Ok, full disclosure, I write for Dungeons & Dragons, so my thoughts on a winery called Camelot may be a touch slanted. And to seal the deal, the entire winery drips in imagery, wrapping itself in its theme. Granted, it's not a castle like Road 13 in Osoyoos, but let's not get too demanding.
This is not a large winery; it had one employee on station when we arrived. I can't remember what got us traveling to see the eastern wineries of Kelowna, though I do know Camelot was the first visit in that area. It wasn't our first winery on our vacation--we had been on a week-long trip starting from Osoyoos where we visited 60 wineries and returned with 120 bottles. Camelot was on the tail-end, though it ended up being the first of many that day, spurned by Camelot's challenge.
You see, Camelot is a member of the Fab-Five, sharing membership with House of Rose, The Vibrant Wine, Spierhead and The View (I wonder if it has grown to being called the Fab-Six with the arrival of Frequency). Being gamers that fight for every achievement, and knowing that stamps won't imprint themselves, my girlfriend and I set off to visit them all.
Camelot also had a sword in stone, because of course, it did.
There were throne chairs outside the main doors, suits of armor indoors, and of course, a shield crest. I was hoping the host would be covered in a lose linen tunic, gold-embroidered garbs and boiled leather, hand resting on a dagger in case the situation got out of hand. But no...sigh, not even a foppish wig, just a nerd with glasses. Though he does profess to get all glitzed up for the medieval festival the winery puts on in August.
Really, we're missing that?!
Camelot is a great little winery that plays on its theme without ramming it down one's throat. Peal the modest gilding away, and you still have an effective winery placing the bottles foremost. Surely, Camelot could have milked its name and brand by selling shirts, caps, and--I don't know--plague carts. Shocking that they still prefer to sell wine. Given the Fab Five wineries are small, their selections are equally modest, all crafted from small lots. The prices were so good, we ended up getting both a 2015 Pinot Gris and a 2015 White Knight, and you saw that name coming from as far off as Westeros. I honestly don't understand why their other bottles don't carry a themed name. Or better still, just name each wine "Sir", like "Sir Riesling" or "Sir Pinot Noir." I'm telling you, they're missing a hat trick here.
And a castle, they still need a castle. Outside of that, it would be hard to say Camelot is the top location to visit out here because even though that's it's close to being true, that would mean the other members of the Five could be ignored, and I don't think they should (okay, maybe one or two). Camelot is just a good example of the quality that awaits you. The host was one of the best encountered on our journey. It just sucks we missed Camelot on our second trip out there...there is always a third. To conclude, returning to my previous comment, Camelot rolled a natural 20. read more