Liquidity winery & bistro

I am home now. After two-weeks away, we drove back over the weekend, stopping along the way in the Okanagon wine-country for some tastings and relaxation.

My heart is full.

The time with my daughter and her family, including newborn Ivy, was pure love.

My heart is heavy.

We are back on this side of the Rockies.

In wine country, C.C. and I rented a delightful Air BnB for three nights. We visited Bench 1775 Winery where we married five years ago, as well as a couple of other favourites and a new one too.

It was a beautiful, relaxing respite.

It was also the shortened version of the trip we’d planned for our anniversary in April that was side-lined by Covid.

Covid changes are visible everywhere in wine country. There are limits on the number of people allowed in the tasting rooms at a time. Screens in front of the servers and social distance circles on the floor. Our favourite bistro at Liquidity is closed – though you do get a gift of a wonderful bag of fresh veggies from their garden when you purchase wine.

And yet, despite of and because of the changes, there is a beautiful, relaxed, slowed down pace to it all.

On Sunday, the last winery we visited was a new one for us, Nighthawk Vineyards. Daniel and Christy, the owners, were on hand to pour and share their stories of life as ‘farmers’ as Daniel calls it.

As we sipped and asked questions and Daniel shared his love of wine-making and farming, which he discovered 9 years ago when they purchased the property, we felt the warmth of the late afternoon on our skin and savoured the view of the small lake at the edge of their property tucked between the hills that surround their property.

It was an enthralling and inspiring sojourn.

Their two adult sons also work with them, creating a beautiful story full of the mystique and mystery of viticulture soaked in their love of family and their desire to create wines and experiences that reflect their deep commitment to the earth and environment and exceptional customer service.

Sitting in the late afternoon sun, savouring their delicious offerings, breathing deeply of the bouquets of the wine dancing on our taste buds and the gentle late afternoon breeze caressing our faces, I felt my body relax into itself as I said a little prayer of gratitude afor Love and life and people who create with such passion and integrity and share their gifts so graciously.

And when we were done, We drove back down the mountainside towards our little cottage, our hearts full of this time together.

The view from Bench 1775 – where we got married

When C.C. surprised me with his plan for our trip home, I whined. I wanted to get home. To be in-place again. I was tired, and not all that happy about stopping off.

I’m so glad he was patient and persistent and wise enough to know, I was tired enough to not know what I truly needed. The respite in wine country was perfect!

Home again, today I unpack, take a long walk with Beaumont and settle into being in-place.

While in wine country, I spent the mornings at our cottage, sitting on the deck painting and creating in my art journal. As with all the pages in this series, one of my mother’s prayer cards is collaged into the background – a now invisible thread weaving her prayers for everyone.

The text woven into the painting reads:

“We are the memory keepers. The weavers of threads of beauty and mystery and wonder into the warp and weft of life.

We are the story-tellers. The speakers of truth shimmering with grace and love into the tapestry of life unfolding as we journey through time and space.

We are the story-creators. The women gathered at the well throughout the ages. The women dancing around the fire, tending to the vestal flames of life on earth. Bearing life. Gestating. Birthing. Communing. Divining. Weaving.”

Namaste

PS. I am back home but not back regularly to these pages. I am relaxing over the summer, divining my schedule, and giving myself space to create so will be posting irregularly. I hope you visit and leave a comment. It is always such a gift to hear your voices and ‘see’ you here.

It is a good omen, I said to C.C. as we drove west through the Rockies into a beautiful rainbow of iridescent colours spanning the valley through which we were driving. On either side the peaks soared into the sky, their craggy summits shrouded in misty clouds, while all around us, fir trees marched up the slopes, a silent army of towering pines protecting our path through the Rockies.

Seven hours after leaving Calgary, we arrived at our destination, the delightful, quixotic and aptly named, Therapy Vineyards and Guest House. Perched on the eastern slopes above Lake Okanagan on the Naramatta Bench, the vineyards are one of 24 wineries that span the 23 kilometre long stretch of land that stretches out along the escarpment above the village of Naramatta.

This is Wine Crush weekend at the winery, which is all part of the fall wine fest happening throughout the southern Okanagan wine region. Once, the wines of British Columbia were considered laughable, a hobby that would never grow into anything worthy of the wine lists of finer dining establishments and collector’s cellars. Now, the wine lovingly crafted from the sandy soils and dry climes of the region are world renowned. Gold Medal winners again and again with some of the harshest critics across the globe, there is a wine for every palate and every plate. And, unlike other regions which may be able to boast great wines and views of vast expanses of hillsides and valleys stretching out for miles, this region also has stunning views of the sparkling waters of lakes that flow into the distant horizon tucked safely into the protective embrace of the soaring peaks of the Okanagan.

On the deck at Therapy Vineyards

When we arrived at Therapy, we were just in time to join our host, wine aficionada and passionate raconteur of all things wine related, Renee, one of the proprietors of the vineyard, for a wine tasting. The sun was warm, the wines mellow and the company cheerful and upbeat. While we had missed the scheduled wine tour that is part of the Therapy Wine Crush Weekend, we were greeted warmly by the other 12 guests staying at the winery who had spent the afternoon traipsing through the hilly vineyards, tasting the grapes on the vine and learning all about the wine-making process. Later, we enjoyed an amazing 4 course meal in the Guest House dining room with Chef Casey and his delightful partner and guest house manager, Natalie. We laughed and chatted with our fellow travellers, and of course, had ample samples of the delicious wines crafted right here in Therapy’s cellars. And yes, it was great Therapy!

And the therapy didn’t stop there. After a delightful breakfast, C.C. and I set out to find the perfect spot for our wedding next April, only to discover, the options abound.

Vines and View at Noble Ridge

From the elegant restaurant at Bonitas Winery, sprawled out on the western shore of the lake, to Tinhorn Creek’s vast expanse of vineyards and classy Miradori Restaurant, the Southern Okanagan Valley is delivering up lots of choices! While neither Bonitas or Tinhorn are our first picks, we know we’ll find the perfect spot — one of them, Noble Ridge, is owned by a couple from Calgary whose daughter went to pre-school with my youngest. We laughed when we met and shared the ubiquitous, “I know you!” only to realize it was 20+ years ago that we met when our daughters played together in the sandbox. How times change! From sandbox to the vineyard is a lot of grape underfoot! And yes, I know. A really bad pun.

But staying here at Therapy, I’ve discovered there are no limits to bad wine jokes! From, “What a grape view,” as you stand surveying the vista, to “Grape to meet you!”, wine references and puns are everywhere.