Artists Capture Mile High Wine at Silver Star Resort
Silver Star Mountain Resort is hosting a two-day Summer Food & Wine Festival on August 9 and 10. During the festival, six artists from Gallery Odin will capture the beauty and serenity of Silver Star Mountain from the heart of the Village.
A silent auction of the Okanagan artworks begins at 4 p.m. August 10. Proceeds from the auction will be split between the artists and the Vernon Jubilee Hospital Foundation.
“The summer festival and the marquee event, Mile High Wine, is an opportunity to revel in fresh mountain air and enjoy award-winning wines from across the Okanagan Valley,” says Ian Galbraith, summer business manager at Silver Star. “Come and experience the village, ride the chairlift to the top of the mountain and explore our world-class hiking and mountain bike trails.”
The Okanagan Wine Festivals Society and Silver Star Mountain Resort have teamed up for the signature summer tasting during the festival – Mile High Wine presented by Valley First on Saturday at 3 p.m.
“Our summer tastings have been tremendously popular, so we’re delighted to create Mile High Wine as a new signature event,” says Blair Baldwin, General Manger, Okanagan Wine Festivals Society. “What could be more authentically British Columbian than enjoying BC wine in the picturesque mountain village at Silver Star with a great band, local caterer and fantastic cheese supplied by the Dairy Farmers of Canada? Mile High Wine is ideal to sample BC wines from across the Okanagan Valley in a fun and stunningly beautiful setting.”
Featuring more than 100 wines, Mile High Wine offers outdoor wine tastings, appetizers and live entertainment along Main Street in the Silver Star Village. Guests can travel the valley wineries all under the open sky as 30 wineries from across the Okanagan Valley will showcase their new varietals at the summer signature event. Also featured will be the culinary creations of Gumtree Catering, voted best caterer of the North Okanagan by the readers of Okanagan Life magazine.
A series of Wine Master dinners paired with Okanagan Wine are set for Friday night. Diners can choose antipasto, tapas BBQ or fine dining options presented at the resort’s restaurants: The Bulldog Grand Café, The Bulldog Hideaway Lounge and the Silver Grill.
This year’s contributing artists are Glenn Clark, Elizabeth Moore, Destanne Norris, Wendy Penner, Barry Rafuse and Julia Trops.
Over the two-days, the resort is offering guided tours of the mountain trails with a grand tour and scenic ride up the Summer Sky Chairlift set for Friday and a shorter tour available on Saturday afternoon. Hikers will discover the unique wildflowers, wildlife, geology and history of the mountain with a new twist on tasting, comparing wild berries to wines.
Victorian-inspired mountainside condos are available at Snowbird Lodge or FireLight Lodge for the two-night stay for $196. The Bulldog Hotel offers an affordable one-night stay at $89.
Silver Star Mountain Bike Park opens for the summer season from June 27 to September 2. Fed by the Comet Express lift, the bike park features 18 dedicated mountain bike trails and jump features and a vertical drop of 760 metres (2,000 ft). New in 2013, the cross-country biking trail network includes seven trails in total. For hikers, the Summit Sky Chair offers a scenic lift from the village to mountaintop, operating Fridays to Sundays.
Summer Wine Festival tickets prices include:
True Taste of Silver Star Grand Tour $39
True Taste of Silver Star Short & Sweet Tour $19
Wine Master Dinner from $55 to $89
Mile High Wine Tasting $55
Guests can purchase the tickets by phone 1-800-663-4431 or email info@skisilverstar.com.
Silver Star Summer Wine & Food Festival
Imagine the warmth of the Okanagan summer sun and the spectacular views from one of Canada’s most beautiful alpine resorts – Silver Star Mountain. Then imagine the wonders of learning about the great wines of the Okanagan in this phenomenal setting. The Silver Star Summer Wine & Food Festival runs for 2 days at our resort with wine Masters’ Dinners, alpine flower hikes, art gallery viewings, wine & food seminars and of course the main event – The Mile High Wine Tasting presented by Valley First.
Schedule of Festival Events
Friday August 9, 2013
Artist’s in the village
Starting at noon, Friday August 9
Presented by Gallery Odin six Okanagan Artist’s will capture the beauty and serenity of Silver Star Mountain each in their own way. The artists will work on their pieces until 4pm on Saturday when the Mile High Wine Tasting starts. This will signal the start of the Silent Auction bidding process for each work of art. Join us for a peaceful afternoon of art, fresh mountain air and get ready for the always enjoyable outdoor tasting – The Mile High Wine Tasting at Silver Star.
See Gallery Odin’s display in the village snow sport school building on Friday and Saturday, or take a stroll to Odin Road for a visit the full display and Canada’s highest altitude art gallery – Gallery Odin. Both are open 10am to 6pm Friday and Saturday.
This year’s contributing artists are – Glenn Clark, Elizabeth Moore, Destanne Norris, Wendy Hart Penner, Barry Rafuse, Julia Trops.
True Taste of Silver Star – Grand Tour
1-5 pm, Friday August 9
Join a spectacular tour through the best wildflower meadows and berry patches, past an abandoned silver mine and to the most breathtaking view points of the Okanagan Valley and Monashees Mountains. The tour starts with a scenic ride up the Summer Sky Chairlift then descends the mountain on pathways and trails. Discover the unique wildflowers, wildlife, geology, ecology and history of the mountain on this insightful tour. For a real twist on tasting, you’ll compare the wild berries to wines. Bring your camera!
Price: $29 Adult – $26 Senior – $19 Youth/Child when accompanied by adult(s) *
*Chairlift Pass required for True Taste of Silver Star – Grand Tour ($10 Adult – $9 Youth/Senior – $7 Child)
To book, please call Ski Dazzle’s Summer Ticket office: 250-558-6010 or info@skisilverstar.com
Wine Masters’ Dinners
6:00pm reception, 6:30pm dinner
After a wonderful day of wine education and outdoor recreation, it’s time to relax and enjoy the finer things in life. Three resort restaurants welcome you to a colourful spectrum of menus including fine dining, tapas and elegant summer BBQ with extraordinary wines from the Okanagan Valley.
The Bulldog™ Grand Café – Gourmet BBQ menu
- Price – $75 plus tax *please note, price does NOT include gratuity.
- Menu – Click Here
- Wineries – Stag’s Hollow & Mission Hill/Prospect Winery
Silver Grill – Fine Dining
- Price – $89 plus tax * please note, price does NOT include gratuity.
- Menu – Click Here
- Wineries – Hester Creek
The Bulldog Hideaway Lounge – Antipasto dinner
- Price – $55
- Menu – Click Here
- Wineries – Stag’s Hollow & Mission Hill/Prospect Winery
Hungry for more…? Silver Grill is offering a Tapas Degustation Saturday night, and an amazing Sunday Brunch. Keep reading for details and times
Saturday August 10, 2013
True Taste of Silver Star – Short & Sweet Tour
Saturday August 10, 2013 1-3 pm
Here’s a short guided tour starting from the village along Silver Star’s trails through open wildflower meadows and forested slopes to spectacular views of the Monashee Mountains. Hear stories about the mountain’s wildlife, wildflowers, history and more. For a real twist on tasting, you’ll compare the wild berries to wines.
Price: $19 Adult – $16 Senior – $12 Youth/Child when accompanied by adult(s)
To Book, please call Ski Dazzle’s Summer Ticket office: 250-558-6010 or info@skisilverstar.com
Mile High Wine Tasting
The Marquee event for the Silver Star Summer Wine & Food Festival is the Mile High Wine Tasting presented by Valley First.
When: August 10th 4-7pm
Where: Silver Star village Main St.
Tickets: $55 plus tax
Bring your friends and experience new varieties of wine. Live entertainment fills the fresh mountain air while you wander through Silver Star’s Victorian inspired village sampling wines from over 30 of the Okanagan Wine Festival’s finest wineries. Food will be catered by Vernon’s very own GumTree catering to compliment the beautiful tasting notes of the Okanagan’s varieties of wine. Grab your souvenir wine glass and don’t forget your notebook so can remember your favourites.
This is an outdoor event and weather in the mountains can change at any moment so please dress accordingly. Unfortunately there are no refunds due to inclement weather.
Artist’s in the Village Silent Auction
4-6:30pm – Presented by our own Gallery Odin, six Okanagan artists will have spent the past 36 hours capturing the beauty of Silver Star in their original works for the Mile High Wine Tasting. So take the opportunity to be able to take home your own master piece of Silver Star at this silent auction. Proceeds from the auction will be split 50/50 between the artist and the Vernon Jubilee Hospital Foundation.
See Gallery Odin’s display in the village snow sport school building on Friday and Saturday, or take a stroll to Odin Road for a visit the full display and Canada’s highest altitude art gallery – Gallery Odin. Both are open 10am to 6pm Friday and Saturday.
Summer Wine Festival After Party at the Saloon
7:00pm – late
After enjoying the fine wines of the Okanagan and elegant tapas from GumTree Catering head to the Saloon for a cool beverage, some nourishment and a relaxing atmosphere and entertainment after the Mile High Wine Tasting.
Tickets on sale April 10 – by phone 1-800-663-4431 or email info@skisilverstar.com
About Silver Star Mountain Resort
Silver Star Mountain Resort is nestled in the heart of British Columbia’s Thompson Okanagan region, less than a one-hour drive from Kelowna International Airport (YLW). A year round mountain destination, the resort offers 3,065 acres of varied skiable terrain, with an annual snowfall of more than 700cm of dry B.C. interior powder. Award-winning Silver Star is recognized as being one of Canada’s best family resorts. A quaint, colourful village provides true slope side lodging. In summer, the Silver Star Bike Park is widely regarded as one of the premier downhill mountain bike facilities in North America. For more reservations, call 1-800-663-4431 or visit www.skisilverstar.com
About Okanagan Wine Festivals Society
The Okanagan Wine Festivals Society is responsible for the development of the wine tourism sector in the interior of British Columbia. It is well known for producing two annual valley Okanagan Wine Festivals in spring to celebrate the bud break and in fall to celebrate the grape harvest. Its Winter Okanagan Wine Festival is run in partnership with Sun Peaks Resort near Kamloops. It is also responsible for Signature Wine Events and two annual wine judging competitions. www.thewinefestivals.com
