RV Lifestyle shop are located in the Major’s 1900s home – made of original hand-split stone – while the patio is the perfect perch from which to enjoy a bottle of wine and take in the view of the surrounding valley, vineyards and lakes. A jaunt back into the desert, down through the valley, brings us to an oasis of another sort: Oliver, a town that appropriately bills itself as the “Wine Capital of Canada.” Oliver – named after John Oliver, the premier of British Columbia (1918-1927) – was first inhabited around the end of the 19th century as a supply station for miners who were working in the nearby Fairview area. At the end of the 19th century, close to 15,000 people lived here. The neighbouring Oliver area boomed around 1921, following the completion of an irrigation canal…an innovation of Premier John Oliver. Newly irrigated land was made available for reasonable prices to veterans returning fromWWI in 1921, and again to veterans returning from WWII in the 1940s. Prior to the development of the wine industry, most of the agricultural land in the Oliver area was planted withmelons, squash and other ground crops and later, with fruit trees such as cherries, apples, apricots and peaches. Many of the local orchards are owned by immigrants from Portugal in the 1950s and India in the 1980s. Today the “Wine Capital of Canada” is one of the best wine-growing areas in North America. The sun, the soil, the climate and the topography have created special and unique terroirs that are evidenced by their thriving vineyards. Approximately 30 wineries are located within 15 minutes of Oliver, many of them located along what is known as the Golden Mile Bench, just south of Oliver on the western slopes of the valley. Well-drained gravel, clay and sandy soils produce varietals such as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay and Gewurztraminer. Wineries in this area run the gamut from the log cabin tasting room of Fairview Cellars to the upscale Tinhorn Creek complex, which offers a self-guided tour of the demonstration vineyard and barrel room, along with concerts and theatrical performances in an outdoor amphitheatre. FromTinhorn Creek Vineyards, proceed to Gehringer Bothers, Hester Creek, Cassini Cellars, Culmina Family, Road 13 Vineyards, C.C. Jentsch Cellars, Kismit Winery and Gold Hill. Across the valley and stretching south, the Black Sage bench flattens out. On very deep sand, it produces Bordeaux varietals, Chardonnay and Shiraz. Black Sage bench wineries are somewhat farther apart. Heading south on Number Nine Road, you’ll find Silver Sage and Oliver Twist. 28 | www.snowbirds.org
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