Volcanic Hills Estate Winery
Yesterday, what began as "We should do lunch sometime," turned into a four hour leisurely nosh and wine tasting at a Westbank winery. My friend Val had recently celebrated a birthday so a winery visit was definitely in order. We wanted to keep it on the west side of the bridge and we both enjoy Asian cuisine so Volcanic Hills fit the bill.
I'm not going to go into a bunch of detail about the winery because their website does an excellent job of all that. It does, unfortunately do a very poor job of telling you where the place is located. I clicked on "Visiting the tasting room" and it directed me to take "A quick turn off Boucherie Road". Really? How far along Boucherie Road and from which end? I really get annoyed by websites that want you to go on a scavenger hunt to find their address. I'm on the site because I already know I want to go there, please just tell me where you are. Eight paragraphs later, under "Hours of Operation" it lists the address: 2845 Boucherie Road incase you want to pop it into iMap.
To make our lunchtime wine selection a little easier we opted for pre-meal tasting. For $5.00 you can sample five different wines and if you decide to purchase a bottle the tasting is free. We sampled three rosés, the Syrah and the Merlot. They were also offering a free tasting of their special Seven Directions Pinot Noir, which is also a rosé, made from organically farmed Pinot Noir grapes grown in the nearby Kalala vineyard. I'm not well versed in winetasting lexicon, but can tell you there was something to appreciate in all varieties. The Merlot was my favourite with a subtle caramel flavour I enjoyed.
Though Val and I love the fat reds, a refreshing rosé was more appropriate for the warm afternoon and would pair well with the Indian cuisine. We selected the simply named Rosé made from Gamay Noir grapes.
Our server talked us into ordering a bottle instead of a glass each. At $16.00 for two glasses, which is reasonable for Kelowna prices, an additional $9.00 would get us the whole bottle, and in B.C. if you don't want to drink the entire bottle, you can cork it and take it home with you.
The Indian fusion menu had some great sounding choices and the smell of the food from the surrounding tables was heavenly. They also had a separate kids menu that included a couple of more North American dishes if you have less adventurous children.
I'm not going to go into a bunch of detail about the winery because their website does an excellent job of all that. It does, unfortunately do a very poor job of telling you where the place is located. I clicked on "Visiting the tasting room" and it directed me to take "A quick turn off Boucherie Road". Really? How far along Boucherie Road and from which end? I really get annoyed by websites that want you to go on a scavenger hunt to find their address. I'm on the site because I already know I want to go there, please just tell me where you are. Eight paragraphs later, under "Hours of Operation" it lists the address: 2845 Boucherie Road incase you want to pop it into iMap. 
To make our lunchtime wine selection a little easier we opted for pre-meal tasting. For $5.00 you can sample five different wines and if you decide to purchase a bottle the tasting is free. We sampled three rosés, the Syrah and the Merlot. They were also offering a free tasting of their special Seven Directions Pinot Noir, which is also a rosé, made from organically farmed Pinot Noir grapes grown in the nearby Kalala vineyard. I'm not well versed in winetasting lexicon, but can tell you there was something to appreciate in all varieties. The Merlot was my favourite with a subtle caramel flavour I enjoyed. 
It was truly a perfect day to sit on the patio and have lunch at the newly opened restaurant. Lazeez, which means delicious in Urdu, definitely lived up to it's name.
Our server talked us into ordering a bottle instead of a glass each. At $16.00 for two glasses, which is reasonable for Kelowna prices, an additional $9.00 would get us the whole bottle, and in B.C. if you don't want to drink the entire bottle, you can cork it and take it home with you.
The Indian fusion menu had some great sounding choices and the smell of the food from the surrounding tables was heavenly. They also had a separate kids menu that included a couple of more North American dishes if you have less adventurous children.
Unsure of the heat factor, Val ordered the medium spiced butter chicken. She found it tasty but would go with a little more heat next time.
I enjoyed the curried vegetable risotto. It was packed with flavour, fresh veggies and had a nice bite, though it lacked the creaminess of the traditional italian dish.
We arrived at the winery at 1 p.m. and took our time over our meal. There was no rush from the staff and it really was a perfect Okanagan afternoon on the patio. All too soon, the clock struck four and with much regret we left our table, vowing to return.
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