A Much Welcomed Spa Day

For me, one of the best parts of taking a bit of a break is that you can often just get up when you want to. No alarms. No deadlines. Just a case of getting up when it feels right.

This is the scene that I woke up to. I suppose having a fully windowed wall to the resort room can have its benefits.

There wasn't much chance that Boo was getting up any time soon. So, I took a bit of a tour of the spa facilities that were open prior to brunch - and happened upon my cousin, Centreman, our groom du jour, who was taking in the pool and hot tub with a couple of his groomsmen. I didn't get an immediate response when I asked if they ever made it to bed last night, but I gave him the benefit of the doubt (but hoped that he could at least take a nap before the ceremony).

Following brunch, Boo and I took a bit of tour on the trails surrounding the resort. We noted more than a couple of locations - with incredible views - that would be perfect for a picnic or for cocktails and a bottle of wine. The trouble was always going to be finding any time to take advantage of those great spots.

The wedding was an afternoon ceremony out on the resort deck and there was a bit of a break between the ceremony and the reception. Just enough time, as it turned out, to take in the series of steam and sauna rooms - and an extremely cold ice wall - to try and relax a bit. And, then, to grab a bit of wine.

We chose to just relax in our room - instead of heading outside to one of those wonderful viewpoints though. Sometimes, ease and comfort just make a little more sense.

952. 2009 Sandhill Pinot Blanc (VQA Okanagan Valley)

Part of the delay in arriving on time yesterday afternoon was a quick stop at the Sandhill tasting room. Despite all the Sandhill wines that have made in onto The List, I've never been to the Sandhill operation itself. The tasting room and wine shop are located in downtown Kelowna. So, there was no rural vineyard setting. It was, however, an upscale affair - befitting of one of the province's premier wineries.

I usually find that, with Sandhill, we gravitate to the Small Lots Program wines. The Pinot Blanc doesn't fall into the Small Lots category, but I quite enjoyed the sample we tried at the tasting room and grabbed a bottle for immediate consumption. There are BC wine savants, including Wine Master Barb Phillips, that think Pinot Blanc could be a signature varietal to help put BC on the global map. Howard Soon, Sandhill's winemaker, has certainly found a way to take the somewhat unheralded varietal and make the Pinot Blanc fruit shine through - even while exposing the wine to limited oak and lees aging.

As enjoyable as the wine and our break were, we needed to make haste and join back up with the wedding party. I was definitely interested in seeing what wines were going to be featured at the reception.