We are just back from a lovely five days in the Okanagan at the Okanagan Fall Wine Festival. Here’s a photo from the WestJet Wine Tastings event, which was crowded with people and many of the area’s top winemakers.

Among our favorite wines were Inniskillin Okanagan Discovery Series 2006 Malbec, Hester Creek Estate Winery 2004 Reserve Merlot, Rollingdale Winery 2006 8 Barrels (a red blend made from Oliver vines), Blasted Church Vineyards 2007 Hatfield’s Fuse (an off-dry white blend), and 8th Generation Vineyard 2007 Merlot.

Once home, we got the good news from the weekly Okanagan Grocery Artisan Bakery e-newsletter that several of the people profiled in Pacific Northwest Wining & Dining, or those whose restaurants/wines we had tried during our trip, had been included in Western Living Magazine in an article entitled “Top 40 Foodies Under 40.”

The list includes: Ofri Barmor (Carmelis Goat Cheese Artisan, “Top Producer of the Year”, Kelowna); Rhys Pender (Wine Plus+ Education & Consulting, Cawston); Ned Bell (Cabana Grille, Kelowna); Cameron Smith and Dana Ewart (Joy Road Catering, Penticton); and Heidi Noble (Joie Wines, Naramata).

Here’s a photo of Ofri Barmor serving up some of her amazing goat’s-milk gelato (24 flavors available depending on the season!).