also a big deal in Kelowna. But as 2004 Memorial Cup Champions, the Rockets and fans did go slightly berserk when they won the coveted cup of the Western Hockey League. Palin isn�t sure what he�ll do next season (I found out later from Anthony Campese of the Rockets organization that the modest Palin had a recent tryout with the Calgary Flames). So where does a 6-1, 200-pound defenseman like to dine? He didn�t hesitate when I asked him. �Sturgeon�s�order a �Paul Anka,� it�s the best chicken sandwich around.� Later that evening, I watched the Kelowna Rockets beat the Prince George Cougars 6-0. I kept my eye on #27 during the game and hope to see him play in Everett against the Silvertips on Feb. 9, 2005. Red, red wine As a frequent spa goer, I was looking forward to my early morning treatment at Beyond Wrapture, a spa with three locations in Kelowna. I checked in at the Character House, a beautiful old home in a residential area of Kelowna, where for the next two hours I was drizzled and wrapped in wine, followed by a shower and a massage. It was divine. Beyond Wrapture is one of the first spas in Western Canada to offer grape-based therapies, and according to owner Deb Bundy, the unusual treatment consists of utilizing grape seeds, stems and skins of grapes that contain antioxidants. �We use the by-products that the winery normally disposes of,� said Bundy. The antioxidants purportedly are 50 times more healing than Vitamin E and the spa works with Summerhill Pyramid Winery, which produces organically grown grapes. My Vinotherapy Massage commenced with me selecting which wine (�Red or white?�). As a red wine lover, the choice was easy, and soon a mixture of red wine and honey was oozing all over my body. I was then wrapped in plastic and relaxed in a candle and music enhanced room for about 15 minutes; showered off the somewhat sticky red stuff and then enjoyed a 30-minute massage utilizing grape seed oil. I was more than ready to hit the vines. Five thousand acres of vineyards The Okanogan valley spans 200 miles and there are more than 5,000 acres of vineyards. The hot, dry summers and moderate winters are conducive to good grape growing. With more than 60 wineries in the valley (and 12 in the immediate Kelowna area), it was hard to choose one or two to visit on a sunny afternoon. My first stop was at Quail�s Gate Estate Winery, overlooking Okanogan Lake.  Recently recognized by Wine Spectator magazine as �one of the best wineries with one of the best restaurants in the Okanogan Valley,� I sat down to sample some wines with Tony Stewart, CEO of Quail�s Gate. As co-owner with brother Ben, Stewart is a third-generation Okanogan farmer (his father has owned it since 1956). And as the first homestead in the area, the tasting room is located in a restored log and stone house built in 1873. Quail�s Gate focuses on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, or as Stewart describes it, �small lot winemaking.� With 100 tons of grapes, a 700-ton crush yields between 45-47,000 cases. I enjoyed lunch on the Old Vines Patio (chef Judith Knight�s resume includes Bishop�s restaurant in Vancouver, BC and a stint as personal chef to Kevin Costner), along with sampling a 2002 Limited Release Gamay Noir, a 2002 Family Reserve 2001 Pinot Noir, a 2003 Family Reserve Chenin Blanc and a 2003 Botrytis Affected Optima. Although the restaurant presently is open May-October, Stewart hopes to offer year-round dining in the future (wine tasting and the gift shop are open throughout the year). Pyramid power Stephen Cipes has created a totally different aura at Summerhill Pyramid Winery. As Canada�s most visited winery and largest certified organic vineyard, it�s somewhat New Age as opposed to Old World in feel. According to Cipes, something called �sacred geometry� led to a four-story pyramid being built on the vineyard�s 65 acres. After a 14-year experiment, Cipes concluded that there is a �definite and profound effect� on liquids placed in sacred geometry. Today, all of Summerhill�s wines are pyramid aged in the 3,249 sq. ft. replica of Egypt�s Great Pyramid. There are free pyramid and winemaking tours and tastings every day, on the hour. The vineyard�s offerings include Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Gewurztraminer, Ehrenfelser and Pinot Meunier. They may be enjoyed in the wine tasting room or at Summerhill Sunset Bistro (open for lunch and dinner year-round). I wonder if the Kelowna Rockets have ever thought about tapping into Pyramid Power? Sue Frause is a Whidbey Island freelance writer and photographer. She may be contacted at skfrause@whidbey.com. IF YOU GO Tourism Kelowna www.tourismkelowna.org 800.663.4345 Kelowna Rockets www.kelownarockets.com Horizon Air www.alaskaair.com 800.ALASKAAIR Beyond Wrapture Spa www.beyondwrapture.com 866.548.8899 Quail�s Gate Estate Winery www.quailsgate.com Summerhill Pyramid Winery www.summerhill.bc.ca WHERE TO STAY & DINE Royal Anne Hotel www.royalannehotel.com 888.811.3400 Economy hotel in downtown Kelowna Hotel Eldorado www.eldoradokelowna.com 250.763.7500 Historical lakeside hotel Fresco 1560 Water Street 250.868.8805 Seasonally inspired contemporary cuisine Bouchons 1180 Sunset Drive 250.763.6595 French bistro featuring fabulous pommes frites Sturgeon House 1481 Water Street 250.860.6446 Sports bar, pub, restaurant The Verve Coffee House & Bistro 345 Lawrence 250.860.8086 Breakfast/lunch/dinner and live music on weekends. Sue's words, images and commentary have appeared in the following: NEWSPAPERS   Boston Herald Calgary Herald Edmonton Journal The Everett Herald The Oregonian Ottawa Citizen Regina Leader-Post Seattle Post-Intelligencer Seattle Weekly The (Vancouver) Province Victoria Times Colonist Windsor Star Winnipeg Free Press MAGAZINES   Alaska Airlines Jewish Life & Style Northwest Business Monthly Northwest Palate Northwest Travel Seattle Bride Seattle Magazine SUN (Seattle University) TravelAge West VIA Virtuoso Life Washington Athletic Club INTERNET www.shermanstravel.com www.spas.about.com www.tangodiva.com www.vagablond.com BOOKS Northwest Best Places (Contributor) Good Food Guide to Oregon/Washington (Contributor) Fabulous Fairholme : Breakfasts & Brunches (Editor) PERSONAL BLOGS Closet Canuck Whidbey Island Life RADIO KSER, 90.7 FM, Everett, Washington (Weekly Correspondent) Around the World Travel Radio (Regular Contributor) © Copyright 2004 Sue Frause site credits