Now that I have a moment to breathe and have been at home for a brief few days I would like to say a huge Thank you! to Chef Matt Batey CCC, Chef Chris Stewart, the entire staff at Mission Hill Winery and Terrace Restaurant and of course my sister and parents who collectively imagined and made possible one of the best birthday surprises one could ever ask for {including this amazing cake made by KaleenaCakes.com be sure to check her site out!}.

Here’s a brief photo essay on how it all conspired.
Sneakily my family and boyfriend arranged a limo to pick us up at our house and take us to a mystery location. For very special occasions there are only four places that really make evenings even more amazing. Mission Hill Winery, as you may know, is one of those places. After a drive across the bridge from Kelowna to West Kelowna and draining a bottle of champagne we arrived at the architecture gem perched upon an extinct volcano and overlooking the Okanagan Lake.

Escaping from our party of four my sister headed to the Terrace Restaurant to check on our reservation. As she did so my parents, boyfriend and I toured the gift shop and tasting room. Since I last visited the Mission Hill gift shop the displays have been expertly arranged by wine and their bold characteristics. For example, their Quatrain wine table was decorated with masculine accents including a painting of a civil war soldier, what appeared to be his jacket at the top of the display, elegant housewares adorned with horns and busts of deer in gold and silver. Their famed Oculus wine was paired with candid photos of the iconic Jackie Kennedy, plaid stripes of reds, greens and yellows as well as a framed image of hunting dogs and a book featuring the Hamptons. The wine shop always exceeds my expectations and is one of the best places to go in the valley for unique kitchen items, decor and even a good book to go along with your wine.

Rejoining us, my sister notified us that our table was not yet ready but it would only take 15 more minutes. Generously and apologetically, a host emerged leading us back to the entrance offering us each a glass of Rosé and a quick tour of the vineyard as we waited. Conveniently there were 5 glasses upon the barrel which were reserved for 5 other guests that had yet to show up. He poured us a glass each and taking a deep breath of the wine through my nose the smell of strawberries filled my head.

The host lead us on into the vineyard where Pinot Noir grows along the enduring Italian stone of the winery. Despite having taken the wine tour twice now I always learn something new with each guide and with them each a new perspective. This time the host explained the immense difference between the Pinot grapes that grow where we stood and the grapes that grow near the Ponderosa Pines closer to the lake. Pinot is a grape that is difficult to grow and the grapes that grow near the pine trees end up competing for nutrients within the soil altering the final product.

After exploring the vineyard we were lead into a building I had never entered before nor knew that there was an entry. We trudged up the stone steps, my fingers gliding against the wood grained concrete until we came to a private tasting room with barley twist columns behind the bar and tall windows letting in the light of the sun and sparkle of the lake. The host directed us to head outside to the private patio with a table set for 5 people. I thought nothing of it and I was amazed enough of the excellent care the host took to preoccupy us all as we waited for our table. 

“This is reserved only for our very special SLR guests and club members.” At this point I remembered that my parents were wine club members. “And tonight you are our special guests so please take a seat at the head of the table.”
I had to hold back some tears. I couldn’t have even imagined such a perfect entrance and the host was seamless like it was rehearsed with my family fifty times before we arrived. I am still flabbergasted at the fact that my family held this evening secret for so long.

 Chef Matt Batey, Chef Chris Stewart and my sister created a locally sourced menu with some of my favourite ingredients in mind. So with a huge thank you to everyone I’ll let the images do the talking (but as an art enthusiast I would like to point out the expert use of colour in all of these dishes!).

Click here to view the handwritten signed menu with complete list of wines served that evening! 

 

 

Unfortunately at the end of the evening we were rushed away by our limo driver’s previous commitments ending the evening unable to properly thank the entire staff and chefs including Chef Batey and Chef Stewart who made all of this possible. Everything that evening was impeccable from the weather and food down to the performance of the host who distracted me before the big reveal. I humbly thank you all and a big hug to my family for wanting to throw me the most surreal and gorgeous birthday bash I hardly could have conjured up myself in my wildest dreams. In short I thank you!