Okanagan Feast of Fields

Posted July 29th, 2010 03:07 by The Oenophiles

I’ve recently made a temporary move from Vancouver to the Okanagan, to spend the summer in Naramata wine country. Throughout my career, I’ve been a proponent of the bounty the region offers, from amazing wines and stunning orchard fruit to artisan cheeses and the like, but I’d spent a minimal amount of time in the area. I decided it was time to be closer to all of these things for a season.

In a few weeks, all of these Okanagan offerings will be in one place, on a day where I’ll get the opportunity to meet many of the area’s chefs, farmers, vintners, brewers and food artisans and enjoy their fare. The best part? You can come, too!

You see, one of the many advantages to living here has been that I get to see my good pal Rhys Pender more often. Rhys, a fellow Wine Access contributor, is Canada’s youngest Master of Wine, a Wine and Spirit Education Trust instructor, consultant and, most importantly, a fun Aussie drinking buddy.

Last year, Rhys got the gig of producing the inaugural Okanagan Feast of Fields event and by all accounts he totally knocked it outta the park! I was honoured when he invited me to be on the planning committee of this year’s event, which will be taking place at Brock Farm in Okanagan Falls, right next to Blue Mountain Vineyard.

For the uninitiated, Feast of Fields is a full afternoon of food, wine and outdoor fun - a wandering 29-course tasting event, prepared by the region's top chefs and paired with local wines and beers. Presented by FarmFolkCityFolk, Feast of Fields is supported by dozens of Okanagan businesses who have made a commitment to showcase the strong connections between farmers, producers and chefs to present a fantastic culinary showcase all while raising awareness of the importance and enjoyment of eating locally.

Wineries such as Blue Mountain, Black Hills, Road 13 and Sumac Ridge will be partnered up with the culinary talents of Joy Road Catering, Cabana Grill, Sonora Room Restaurant at Burrowing Owl and the like, utilising the mighty fare from Carmelis Goat Cheese, Harker’s Organics and North Okanagan Game Meats and numerous others from the Valley. There will be coffee from Backyard Beans to get you going and delicious ales from Tin Whistle Brewery to cool you down.

Feast of Fields Okanagan takes place on Sunday, August 22nd from 1 – 5 pm. Tickets are $85 and selling quick!

For more information, to purchase tickets and a full list of participants, go to www.FeastofFields.com. You can also check out the Wine Access event listing to learn more.

We’ll see you down at the farm!

Kurtis Kolt is a BC-based wine director, judge, consultant and blogger who was awarded the Sommelier of the Year Award at the 2010 Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival for his work at Vancouver's Salt Tasting Room.

Photo: Feast of Fields

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