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Critic visits wine bar at Naramata Inn
Wine director Emily Walker has assembled exciting hard-to-find local wines, some you’ve likely never heard of from small, thoughtful producers
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Eliza
Where: 3625 1 Street, Naramata
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When: 3 p.m. to 10 p.m., Monday to Friday
Reservations and info: 778-514-5444, naramatainn.com
Terrafina Restaurant
Where: Hester Creek Estate Winery at 887 Road 8, Oliver
When: Lunch and dinner, daily
Reservations and info: 250-498-2229; hestercreek.com
Popolo
Where: 522 Fairview Road, Oliver
When: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., daily
Reservations and info: 250-498-0350. popolocafe.com
In June 2021, the heat dome pan-fried me on the streets of the South Okanagan. But this June, the ever sunny Okanagan poured rain on my cycling plans but I did catch up on some restaurants on my to-try list.
Top of mind was Eliza wine bar at Naramata Inn where chef Ned Bell and wife Kate Colley have sprinkled magic on the historic inn built by John Moore Robinson who, back in the late 1800s and early 1900s, incorporated and developed the towns of Summerland, Peachland and Naramata.
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The wine bar is named for Robinson’s wife.
“As you can imagine, there’s not a ton of documentation around Eliza,” Bell says, “but we wanted to give her some kudos.”
As he does with Kate, calling her his “rock” twice during an interview.
The wine bar which opened in April shares the kitchen with the upstairs Restaurant at Naramata Inn and on warm days, Eliza spills out to a cobblestone patio. Hence, in a previous incarnation of the inn, the same room was called Cobblestone Wine Bar.
Since most of the best restaurants in the Okanagan are at wineries and showcase their own wines, and wine club members often get first dibs at the most coveted wines, a wine bar can allay your fears of missing out. Wine director Emily Walker has assembled exciting hard-to-find local wines, some you’ve likely never heard of from small, thoughtful producers, including collections of library vintages.
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“You’ll always find something interesting from Bella Wines that are only available in Naramata,” she says. Or something from Plot Wines in Kaleden. “We were lucky enough to snag a few cases of their delicious Tempranillo.”
You might find sold-out releases from Ursa Major or a beautiful Pinot Noir from Fox & Archer, “a relative newcomer quickly building a rep for their expressive single block Pinots.”
On the international side, Walker favours low-intervention producers highlighting terroir.
“If you’ve never tried a Jacquère from the Savoie region, you can enjoy a glass of this racy, mineral-driven white wine,” she says.
Producer Domain Labbé sells only a handful of cases to the Canadian market each year. And for the curious palate, there’s always a rotating flight of single vintages grown on three different local terroirs.
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The food menu offers sharing plates to go with the wines, local beers and cocktails. Bell is a locavore ascetic and tries as best he can to abide by the Inn’s hyper-local ethos. Some 90 to 95 per cent of ingredients are from B.C. or Canada. Food quality and esthetics at Eliza match the restaurant upstairs and dishes range from $15 to $33.
Scallop crudo came with apple vinaigrette and “fermented foragables from Naramata.” A house-made cheese and spring onion tart was drizzled with verjus emulsion.
“It’s made with green (unripened) grapes from Lightning Rock Vineyards, juiced and slightly fermented and pasteurized,” says Bell.
Deprived of imported lemons and limes, it’s his acid.
“I want to celebrate this place. I want to give people a reason to drive to Naramata and have a dinner you can only have here,” Bell says.
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I loved the duck liver parfait, piped in a squiggle and served with house-made brioche toasts and garnishes. A lovely cured, smoked steelhead was from a land-based fishery on Vancouver Island.
“We use it during the non-wild fish season but we’re changing over to wild B.C. as of tonight,” Bell said.
I also visited Terrafina restaurant at Hester Creek Winery in Oliver, with its inviting patio covered in grape vines. The restaurant was previously leased out, most recently, to Rod Butters of RauDZ in Kelowna. In 2019, the winery took over operations and hired chef Adair Scott from Watermark Resort in Osoyoos.
The Mediterranean food matches the big boned, warm Tuscan style room. Mains are $23 to $52, the latter for a Two Rivers 10-ounce striploin. Dishes are comfortably traditional, generous and solid. The thin-crust potato truffle pizza has a flavourful crust thanks to a 36-hour cold ferment and doesn’t skimp on the cheese.
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“I can’t get rid of it. Guests will string me up from the cherry tree,” says Scott.
The cannelloni was nicely done with a fresh-tasting tomato sauce, roasted zucchini, broccoli and sheep feta filling the freshly made pasta. Cumin-spiced lamb shank was served with cucumber couscous and spiced yogurt and seasonal risotto. Braised, then seared, it was fall-apart tender and very good. We shared an avocado chocolate mousse for dessert, a three-in-one, satisfying the dairy-free, vegan and gluten-free diner. Coconut milk and avocado stand in for dairy. Like Eliza, the menu will have transitioned into a lighter, summery version by now.
Like most wineries, Terrafina almost exclusively serves their own wines. Some to watch for include the Trebbiano — whose fruit grows on one of those old plantings — and The Judge, a delicious Bordeaux-style red blend. A house sangria, a few cocktails and some local craft beers round out the drinks list. Terrafina also runs cooking classes in a 14-seat demo kitchen that concludes with dinner and wine. It also hosts four new wine release dinners a year.
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I was hoping to have lunch at Popolo in Oliver, operated by Steeve Raye, known for his masterful pastas at Orto in North Van and French bistro food at La Regalade Cafe in Kitsilano. Alas, the severe staff shortage forced him to close temporarily and for now, he’s operating a food truck outside the restaurant with sweet and savoury buckwheat crepes, coffee and gelato. Recently, the crepe menu included specials of a savoury morel, green onion, cheese and spinach and a sweet filling of local cherries with merlot and balsamic vinegar sauce. There are picnic tables and air-conditioned indoor eating areas.
“If I can find proper cooks, I will reopen,” he says. “I can’t stay closed.” Upon reopening, he’ll resume his pasta-centric menu.
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I previously wrote about Elma in Penticton but visited it on this trip with friends. Their modern take on Turkish cuisine, includes the pidé or Turkish flatbread. Burrata with charred eggplant, mushroom XO, preserved peppers and grilled bread was a memory catcher, too.
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