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Two hours of unlimited Naramata Bench wine tasting, seemingly unlimited tapas and appetizers, one of the region's best party bands, and a giant lodge at the base of a celebrated ski hill.
That was the scene Saturday night at the eighth annual Vertical and Vintages event at Apex Mountain Resort. As a bonus, the road was clear almost all the way to the top.
Good friends Angie, Kayla, Kristi, and Lizzii, coming together from as far away as Prince George and Princeton, were a boisterous part of the crowd last night. And they say they'll be back.
"We went to the Vancouver wine festival last weekend," said Kayla while helping Serendipity Winery's Katie O'Kell build a mini snowman, "and there were a lot of wines to try, but this is better because it’s nice and intimate. It's family oriented."
The foursome, along with friends, stayed the night at the mountain. And that's a good thing, because the bunch of them were having an extremely good time tasting and socializing.
"It's a way better atmosphere," said Lizzie. "The other one was more professional and businesslike, but we want to have fun as girls. And as friends."
Kristi was the only one of the four with Apex experience. Her parents have a condo there, and she said she's been heading to the mountain every winter for a couple of decades.
"I went to the Vancouver International Wine Festival for the last five years in a row. I've been to the Penticton one and the Kelowna one too, but the feel in this bar is fantastic. This is the one to be at."
Black Widow Winery was one of 17 Bench wineries at Saturday's event, and Black Widow's Shannon Lancaster said they've been part of it since the very start.
"It's my favourite event every year," she said. "The thing about this one is that it's mostly locals, which we love. Maybe locals who can't get to us during the summer."
Black Widow is a family-run operation established in 2005 that outputs just 3,000 cases a year. "And that's the way we're keeping it," said Lancaster.
"It's mostly my dad, my brother, and me. We're one of the few wineries on the Bench that's had the same owners and winemakers the entire time in operation."
Naramata Bench Winery association marketing director Tina Baird was in a great mood.
"Everybody's having a good time," she said, looking around the room. "It's fun and relaxed. Some people feel a little shy about tasting wine sometimes, and this is a way to do it in a fun and relaxed atmosphere. It's really great to have all these young people here tonight."
At 9 p.m., the wineries quickly disassembled their booths and veteran Naramata band Uncorked hit the stage. Verticals and Vintages regulars, they knew exactly what to do to keep the party going.
We looked around as we left and saw Angie, Kayla, Kristi, and Lizzii in the midst of a packed dance floor, continuing their best night to date of 2020.