Foodie Roadtrip: Part 3

Trip Log Day 3 – But I don't want to go!

I started my day in The Village of Sun Peaks with a latte and a "MC 40" (sausage, egg, and Guinness cheddar on a bagel) at local hotspot 5 Forty Café & Deli. I'd never seen or tasted anything like Cahill's Guinness cheddar: smoky, hard, complex and really cool-looking!
Next was a snowboarding lesson that got me back in my groove and I sailed around the slopes like a snow swan.
In the afternoon I went to the Ultimate Taste Experience with the Dairy Farmers of Canada. We sampled 13 different Canadian cheeses paired with the best of the region's wines. Some of the highlights for me included Moonstruck Cheeses' White Grace (an organic, raw cow's milk cheese) and Blossom's Blue (creamy and buttery, great with Gehringer Brothers' Cabernet Franc icewine); Agropur's five-year-old Canadian reserve cheddar (full of yummy salt crunchies, a dream with Raven Ridge's Braeburn apple iced cider); and Nk'Mip Cellars' Riesling icewine with Arla's Rosenburg (greeny-blue, pungent and sharp).
My last supper at Sun Peaks was another Winemaster's dinner at the Sun Peaks Lodge's Steakhouse, just downstairs from where I stayed. All of us "sip & snow" enthusiasts were treated to Chef Dennis Bond's five-course meal hosted by the winemakers of Hester Creek Estate Winery and Sumac Ridge Estate Winery. My favourite pairings included the beef tenderloin (with scallop, prawn and yams) with Sumac Ridge’s 2005 Black Sage Vineyard Meritage and the Okanagan crabapple parfait with Hester Creek’s 2004 late harvest pinot blanc. What a note to leave on! Farewell Sun Peaks.
Adding this destination to your must-hit list is a no-brainer. If not for the annual Icewine Festival and snow sports, then go for the mountain biking or golf in the warmer seasons and, obviously, the food and wine.
– Tory Healy, Food Associate