Day 2 of the Annual BCWAS Bus Tour was gearing up to be another full day. So, being the excellent wine tourists that we are, we prepped ourselves early by popping the corks on another couple Breakfast Bubbles. I guess, however, that I was so caught up in getting ready for the day that I didn't take any shots of the individual bottles. Luckily, I did take a group shot of all the bottles we polished off in our room over the weekend. At least, that way, there is some visual record of the two bottles - one of which I'm adding to The List (the second bottle being Non-Vintage and having already been added).
N.V. See Ya Later Ranch - SYL Brut (VQA Okanagan Valley)
Unlike yesterday's start, there was no sabering of these bottles. The Integrity featured a bottle cap enclosure and no one had heard of sabering that type of bottle before. As for the SYL Brut, we had a volunteer all lined up but - surprise, surprise - the cork just flew out on its own volition as soon as the wire enclosure was removed.
There was an interesting contrast between the two bubblies. The SYL was a traditional method sparkling wine while the Integrity is made as a lighter, crisper wine - closer to a Prosecco than to a Champagne - and, as such, doesn't see any second fermentation but needs specialized equipment for bottling the wine under pressure. 8th Generation was on the day's itinerary but, unfortunately, we wouldn't get to see the almost vintage equipment that was brought back from Germany just for this bottling process.
Once again, despite my painstakingly (yet lovingly) made OJ, none of it was added to either of the sparkling treats. There were no nay-sayers amongst this crowd when it came to BC bubbles.
Rather than recount the day's events, winery by winery, I decided to simply show some pictures from the road and add in a baker's dozen or so of the more interesting comments made during the course of the weekend. For the record, however, our focus for the day was the Bottleneck Drive region and we made stops at Sumac Ridge, 8th Generation, Okanagan Crush Pad (where we also enjoyed a grazing lunch with Joy Road Caterers) and a little tasting, serenading and dance interlude at Sonoran Winery.
1. "Just watch what you say around T. He's always looking for material for the front of the bus."
2. "And when exactly was the last time you saw a droopy old granny boob?"
3. "Bottoms up. Pants down."
5. "First time I've been splashed like that in a long time."
6. "I'd rather be a rich, boorish f*cker who's intolerable than just a boorish f*cker who's intolerable."
A. "I'd rather not." (In relation to filling up a wine glass of course.)
8. "I hear that heritage tomatoes are good for the prostate." "Just how would one insert a tomato though? The thought of a tomato enema isn't all that appetizing." "Come on down to the back of the bus and we'll show you."
10. "I'm always just looking for an opportunity to drop my pants."
12. "What happens on the BCWAS Bus Tour stays on the BCWAS Bus Tour."
13. "Don't forget our BCWAS motto: 'We're not happy until you're not happy.'"
Ba-dum-dum.
Once the bus dropped us off at our digs, it was time for another dinner at the resort's Local Lounge and Grill - with the evening's dinner featuring wines from McWatters Collection and Time Estate. Once again, there was no shortage of either wine or food and we all bid adieu to the gang at large for another Bus Tour and waddled back to our room, trying to figure out just how we were going to get all the wine we'd purchased home with us come the morning.
As if the weekend hadn't been enough for most of us, our "benevolent dictators" - Glum and Sparkle - announced that planning was already under way for the 2014 Bus Tour and that the BCWAS gang would be heading a little further North, up to wineries in the Kelowna area.
Be there or be boring.
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