Osoyoos gears up for first annual food and wine weekend

For a small town with a year-round population of just 5,000, Osoyoos is gaining a big reputation for its food and wine. The community is holding its first annual O! Osoyoos Celebrates festival from September 14 to 16, bringing together chefs, farmers, and winemakers.

The three-day weekend features three events, ranging from casual to swish. The Red Carpet Soiree kicks off the Friday night (September 14) at the NK'MIP Conference Centre; the dress code is “elegant”, black-tie optional. On Saturday (September 15), the evening is more chill, pairing lobster with wine under a tent on Osoyoos Lake’s Gyro Beach. Sunday (September 16) rounds out the weekend with a sparkling wine brunch on the rooftop of Spirit Ridge Vineyard Resort & Spa, with the fun of sabreing off bottle tops.

Those interested may purchase tickets to each event individually ($85 per person for the red carpet evening, $65 for the lobster beach event, or $35 for brunch). Or, there’s a package for all three for $150, which shaves $35 off the total.

Heading out for the festival is a good excuse to do some wine touring while you’re in the region. Osoyoos is located about 400 kilometres east of Vancouver at the junction of Highways 97 and 3 on the border of Washington State. Over 20 wineries can be found within 20 kilometres of the town. The Golden Mile and Black Sage Bench are home to wineries such as Burrowing Owl, Inniskillin, Black Hills Estate Winery, Le Vieux Pin, and La Stella.

There are also plenty of other attractions for food lovers within an easy drive of the town.

Looking ahead, Fall Okanagan Wine Festivaltakes place from September 28 to October 7 this year.

Follow Carolyn Ali on Twitter at twitter.com/carolynali