Aside from unique wine and some great food, the hospitality will bring you back for more
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Today, we continue our tour of the south Okanagan Valley with a stop in Kaleden, where Rob Hammersley, owner and winemaker at Black Market Wine Co., has released the latest version of a much-treasured Bacchus label in 2025, made from 41-year-old vines. It is a dry white, full of citrus and stone-fruit aromas and flavours.
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Hammersley, a Kaleden champion, excited to let you know a lot is going on at Black Market, including a trio of upcoming Wine Blending Seminars for 12 to 14 people, the annual outdoor Rumour Mill concert in the vineyard on July 14, and the chance to participate in a happy-hour-like setting any week at Friday Night Flights from 4-6 p.m., where you can choose from four different options.
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From Kaleden, head south on Hwy 97 to Okanagan Falls. At the bottom of the long hill at the west end of the bridge, turn sharply right and follow the winding road to Green Lake and the scenic patio at Nighthawk Vineyards. This boutique, family-run, farm-gate winery overlooks the Green Lake Valley, high above Okanagan Falls. Nighthawk is the vision of former hotelier Daniel Bibby, who runs the winery, vineyard, restaurant, and two luxurious Tent House Suites, with most of his family.
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West Coast Table
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Bibby grows Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir, and leases land in Osoyoos to cultivate Viognier, Roussanne, and Marsanne. Best of all, the wine quality matches everything else on offer. Stop in for a wood-fired pizza made on site in a Portuguese oven — you may not want to leave. And don’t miss Nighthawk Vineyards Waffles and Wine, offered every Sunday from 10 a.m. to noon. The hospitality is nothing short of five-diamond calibre.
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Technically, Blasted Church is on the Skaha Bench, but it works with the Okanagan Falls wineries, given its position just north of town on the east side of Skaha Lake. Winemaker Evan Saunders makes many wines, and the winery has many loyal customers. We had our first look at a rare 2025 Blaufränkisch Rosé ($28, sold at the winery), full of strawberries and cream, pink grapefruit, raspberry, cranberry, and white pepper, a match for Cacio e Pepe pasta. Saunders says: “2025 marked a return to a normal crop load and full cellars of very high-quality wines.”
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Blasted Church loves to party, and their family-friendly annual Block Party is set for Thursday, July 2, 12-7 p.m. Entry is free. It is the only day the pool is open with a lifeguard on duty. There is live music and happy hour all day, with $6 glasses of wine, a food truck, and prizes. Sunday service continues every week with complimentary live music on the patio from late June through September, 2-4 p.m.
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At Noble Ridge Winery, in the middle of the Okanagan Falls GI, we caught up with COO and director of winemaking and viticulture, Benoit Gauthier, to talk about a new vintage, a new label, and a new wine series. We tasted the 2019 Noble Ridge The One, a sparkling wine made with 77 per cent Chardonnay and 23 per cent Pinot Noir using the traditional method. We also tasted the 2025 Noble Ridge Unoaked Chardonnay.
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Gauthier has been working tirelessly to explore the complex soils and multiple terroirs at Nobel Ridge that shape his outstanding still and sparkling wines. Gauthier poured a glass of Noble Ridge The One 2019 ($35). The 77 per cent Chardonnay and 23 per cent Pinot Noir is made using the traditional method, aging in a cool cellar for 60 months, hence the 2019 vintage. Over time, it has developed a classic, restrained brioche aroma that spills onto the palate, bolstering the apple and citrus flavours that make it a truly sparkling wine.
