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PRESS RELEASE

Wine lovers who wish to tour Okanagan Wine Country in style will soon be able to take advantage of a new high-end option for visitors to Penticton. Vancouver- based Diana Becker, owner of Chef & Chauffeur has teamed up with a local wine educator to present a day trip itinerary called Vine and Dine.

"This is definitely not the mini-bus tour", said Okanagan Tour director Jolene Palmer. The private tours will be limited to four guests, and transportation is via chauffeur-driven luxury SUV. Guests can choose from a day trip which will include lunch at a South Okanagan winery restaurant or an afternoon tour which concludes with a winery dinner close to Penticton.

Palmer, a sommelier and wine writer who is well-acquainted with the British Columbia wine scene, will personally guide the tour and introduce guests to selected vineyards and cellars between Okanagan Falls and Osoyoos.

"We will be making stops at some of the most stunningly beautiful wineries in the South Okanagan," Palmer noted. "But this is big, bold, red country and all of the wineries we visit are also known for their outstanding, award winning products." Among the wineries visited will be See Ya Later Ranch/Hawthorne Mountain, Jackson Triggs, Tinhorn Creek, Nk'Mip Cellars, and Burrowing Owl. The dinner tour will include Sumac Ridge Estate Winery in Summerland or Hillside Estate Winery in Naramata.

Palmer said the South Okanagan was chosen as the focus for the first season of Vine and Dine because there were so few existing tour options and that because the area is quite spread out it can be intimidating for visitors to tackle on their own. "I also believe that some of the Valley's best wines are coming out of this amazing region," she added.

Diana Becker is the founder of the highly acclaimed Dubrulle French Culinary School in Vancouver. Her latest project, Chef and Chauffeur, takes clients on a first class culinary adventure through the Fraser Valley, visiting a variety of artisanal food producers and culminating with a dinner of regional ingredients prepared by one of a number of handpicked chefs. One of the Chef and Chauffeur options includes a two day private tour with airfare from Vancouver to the Okanagan, luxury accommodations, wine tastings and personally prepared menus with careful wine pairing. Palmer will also be the tour guide for these excursions.

"Vine and Dine is a natural next level for Chef & Chauffeur," said Becker. "The Okanagan is a world class wine region which offers great value for culinary travelers. I am delighted to be working with Jolene Palmer whose wine knowledge and informative style will be sure to delight our guests."

Biography - Jolene Palmer

A Summerland resident for almost thirty years now, Vancouver-raised Jolene spent her childhood summers visiting relatives in the Okanagan when "beaches and peaches" were the main attractions and the best wines had names like Schloss Laderheim and Baby Duck. Now that "vining and dining" is so popular, Jolene is delighted to be able to share her insider knowledge with Chef and Chauffeur clients. A former journalist, Jolene graduated as a certified sommelier in 2001 from Algonquin College in Ottawa and has worked for Andrew Peller wine shops in Ontario, Sumac Ridge Estate Winery in Summerland and the British Columbia Wine Information Centre in Penticton. Two years writing for British Columbia Wine Trails magazine introduced her to many of the Valley's wine "characters", not to mention their cellars. If you are traveling through the interior, you might catch her educational but lighthearted "Okanagan Wine Minute" on Giant FM 100.7 which is based on the firm belief that "wine should be fun, not intimidating!"

Included in package please find:

Vine and Dine Rack Card
Biography Diana Becker
Other Chef & Chauffeur Wine Tour Summaries

For more information or interviews please contact:

Jolene Palmer
13917 Prairie Valley Road,
Summerland, BC
V0H 1Z8

jolene@chefandchauffeur.com
250-486-6246

Download PDF version of Vine and Dine tour http://www.chefandchauffeur.com/pdf/vine_dine.pdf