(This article is sponsored by the Okanagan Wine Festivals Society.)

Aficionados of fine wines and farm-fresh, organic foods will want to keep their Thanksgiving weekend free for a getaway to the Fall Okanagan Wine Festival.

That's because B.C.'s largest wine-tasting and farmers market, Cropped presented by Valley First, is taking place on October 6 and 7 in the spacious Penticton Trade and Convention Centre.

"We will have approximately 250 different wines for our guests to taste from a few of our member wineries," says Kate Deglow, Marketing and Public Relations Manager for the Okanagan Wine Festivals Society.

It all comes at a bargain price of $69 per night or $110 for both nights.

"Unlike a beer fest where you have to buy tokens, everything is included," Deglow says. "So you can taste as many wines as you like and eat all the food."

The only additional expense is if people shop for wares at any of 26 artisan vendors' booths or buy bottles or cases of wine on their way out the door from their onsite liquor store, put on by Public Liquor.

Deglow points out that Cropped coincides with the fall grape harvest in the Okanagan. This makes it an ideal time to take a side trip to local wineries to observe them putting the finishing touches on their latest vintage.

"The weather is still really mild," she notes. "There's always lots to do, as our members also host their own events during the Fall Festival. There are over 100 different winery events to attend, all listed on our website."

It's also generally quite easy to find accommodation in Penticton in autumn. Options include the Penticton Lakeside Resort, Penticton Ramada Inn, Summerland Waterfront Resort Hotel, and the Barefoot Beach Resort on Skaha Lake, as well as motels, bed and breakfast operations, Airbnb suites, and wineries with onsite accommodations.

And if your schedule won't accommodate Cropped on the Thanksgiving weekend in Penticton, there's always the Fall WestJet Wine Tastings in Kelowna on September 29 and 30.

Featuring more than 200 B.C. wines, the WestJet Wine Tastings run from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on both nights at the Rotary Centre for the Arts. They're also part of the Fall Okanagan Wine Festival.

Cropped and the WestJet Wine Tastings are both get-home safe events. 

According to Deglow, this means that ticket holders receive a cab voucher worth up to $75 to enjoy a safe ride to their hotel or home.

New this year, the OWFS have launched an app that allows event attendees to bookmark their favourites and to write digital tasting notes to refer to, post event.

For more info on events and to purchase tickets, visit www.thewinefestivals.com. Visit your app store to download the app.

(This article is sponsored by the Okanagan Wine Festivals Society.)