Spirit Ridge is an oasis of wellness. Every room is a suite, the views are miraculous and guests are well served with swimming pools (one kid-friendly, one kid-free), hot tubs, a fitness centre,  restaurant and even a golf course. But what makes it truly special is the winery next door, to whose outstanding hospitality the previous night that we owed our fuzzy heads.

Nk’Mip Cellars is the first Indigenous owned and operated winery in North America, and their culture is warmly expressed in everything they do. The name Nk’Mip means “bottomland” in nsyilxcən — due to the winery’s location at the southern end of the Osoyoos reservation — and the Osoyoos Indian Band are majority owners of the winery. Their ancestors, the Syilx of the Okanagan Nation, have lived in the Okanagan valley for thousands of years. 

We’d been treated to a tour of the winery by estate winemaker Justin Hall, a member of the Osoyoos band who first joined Nk’Mip Cellars straight out of high school. Charismatic and energetic, Hall talks us through the history of the winery. Opened in 2002, the winery was the culmination of a 30-year dream for the band, who had entered the grape-growing business in the late 60s. He stresses the ownership they take — “everything here is made by us as a team, we design the grapes, grow them and everything is done on native soil” — and how much of a two-way process winemaking has been. “I’ve helped to grow the winery, but the winery has helped me grow into a man,” says Hall.

Syilx culture permeates the whole of Spirit Ridge, with the Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Centre the best place to go to get a deeper education on their lands, legends and people. Walk the sagebrush-lined trails leading through the desert to a traditional village, sweat lodge and pit house. 

Our tour of the winery comes to an end in the dimly-lit barrel-filled wine cellar deep in the heart of Nk’Mip. A candle-lit table was set for our group. What would have been the perfect setting for a romantic meal for two became a festive one, as our group ate, drank and laughed the evening away. Dishes inspired by the Indigenous roots of the resort’s restaurant, The Bear, The Fish, The Root & The Berry, came flocking to the table. Burrata with sea asparagus, fiddleheads and nettle pesto; sablefish with pickled mushroom caps and ponzu pearls; wild boar with a gochujang glaze, pickled apples and parsnip puree; a dark chocolate mousse with haskap berry preserve and black cherry caviar — all paired with Nk’Mip wines by Hall. A special aged ice wine, almost red with age, followed dessert — something we’d never tried despite living in Quebec. 

Opened in 2020, Phantom Creek Estates is a relative newcomer to the South Okanagan wine scene, but it’s already a heavy hitter. Their namesake vineyard has produced WineAlign’s Best Red Wine in Canada on three occasions. Perched atop Black Sage Bench on the eastern flank of the valley, a few kilometres north of Osoyoos Lake, this winery is more than just a winery. It’s an outstanding venue of modern architecture, elegant events and sleek style. As we approach, we pass under two marble-carved sculptures of winged beings, bowing as if to welcome us. Between them, sun-bathed mountains sit majestically in the background. 

From air to earth, we now continue our trajectory, heading underground. We move through the various rooms involved in the winemaking process, guided by director of winemaking Mark Beringer. “We take care in every step of a grapes tumbling, leaping journey from berry to wine,” says Beringer. Everything is so high tech, top of the line, the luxurious aesthetic maintained throughout. Apparently much of the construction was done with Egyptian limestone, meaning the odd seabed fossil can be spotted in the walls. 

The cellar is dimly lit, and a sweet grape scent hangs in the air. The humidity is kept high resulting in a slight haze, pierced by beams of sunlight from the windows far overhead. Oak barrels line the walls, rich red rings around the exterior of each hinting at the liquid within. “There were no corners cut,” says Beringer. “It’s not about the next five years, it’s about the next 100.”

Tamika and I are almost constantly in awe. If there were ever a winemaking Bond Villain, this would be his lair. We venture deeper underground reaching what must be the beating heart of the winery. An imposing circular cavern, rings upon rings of Phantom Creek barrels spiral around a moodily-lit glass-walled tasting room. And at the centre of everything, hanging above a wine bottle-laden round table, a fiery, bursting nest of gold — a chandelier composed of hundreds of pieces of blown glass. “Welcome to The Founder’s Cellar,” says Beringer grandly. 

We’re treated to a very special wine tasting under the glow of the glass sun: their ever-popular 2017 pinot gris, the first-ever tasting of their 2021 rosé, a merlot from Phantom Creek’s Kobau vineyard on the Golden Mile Bench, a chardonnay — so good I declare “I love chardonnay now!” — and more. Founder’s Cellar experiences are available to book upon request.

Before we know it, we’re getting back in the helicopter, rising up above the endless rows of vines. Where to next? By my count there are around 70 wineries in the South Okanagan. And we have a helicopter; we could go anywhere. The artisanal Checkmate? The perfectly placed lakeside Painted Rock? How about lunch at Poplar Grove’s exquisite restaurant? Or a wine-paired charcuterie board at quaint Little Engine Wines? 

I’m getting a sense of how much this place has to offer. It’s an eclectic group, with winemakers from all over the world working in competition and yet together to put B.C. wines on the map. We’ll do as many as we can during our trip, but for now it’s Culmina Family Estate Winery.

Located at the foot of Mount Kobau, only a short drive from Phantom Creek, Culmina’s gently sloping vineyards have a shot at the best view in the Okanagan — though competition is fierce. In contrast to Phantom Creek, Culmina’s charm is in its warm, rustic simplicity. The winery is comparatively small, and their French winemaker Jean-Marc Enixon’s demeanor is laid back and friendly. Yet his passion for wine is obvious, and his approach to viticulture is thoroughly organic. “We spray our vines with a nice tea of harvested ferns to fight off the grasshoppers,” Enixon says with a grin.

Enixon comes from a wine-loving family of quarriers and foresters from the small French village of Manot. That passion was distilled into him, and after graduating from the prestigious Ecole Supérieure d’Agriculture de Purpan in Toulouse, he gained winemaking experience from all over the world, including France, California and China. Yet he and his young family found their home in the Okanagan, and he has only the highest praise.

“This valley has so much variety,” says Enixon. “I grew four varieties of grapes in France. Here, I grow 18. That’s what’s nice: in this country you have one wine for each person.” 

He’s also blunt about what it takes to be a winemaker. “You have to be crazy,” he laughs. “And passionate.”

It’s a mad scientist approach that Enixon applies to all areas of his life. As much as he loves his new home, there was one thing sorely lacking.

“Saucisson!” he shouts. “There was none here. So I had to start making it myself.” A trip down to the wine cellar confirms this. There’s saucisson drying among the barrels. “Humidity controlled,” says Enixon, knowingly.