65 oak barrels.
32 people.
4 courses.
4 wines.
2 chandeliers.
1 long table.
It was the atmospheric scene in the barrel room at downtown Kelowna's Sandhill Winery Saturday night for the 'Taste of Italy' dinner with guest chef Richardo Scebba of Richardo's Mediterranean Cuisine in Lake County.
The event was a celebration of Kelowna -- only the week before -- being named Canada's first United Nations 'City of Gastronomy.'
In fact, the UN designation has inspired Sandhill to enhance its culinary programs as well as offer more intimate dining experiences under the Sandhill Barrel Room Series banner.
More on that later.
But first, back to the 'Taste of Italy' dinner.
Being Italian, the appetizer was pasta -- orecchitti e salsicce -- a little round dome egg noodle with a pecorino cheese sauce, Italian sausage and thin slices of honey crisp apple.
The portion was small, in keeping with its appetizer position in the batting order.
And, the Champagne-method Sandhill Non-Vintage Brut Sparkling ($35) was the ideal wine pairing because its fresh and light bubbles and apple-lemon-biscuit-honey profile made the appetizer fresh and light, too.
The caprese salad was matched to the Sandhill 2024 Pinot Gris ($22) -- made of Washington state grapes as part of 2024's deep freeze replacement program.
The main event, the entree -- known as 'secondi' in Italian -- was a oh-so-tender-and-tasty AAA filet mignon steak with gorgonzola butter.
It deserved the high-end pairing it received -- Sandhill 2018 Small Lot Three ($45) -- a smooth and elegant blend of two Italian varietals (Sangiovese and Barbera) and Cabernet Sauvignon.
The evening was capped off with dessert (dolci) of poached pear and almond cream paired with a rare treat of Sandhill Cabernet Franc Ice Wine ($129 for a 375 ml bottle).
Dinner was $79 and the four wine pairings were $42.
You also have the choice of buying wine by the glass or bottle or beer or cider.
Keep an eye on Sandhill's website for the dates of upcoming 'intimate dining experiences' in the glassed-in barrel room.
There's also a new winter grazing menu available every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 1 pm to winery close (around 7 pm).
That line up includes oysters, soup, focaccia bread and dip, truffle parmesan fries, artichoke and parmesan dip, calamari, duck confit croquettes, tuna crudo, burrata cheese with fig compote and cheese and charcuterie.
You can mix and match your by-the-glass wine pairings for $8 with a choice of Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Rose, Merlot and Cabernet-Merlot.
Check out: https://www.
You can also check out the website for details on upcoming events, including the Sandhill Open House Nov. 29, cooking decorating sessions on Nov. 27 and Dec. 11 and 18 and a Christmas concert with Andrew Allen Dec. 21.
The Little King
The Little King is both a sparkling Rose wine from Elephant Island Winery on the Naramata Bench and a fundraiser in honour of Rex, who died as a baby in an unsafe sleeping situation.
Rex, the little king, was the first son of Elephant Island owners Del and Miranda Halladay, who wanted to transform heartbreak to hope.
So, over the past two decades they've made the sparkling wine as a fundraiser for childrens' health programs.
So far, $80,000 has been raised, mostly for BC Childrens' Hospital.
In 2024, proceeds started to go to Penticton-based Beginnings at OneSky, which offers prenatal education and postpartum support.
This year, the goal is to donate $10,000 to Beginnings.
The Halladays suggest The Little King as the ideal hostess or corporate gift and the perfect pairing for Christmas turkey dinner.
The dark pink Little King ($26) has soft and delicate bubbles and a raspberry-apple profile.
Purchase online at: https://elephantislandwine.
Steve MacNaull is a NowMedia Group reporter, Okanagan wine lover and Canadian Wine Scholar. Reach him at [email protected]. His wine column appears every Friday afternoon in this space.
