Love wine? Take a tasting tour through British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley.
With more than 130 wineries, the Okanagan Valley is the largest wine-producing region in western Canada. About five hours’ drive (or a speedy one-hour flight) east of Vancouver, this sunny temperate stretch of British Columbia makes an excellent escape for wine tasting and touring.
Interested in where to go and what to sip? We’ve got a guide to wine-touring in the Kelowna and Okanagan Valley.
Planning an Okanagan Wine-Touring Trip
The Okanagan region stretches more than 75 miles (125 kilometers) from the town of Osoyoos, near the U.S. border, to the city of Kelowna, the area’s largest city. Although the distance may not seem great, it takes about two hours to wend your way around the lakes and vineyards. Highway 97 is the main north-south route through the valley.
The Okanagan wineries cluster in three general areas: in the south around Oliver and Osoyoos, in the central region encompassing Penticton and Naramata, and in the north in and around Kelowna.
Ideally, allow at least three days to visit the Okanagan from Vancouver. On a short trip, you’ll have more time if you focus on exploring just one of these areas. The longer your trip, the more time you’ll have to tour different sections of the valley.
Kelowna-area Wineries
With a population nearing 120,000, the city of Kelowna feels more like, well, a city, than a bucolic country escape. Yet, with more than 25 wineries, it’s a reasonable place to start an Okanagan wine tour. Not only do you have the option of flying into Kelowna Airport, but you also have a number of larger wineries in close proximity to the city.
The Sandhill Winery has opened a new Kelowna tasting room right downtown, while several of the region’s most established wineries are based nearby, including Mission Hill Family Estate Winery, Quails’ Gate Estate Winery, Mt. Boucherie Estate Winery, CedarCreek Estate Winery, Tantalus Vineyards, Sperling Vineyards, St. Hubertus Estate Winery, and the Summerhill Pyramid Winery.
Don’t want to taste and drive? The Okanagan Valley Wineries and Wine Tasting Tour takes you to four or five Kelowna-area wineries in a 5.5-hour excursion.
Heading south from Kelowna, you’ll pass through the towns of Summerland and Peachland, where a number of smaller wineries cluster in the region now known as Bottleneck Drive. If you’d like to visit some of these producers on a day trip, consider the Bottleneck Drive Wine Trail Tasting Tour from Kelowna, including stops at five wineries along with a leisurely lakeside lunch.
Wineries in Penticton and Naramata
Roughly 35 wineries are based along the Naramata Bench, a bucolic district of vineyards and wine-makers near the town of Penticton, which make it prime wine-touring territory. In this area, look for wineries like Therapy Vineyards (which produces “Freudian Sip” and “Freud’s Ego,” among other cleverly-named products), Hillside Winery, Lake Breeze Vineyards, Poplar Grove Winery, Black Widow Winery, Red Rooster Winery, and Township 7 Vineyards & Winery.
Naramata’s Upper Bench Winery & Creamery not only makes wine but also handcrafts several varieties of cheese, from brie to blue. Several Naramata wineries have restaurants where you can enjoy lunch among the vines, including Lake Breeze, Hillside, Black Widow, and Red Rooster.
South Okanagan Wineries
The desert-like climate in the Okanagan’s southern reaches has provided excellent terrain for wine-making. Billing itself as “the wine capital of Canada,” the small town of Oliver is home to more than 25 licensed wineries. You’ll find 10 more producers in the nearby community of Okanagan Falls and several more properties to the south around the town of Osoyoos.
In the Oliver area, major producers include Burrowing Owl Vineyards (which has both an upscale inn and excellent restaurant at the winery), Hester Creek Estate Winery (with accommodations in six stylish suites), Black Hills Estate Winery, Jackson-Triggs Okanagan Estates, and Tinhorn Creek Vineyards, alongside many more smaller wine-makers. In Okanagan Falls, look for Blasted Church Vineyards, Stag’s Hollow Winery and Vineyard, and See Ya Later Ranch.
Osoyoos is home to North America’s first aboriginal owned and operated winery, Nk’Mip Cellars (pronounced “in-ka-meep”) with a tasting room and patio restaurant set above Osoyoos Lake.
Vineyards overlooking the lake in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley.
Okanagan Wine Festivals
A good time to visit the Okanagan is during one of the seasonal wine festivals, including the Fall Okanagan Wine Festival, a harvest fest that will run this year from October 2-12, 2014, and the Spring Okanagan Wine Festival, which opens the wine-touring season every year in May. Wine dinners, tasting events, concerts, and other wine-centered activities fill the calendar during these 10-day festivals.
More Than Wine
Are you more of a beer person? Or do you like your spirits more spirited? The Okanagan has options for visiting both local microbreweries and distilleries, too. Check out Tree Brewing in Kelowna, and further north, one of the region’s long-standing craft breweries, Okanagan Spring, is based in Vernon. The Penticton area is home to the Cannery Brewing Company and newcomer Bad Tattoo Brewing.
Urban Distilleries produces vodka, gin, and single-malt whiskey, which you can sample at their Kelowna tasting bar. Making 25 varieties of spirits from 100 percent BC fruit, Okanagan Spirits brews fruit brandies, liqueurs, grappa, and more, from their two locations in Kelowna and Vernon.
Explore the Outdoors
When you’ve had your fill of sipping, it’s time to explore the Okanagan’s other attractions. This region of lakes has long been a popular summer getaway for families who come to splash along the sandy beaches and in the temperate waters of Okanagan, Skaha, and Osoyoos Lakes.
The Okanagan is also a popular destination for bicycling touring. Built along a former railway bed, the Kettle Valley Rail Trail runs more than 250 miles (400 kilometers) to and through the Okanagan region. Day-trippers gravitate to the sections of the trail that run through Naramata and Penticton, while the well-traveled Myra Canyon route crosses a series of restored trestle bridges.
Get Cultured
Looking for more Okanagan activities? In Kelowna, learn more about the region’s agriculture history at the British Columbia Orchard Industry Museum or see what’s happening at the small but worthwhile Kelowna Art Gallery. You can wander the purple fields at Okanagan Lavender (or shop for lavender products in their boutique). Cheese-lovers should plan a stop at Carmelis Goat Cheese, a local artisan cheesemaker.
In Summerland, take a ride on the historic Kettle Valley Steam Railway, with a 1912 steam-powered locomotive.
In Osooyos, don’t miss the modern Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Centre, where you can learn about the region’s First Nations history, as well as the plants, reptiles, and animals that populate the desert-like terrain.
Ready to Go Wine-Touring in the Okanagan Valley?
The British Columbia Wine Institute has lots of details to help you plan an Okanagan trip. Destination British Columbia provides general information about visiting the Okanagan region.
And if you’d like to leave the planning to someone else, check out Viator’s 4-Day Tour to Kelowna from Vancouver Including Okanagan Winery Tour, which includes transportation from Vancouver, accommodations in Kelowna, and guided winery visits.
Wine-Touring in the Okanagan Valley from Vancouver Things to Do
