Getting the flavor of ... British Columbia’s wine country, and more

British Columbia’s wine country

Viniculture is flourishing in British Columbia, thanks to glacier-tilled soil, varied microclimates, and “a surfeit of sunshine (by Canadian standards, at least),” said Sara Dickerman in The New York Times. Some of the “breathlessness about British Columbian wine comes from the glory” of the province’s landscapes. The southern parts, near the town of Osoyoos, boast an arid but “ultimately bewitching” terrain where “many of the most coveted grapes are being grown, even the sun-loving Syrah.” Estate wineries, like the “stunningly sited Burrowing Owl Estate,” proliferate. Farther north, the winemaking region resembles northern Europe. Near Penticton and Kelowna—towns “high in both altitude and latitude”—Pinot Noirs and Germanic whites thrive amid “broad-shouldered mountains.” On Okanagan Lake sits Naramata Bench, “a gloriously scenic highland” dotted with small wineries.

Contact: Okanagan.com/wine

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North Carolina’s colorful drive

Driving North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Parkway in the fall is a “road trip about the road” rather than the destination, said Josh Noel in the Chicago Tribune. Faced with 250 “rolling miles of color-touched trees,” I had to leave plenty of time for unplanned stops and “vista viewing.” At every overlook, the colors were more vivid than at the last. Near the Virginia border, I took a detour to hike the Gully Creek Trail. “Down I went into the rich reds, oranges, and yellows,” as a canopy of magnolias, dogwoods, and birches closed in on me, and the “sweet smell of autumn decay” filled the air. The next day, following “four lazy hours” of sightseeing and snapping photos, I arrived at Stone Mountain State Park. At Bluffs, a roadside diner that “put the ‘greasy’ in ‘greasy spoon,’” I ordered a heaping stack of sweet-potato pancakes—fuel to help me finish my “scenic journey.”

Contact: Blueridgeparkway.org