Review: A sparkling holiday experience at Mission Hill

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Mission Hill Family Estate Festival of Trees Winery Experience

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Where: 1730 Mission Hill Road, West Kelowna

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When: By reservation through Jan. 5, 2023.

Info and reservations: 250-768-6400, Missionhillwinery.com.

To mark the holiday season, the team at Mission Hill Family Estate Winery is offering a fun-and-festive experience.

Dubbed Festival of Trees, the winery teams and assorted event sponsors decorated several holiday trees with unique themes. Situated in key areas of the West Kelowna property, the dazzling tree designs were just a sampling of the highlights experienced during a wine tasting that’s designed to be a special holiday treat.

“To me, the holidays are all about time spent with family and friends. What better opportunity to be able to spend this time in a relaxed environment, enjoying a seated tasting, while conversing over some of B.C.’s best wines,” Corrie Krehbiel, the head winemaker at Mission Hill Family Estate, says.

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Booked by appointment for parties of one to six people, at a price of $60 per person with $15 from every tasting ticket donated to the B.C. Children’s Hospital Foundation, the tasting kicks off with a glass of hot chocolate or mulled wine to be enjoyed during a tour of the impressive Barrel Cellar that holds 400 barrels of wine and Visitor’s Hall with a winery ambassador as a guide.

Following the tour and hot sips, the tasting of four wines from the Terroir and Legacy collection is next on the agenda, each sip paired with small bites from the property’s culinary team.

During a visit with family during a holiday weekend escape to the Okanagan, our party of three sipped and nibbled our way through a pairing that included the Mission Hill 2021 Terroir Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon, 2020 Perpetua Chardonnay, 2019 Prospectus Pinot Noir, and 2020 Terroir Desert Ridge Meritage.

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“These are wines that are produced in small quantities and many of which are sold exclusively at Mission Hill through our boutique or through our website,” Krehbiel explains of the offering. “So, they’re tasting something that they wouldn’t be able to get if they headed down to their local liquor store.”

The light bites included a tart apple salad with a dollop of goat cheese that brought out the subtle sweetness of the Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon; a salty piece of pork atop an acidic carrot-cabbage slaw that was softened by the buttery notes of the Perpetua Chardonnay; and an earthy mushroom soup that paired with the Pinot Noir for a savoury treat. The pairings wrapped with a delightful round of chocolate cheesecake with raspberry enjoyed alongside the standout Meritage that was the group favourite. A glass of Exhilaration Sparkling Rosé topped off the experience.

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When asked about her personal go-to for the holiday season, Krehbiel was quick to make her pick.

“Our Perpetua Chardonnay is always my go-to for Christmas dinner,” Krehbiel says. “It’s one, to me that we create that shows the fruit of the Okanagan. It has a bright citrus character to it and a touch of green apple that’s then layered and textured with oak just wrapped around it. It’s really long, really fresh. It pairs beautifully with turkey, ham and, my favourite, — sweet potato pie.”

Krehbiel also pointed to the Pinot Noir-based Exhilaration Brut as her other holiday season select.

“Packed with strawberries and cream and beautiful freshness, it’s refreshing to sip on its own, or to pair with holiday canapés,” she says.

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An ongoing charitable partner of the Festival of the Trees, the goal was to raise $50,000 for the B.C. Children’s Hospital Foundation through this year’s holiday events.

“And this year, I’m super excited to say that we’ve already surpassed our goal. And we’re only partway through the month,” Krehbiel says with a smile.

The foundation, she says, is one she holds near to her heart.

“My son was born very early, and we almost ended up there,” Krehbiel says. “And then my niece had some pretty big surgeries done there, and it was just an incredible experience for her and her family.”

The opportunity to give back through the event, the winemaker says, feels “fantastic.”

“They’re going through challenges as well, with the influx of the influenza season, so to me, it’s so important that we’re supporting that need,” Krehbiel says. 

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SIDE DISHES: Four fresh food and wine tidbits

The perfect holiday treat

The holidays are a time for panettone. The type of Italian sweet bread studded with pieces of dried fruit, which originated in Milan, is a welcome addition to many bakery and store food aisles ranging from mass market to artisanal bakery. Local experts of all things Panettone, Antise Vancouver is accepting online orders for its artisanal delights. Offering three flavours — original, chocolate and lemon — the in-demand sweet breads can be picked up at the bakery’s Gastown location or shipped to your home for a holiday treat delivered right to your doorstep. Another option for a perfect Panettone this holiday season comes thanks to Eataly. The eatery and marketplace in Toronto is offering cross-Canada shopping and shipment of its Panettone selection, including their new-and-unique flavours such as pumpkin spice, fig and walnut, and cherry pistachio chocolate. Visit shoptoronto.eataly.ca to learn more.

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Sweet seasonal sips

Enjoy high tea this holiday season with a special sitting at Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. The property’s eatery, Notch8, is offering Holiday Afternoon Tea through Dec. 30 featuring a menu of seasonal sweets and savories paired with a tea of one’s choice. Priced at $69 per adult or $34.50 per child, the tea sittings are available at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., Thursday through Sunday. The property will launch a new themed afternoon tea in the new year. To reserve, visit Notch8-dining.com.

Limited-edition delights 

Elevate your holiday table with a limited-edition seasonal box from Ladurée Canada. Boasting a theme of Céleste for this season, the celebratory selections feature sparkling boxes featuring snowflakes and stars. Each collectible box is filled with a festive selection of classic or holiday flavoured macarons. The 160-year-old luxury French patisserie’s holiday flavours include “luscious brioche” with creamy notes of vanilla, currant, orange and lemon, as well as a vegan-friendly hazelnut. Available in a set of eight for $40, 16 for $77, or 24 for $110, the boxes can be purchased at Ladurée locations, pop-ups at Pacific Centre or Vancouver International Airport, as well as online at ladureecanada.ca.

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Nk’Mip turns 20 

Nk’Mip Cellars is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Founded in 2002 by members of the Osoyoos Indian Band, the Okanagan Valley-based winery has become renowned for its award-winning wines. Through each wine, Estate Winemaker Justin Hall stresses the importance of connecting people to the land they come from. “Being in the winery is a lot of fun, but I love going out in the vines, seeing the soils, paying attention to what comes in. I love it all,” Hall said in a news release. “You have to be out in the land. You have to be out in the weather. You have to know what the vines are going through. It’s extremely important.” To help mark the milestone anniversary, the winery is hosting events, including a Winter Dinner Series event on Feb. 11, which will include a four-course menu with wine pairings. Learn more at nkmipcellars.com.

Aharris@postmedia.com

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