Hello from British Columbia! When this is posted I would assume BC Dick has arrived and we are in the bunker drinking.

I’m kind of Karen Carentering this as I have a rant about corporations and their “stances” on mental health but I will need more time to put that together.

In good news Mrs. Cola and I went to 5 wineries on Saturday and I have always said it is my favoUrite day of the year when we leave wee man with the inlaws and go. From time to time we get a room in the South of the valley but we did not this year.

We stuck to wineries near Kelowna because I drove 6 hours the day before and didn’t want to go all the way down to Penticton without having a hotel room. The north of the Okanagan Valley is known for its white wines due to temperature and altitude. If there were reds it was from vineyards in the south near Oliver or Okanagan Falls but produced on their property up North.

We had “servers” for each place whether we were seated or if we were at a tasting bars. Having been a server since I was 18 I tend to notice things and nitpick. If you are good, you are good and will have money thrown at you accordingly.

I noticed at the first place the 20 something guy was really into wine and had a bunch of info. Hell, he even corrected me on a query (Stupid screscap not giving oxygen to a riesling). However, he was a script. He said the same god damned thing to every table for all 6 wines. He only broke off character once for a lame story about the 2007 riesling… Not just the wine script but the questions to every table every time was exactly the same. Loosen up dude you are serving wine and everyone is happy.

Second place had a woman with nice shoulders, nose ring, who was a server and knew very little about the wine. (Twbs and Hippo would have fought over this lovely lady) She admitted her lack of knowledge and said everyone is subjective so whatever she had to say was not important. She was honest and just let us do our thing. When I did have a question she found out. This place was on a tourist trail of some sorts as it was packed and very uncomfortable. The wines were kind of bunk too.

Third place her name was Flora, I did not make a fauna joke, and I regret that.

Fourth place was a real nervoUs kid and we could tell. When we started chatting he said that we were his first ever tasting! He knew his shit and even admitted that his buddy who got him the job had a better palette and that he was still a simpleton. Honesty!!!! I know how the server world works and I made sure his peers saw us slip him some cash and thanked him profusely. Lovely lad, hope the best for him. The food served here with the tasting was absolutely phenomenal. We got a big hunk of fried proscuitto accompanied with focaccia bread and whipped mascarpone.

Fifth place the woman was in her twenties and no bullshit. She obviously had served before just not in a winery. She spoke the script about the wines with all pertinent information and chatted like a mate without the rest of the time. Was a great end to the day.

Here I had a sparkling wine that was made with Riesling! Ninety five percent riesling, 3 percent Gewurz, and 2 percent Pinot Gris. Very strange mix but it indeed was delish so we bought a few bottles of it.

Travel story, shit, BC dick and I drank marijuana wine before it was legal at Rollingdale Winery as they are all eco-stoners and wanted a jump on the market. It was not good. He has a great palette even though his lumberjack exterior does not want to admit it.

I will be back next week with the usual Sunday randomisms and a look at a wine region somewhere.

Pray for my liver this week.