District Wine Village is temporarily modifying its game this weekend, just in time for Oktoberfest 2021. And it's inviting you to come along for the ride.
The brand new facility just north of Oliver is normally, as its name suggests, all about the wine. But this Friday and Saturday only, DWV is amending its regular lineup of 13 wineries and a single brewery with five more breweries, all from the South Okanagan, one seriously hardcore Oktoberfest band from Vancouver, and a whole lot of bratwurst.
Should be a good party.
Certainly it'll be unique. The event will be held almost entirely outdoors, on the patios of the 13 permanent wineries and in the stunning sunken amphitheatre at the centre of the village.
According to DVW general sales manager Darcel Giesbrecht, each of the invited breweries (North Basin of Osoyoos, Firehall of Oliver, and Penticton's Highway 97, Slackwater and Neighbourhood), along with on-site brewery Trading Post, will set up shop within the amphitheatre area.
There'll be two bratwurst stations alongside them -- one courtesy of Trading Post Eatery and the other courtesy of The Wienery Food Truck -- and of course in the middle of everything will be the band.
It’s called "S-Bahn" (named after a famed German rapid transit system) and Giesbrecht seems sincerely psyched.
"They’re a true Oktoberfest band," she said. "They wear lederhosen and they're full theme. They're the real deal."
But that's not all. Beyond the brewery action, the village wineries will also be open. Indeed, Uppercase Winery is offering a simultaneous cheese, soup and wine pairing event, while Gneiss Wines is holding a wine and cheese pairing. Additional charges apply.
Oktoberfest at District Wine Village runs this Friday evening from 6 to 9 pm and Saturday afternoon from 3 to 6. Tickets, available here, are $25 each. That gets you in the door, gets you a keepsake glass and two freebie tasters, and of course, rollicking entertainment. Additional tasting tickets and food can be purchased on site.
"It'll be the biggest off-season event we've ever put on," said Giesbrecht, adding that this year's iteration will likely be the first in what will become an annual tradition.
District Wine Village is located at 100 Enterprise Way, where Hwy 97 intersects Enterprise Way, seven kilometers north of Oliver.
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