Blasted Church (Okanagan Falls) : blasted church, okanagan, winery...

A 5 km drive along the East side of Skaha lake leads to Blasted Church Winery. The winery is named after a small church that had been moved from the old Fairview townsite of western Oliver to nearby Okanagan Falls; dynamite was used to loosen its nails before its transfer.

Blasted Church (the winery) sits atop a bluff overlooking Skaha Lake, providing it with a lovely vista. Visitors can enjoy the view from benches in the parking lot, or from the tasting room, which is located inside a little log house.

Blasted Church is the dream of Evelyn and Chris Campbell, two Vancouverites who suffered a midlife change-of-heart, (something that seems to have affected a number of winery owners) that led them to purchase the current winery and vineyards four years ago. The family takes care of the ins and outs of running the winery, and visitors will likely encounter the Campbell’s daughter at the tasting bar during the summer.

Staff are more than willing to tell the story of the Blasted Church from which the winery got its name. Detailed tasting notes as well as notes on the year’s harvest are available to browse.

Blasted Church has a number of parking spaces. Be prepared (if you haven’t read this enough already) for crowds in the summer, as the tasting bar isn’t very spacious.

Currently, the winery specializes in a number of varieties, including a highly recommended Merlot (Spring Wine Festival) and a tasty Chardonnay. Wines are sourced from the estate vineyard, which has been producing for over 10 years. Two winemakers oversee the production of Blasted Church’s wines:

The Dam Flood- Red blend
Cabernet- Merlot
Merlot
Pinot Noir
Syrah
Gewurztraminer
Hatfield’s Fuse- White blend
Chardonnay Musque
Sauvignon Blanc
Pinot Gris
Blastphem – Late Harvest Botrytis Affected
Revered Chardonnay- A new high-end series

There is no charge for up to four tastings at Blasted Church. Written tasting notes are available for perusal. If there is a queue at the tasting bar (and there will likely be many throughout the summer) we recommend appreciating the view from benches out front or browsing the wine selection, which sports unusual, funky artwork depicting characters from Okanagan Falls’ colourful history.

Also by Carolyn Coles:
Hawthorne Mountain Vineyards - Formerly LaCompte Estate Winery, Hawthorne Mountain Vineyards sit atop Hawthorne Mountain, and from a distance it almost looks as though the rows of plants could slide right off of it. This is one of the highest altitude wineries in Canada and is more of a destination winery as it requires a bit of a deviation from the beaten path.
Burrowing Owl Estate Winery - Burrowing Owl Estate Winery had its first commercial wine release in 1997, however its vineyards were planted earlier in 1993. Since then, the winery has received widespread accolades for its wines, particularly its red vintages, resulting annually in sold-out inventory.
CedarCreek Estate Winery (Kelowna) - CedarCreek Estate Winery recently underwent substantial renovations. The refurbished facility and tasting room is immaculate and seems more fitting to a Mediterranean hillside than the Okanagan lakeshore. The interior wine shop is warm and features an array of other products in addition to CedarCreek's wines.