What? Didn't you see it? The turn was right back there. I know, you were distracted by the two…read morewineries on your left, and although worth your time and money, I was telling you to look right. Up that hill. You'd have probably missed it if I hadn't told you, that distillery just there--what? Yes, I said distillery. I know you came here for wine, and there are dozens of opportunities for those, but there are few distilleries. And don't they have worth to? Some of them blur the lines--what's a port than just a wine spiked with hard spirits. Maple Leaf Spirits shares iconography with Lang Vineyards; that's a winery but both deal with fermented maple syrup. The line blurs further; Maple Leaf does utilize grapes, but creatively turns them into grappa--how wonderfully original. And originality is a precious asset in a region saturated by dozens and dozens of buildings all pandering minor variations of essentially the same yeast-based fermented fruit drink.
The Maple Leaf Spirits location itself is nothing special, at least the day we arrived, which was a few months back. They might have been renovating, but the time we arrived, it looked like half the place had been torn down. So, I cannot speak of the décor because it might have been in transition. It was a minuscule tasting bar in a small building fringed by dirt paths and absolutely no pageantry. But they do sell over a dozen different types of hard alcohol. I even purchased one, part of a scant few non-wine related bottles on our recent trip. The girlfriend and I had been touring Okanagan wine country, visiting 60 wineries in a week. We brought back 120 bottles. One was not a wine, but rather a Maple Liqueur from Maple Leaf. We wanted to purchase more, like the grappa above or maybe even one of the fruit brandies, but we ended up just getting the one...they are not cheap. These are bottled like, and carry a matching price of, icewines. In fact, when you compare them to the original--sorry that's Original--Canadian Maple Wine by Lange Vineyards, the Maple Leaf competitor is six dollars more.
But we don't regret it, and I feel locations like Maple Leaf are vital in wine-dominated regions like the Naramata Bench. Our host at the time was friendly, and I really wish we had picked up another bottle, but what can I say, we were on a budget...kinda. You can find Maple Leaf just up the hill across from Red Rooster and Ruby Blues. I walked between the locations because they are all literally that close. Don't miss it...I know that adorable Volkswagen microbus is begging for a photo, and you should snap it. Just stop. Park. Take a trek, and taste what's up that hill.
