Your dad is probably a man of simple tastes.
A perfectly grilled chunk of meat off the barbecue with a quality glass of wine will likely more than make him happy this Father's Day.
Oh yes, spending time with his family on this special day is also on the list.
It's also very possible dad will want to man the barbecue himself.
After all, barbecue is dad's turf, regardless of what day of the year it is.
So, that just leaves the wine pairings up to you.
Obviously, red wines are going to match the burgers and steaks that are most popular at a barbecue.
But, don't forget white wine if it happens to be white fish or shrimp skewers coming off the grill.
With all that in mind, here's a round up of a dozen wines sure to delight dad on his big day.
- Steaks and burgers are big, bold red meats that deserve a big, bold red wine pairing.
We have no less than eight suggestions -- Liquidity 2020 Dividend ($30) from Okanagan Falls, Mission Hill Border Vista 2021 Cabernet Franc ($60) from West Kelowna, Road 13 5th Element 2020 ($65) from Oliver, Nk'Mip Qwam Qwmt Syrah 2020 ($43) from Osoyoos, Laughing Stock 2021 Blind Trust ($33) from the Naramata Bench, Haywire 2022 Merlot ($33) from Summerland, Tom Gore 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon ($19) from California and Tom Gore Farmer's Blend ($22) from California.
- Salmon on the barbecue (grill it as a filet, skin down so you can easily spatula off the cooked flesh) is amazing.
Salmon is a dark enough oily fish that you can match it with a delicate red wine like Pinot Noir.
CedarCreek winery in Kelowna has two such light reds -- the 2022 Estate Pinot Noir ($31) and 2022 Platinum Pinot Noir ($68).
- If it's white fish (best barbecued in foil, otherwise it will stick to the grill) or shrimp skewers, break open the white wine.
Two awesome options are the aromatic Blue Mountain Estate Cuvee 2022 Sauvignon Blanc, ($26) from Okanagan Falls and the elegantly oaked Culmina Dilemma 2020 Chardonnay ($38) from Oliver.
Pride in the Vines
Drag performances, live DJ, photo booth, game and, of course, wine and food will all be on offer, 2-5 pm, at tomorrow's (Saturday's) annual Pride in the Vines event at See Ya Later Ranch Winery in Okanagan Falls.
The 12 food and drink stations feature wines by not just See Ya Later, but Culmina, Saintly, Laughing Stock, Nk'Mip and Black Sage, and bites like tofu ceviche, sesame chicken, pulled pork sliders.
For dessert, ice cream from famous Tickleberry's parlour in Okanagan Falls.
Last-minute tickets for the event are $69 at https://www.
Innovation wines
The presentation centres for Penticton's Innovation District in both Penticton and Burnaby will be pouring samples of Okanagan wine to visitors starting tomorrow.
The rotating roster of wines includes vintages from Tightrope and Laughing Stock from the Naramata Bench, See Ya Later Ranch from Okanagan Falls, Nk'Mip from Osoyoos and Phantom Creek, Canter and Culmina from Oliver.
Innovation District is a 10-acre master-planned community off Government Street between Okanagan and Skaha lakes in Penticton that will include 1,500 homes, shops and restaurants, medical offices, hotel, childcare centre and senior living facilities in mostly six-storey buildings.
Steve MacNaull is a NowMedia Group reporter, Okanagan wine lover and Canadian Wine Scholar. Reach him at smacnaull@nowmediagroup.ca. His wine column appears every Friday afternoon in this space.
