With Christine Coletta and Steve Lornie (L) at Garnet Valley Ranch [credit: Leeann Froese]
As a wine writer, I’ve spent a lot of time in Summerland. It’s where I often stay when I am in the Okanagan Valley and a place I have regularly recommended to readers as a base for exploring the region. Over the years, it has become familiar in a more personal way, through the wineries I return to, the people I have met, and the friends who have made their homes there.
That familiarity makes the events of the past several days particularly difficult to watch. The Bald Range wildfire has forced the evacuation of the entire population of Summerland, a community of approximately 12,000 people. The province has described the fire as one of the fastest and most aggressive wildfires it has seen, and it remains out of control. With hot, dry conditions and wind continuing to challenge firefighters, the situation remains dynamic. Power and water had also been shut down.
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We’ve stayed in all kinds of accommodations in wine country: cozy vineyard cabins, refurbished wine barns, even luxury estates hidden among the vines.
The Flying Cloud Airstream.
But none have felt as immersive or as uniquely intertwined with the land as this. Okanagan Crush Pad’s Garnet Valley Ranch offers an off-the-grid escape unlike any other in Summerland, a serene corner of British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley.
Here, our wine country getaway came in the form of a 2022 Airstream Flying Cloud, glamping-style, parked amid organic vines and rolling hills. It’s peaceful, private, and feels like a true oasis—a rare chance to disconnect from the daily grind and reconnect with the land.
But Garnet Valley Ranch is so much more than a picturesque glamping site.
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WInemaker Alison Moyes.
If the inaugural release of Solvero Wines is any indication of what’s to come from one of BC’s newest wineries, there is a very bright rising star in the Okanagan wine region. Our visit to the winery marks the first time we’ve been motivated to do so solely based on a sample being sent to us. That sample impressed us so much we immediately made plans to visit. What we discovered was a very personal, uber-focused approach to quality, quite literally built on steely determination, and anchored by an equally passionate and talented winemaker.
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Christine Coletta
Talk to pretty much anyone in the Canadian wine industry and they’ll tell you Christine Coletta is a force to be reckoned with. She has spent much of the last 30 years helping put British Columbia on the world wine (and culinary) map and the accolades have followed. But meeting Christine in person, her kind and thoughtful demeanor clearly indicates that none of the recognition has gone to her head. And while most people would be contemplating a relaxing retirement plan after such a long and illustrious career, Christine isn’t most people. What began as the purchase of a 10-acre orchard to plant a vineyard and make some wine, has manifested into a sizeable custom crush facility and 4 wine brands.
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