Chris D.
Yelp
Now that's a name for the winery.
Not named after the street it's on or a generic geographical feature.
Tantalus.
(and I'm not joking by that first part; Road 13 is located on Road 13 and Bench 1775 is located on 1775 Bench)
A figure in Greek mythology (the best mythology), Tantalus stole ambrosia and nectar from the gods and was banished to Tartarus for the transgression. His punishment was to suffer eternal hunger and thirst while nourishment always remained just beyond his reach.
Hmm...now thinking about it, I'm hoping a winery using that name is ironic. If the host tempts me with a tasting while also keeping the glass behind the bar, I may just punch him or her in the mouth.
Thankfully, that didn't happen. In fact, I had already enjoyed Tantalus previously at a wine festival in Prince George the previous fall. I knew what to expect, but the winery was still an impressive sight...not this day, however, given it was raining.
Our luck had to run out. The previous year, we had visited 60 wineries in a week, and it was sunny throughout. Alas, this day-trip in Kelowna was overcast and wet. It was also March; frankly, I'm surprised they were even open. We visited four wineries that day and were happy to be doted on by hosts suffering zero distraction. For a moment, you can ignore the Greek symbolism and admire the first nations masks adorned on each bottle, masks peppered throughout the tasting room. I enjoyed their implementation despite their jarring inclusion in a winery taking the name of a Greek tragedy. It doesn't really match the theme...unless...unless.
(Quickly searches Google)
AHAA!
John Barton's epic play Tantalus heavily employs masks in its theater production. Brilliant! Talk about a subtle reference there, if true. Oh, please be true! It was not the only hit. Apparently, "Tantalus mask" was a piece of First Federation technology pillaged from the Mirror Universe by Emperor Tiberius from Balok in the non-canon Star Trek novel Preserver.
And that's something I now know.
I'm going to take a stab in the dark here and assume that's not where the winery borrowed the name. My bet is on the play.
Where was I?
Right, the icewines are the bee's knees.
Yes, Tantalus has wine, shocking. I enjoyed them all, and they're worth buying, though this time, I only picked up their aforementioned icewine, a 2015 Syrah, which wasn't cheap. I would definitely place Tantalus on the list of wineries I would want to revisit in the future, especially when I have a larger budget. At least I believed them authentic and not shilling pseudoscience down the street at Summerhill. I'd frequent Tantalus a hundred times over before returning there.
In conclusion, wine was not denied, the name is probably ironic, the weather was awful, but the winery was awesome. Tantalus--a winery using masks named after a play that used masks. I tip my hat.