Page 32 - Dreamscapes Magazine | Spring/Summer 2025

Experience
La Dolce Vita in
South Okanagan
Sun-drenched landscape, a
Tuscan-inspired villa and fine
wine make this B.C. valley
treasure the perfect Italian dupe
BY LISA KADANE
H E A D I N G S O U T H D OW N H I G H WAY 97 in British
Columbia’s Okanagan Valley, you’ll be forgiven for thinking
you’ve accidentally travelled to Tuscany or Lake Como, Italy.
After landing at Kelowna International Airport and driving
through the city, the landscape quickly turns rural, featuring
long lakes hemmed in by pretty orchards, rolling vineyards
and mountain plateaus.
But it’s in the southern Okanagan, around Oliver and
Osoyoos, where La Dolce Vita truly takes hold. Dubbed
“Canada’s Wine Capital,” the region boasts over 40 wineries,
and thousands of hectares of vineyards producing half of
B.C.’s wine grapes. Along the famous Golden Mile Bench, fer-
tile vineyards slope toward the valley bottom, bookended by
picturesque bluffs and sage-brushed hills. It’s no wonder
Italian immigrant and B.C. wine pioneer Joe Busnardo chose
this idyllic spot to settle in 1967, planting Vitis vinifera from
his homeland the following year.
The 46.5 hectares that would become Divino Estate
reminded Busnardo of his youth, and he wagered on Italian
varietals like Trebbiano and Italian Merlot thriving in the
sun-soaked terrain. His hunch proved right, and by the early
1980s, he had established Divino Estate.
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DREAMSCAPES SPRING/SUMMER 2025
PHOTOS: HESTER CREEK ESTATE WINERY