"Take a drive about 20 minutes east from downtown Kelowna and you’ll find yourself on a gravel driveway leading into Tantalus Vineyards. It’s actually purposefully left unpaved to keep the temperatures surrounding the tasting room and cellar cooler. That’s because Tantalus is a LEED-certified vineyard that puts as much emphasis on reducing its energy emissions, carbon footprint, and wastewater as it does on making delicious wines (with a wastewater management plant for the entire winery and tasting room to prove it). For the people who drink natural wine because of the environmental impact, come nerd out with David Paterson, the general manager. He’ll point out the wastewater management plant when you stroll through the vineyard, which is open for tours every day from May to October. You’ll walk through the 72-acre vineyard that has Riesling planted from 1978, but you’ll also see the new grapes that Stephanie Mosley and Paterson planted when they took over the vineyards in 2005, like Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir, and Syrah. Taste through all of their wines, but make sure you buy a bottle of the old-vine Riesling to bring home with you for later. It’s peachy and tart and has a mouthfeel that glides across your tongue—kind of like eating gummy peach rings in your favorite silk robe." - ByEmily Schultz
