A new state-of-the-art wine centre in downtown Penticton is preparing to open its doors this weekend.
The Wine Experience Centre has been undergoing construction for four months at its location on the Penticton Lakeside Resort property, where it leases the first floor of a new building.
Staff was putting the finishing touches on the 2,500-square-foot venue when Castanet was given a tour on Thursday, ahead of Saturday’s opening.
The centre is operated by Great Estate Wines, which owns six South Okanagan wineries.
“In December the idea sort of came to light. I actually live in Penticton and was driving by and saw the facility and thought, wouldn’t this be a great place to bring together all of the wineries that we have from Summerland to Osoyoos,” Great Estate director Josie Tyabji said.
Besides wine tasting and food pairings, staff says what makes the venue unique is the education on wine varieties they offer.
“In addition you can rent out the space for different functions and things or reserve one room for more of a private offering. So there’s a bunch of different options.”
Tyabji said they’ve already received a good deal of public interest before opening.
And she said being in the heart of downtown will help show the public what the area has to offer in terms of wine.
“Just about everything starts and ends down here, if you have a triathlon or the farmers’ market. There’s also a lot of conventions that take place here,” Tyabji said.
“A lot of the people coming to Penticton for the first time may not know how vibrant our wine region really is. To be able to showcase something to them in a convenient way … will potentially bring a whole new level of wine consumer education to people.”
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