Okanagan Valley Wine

The Okanagan Valley is Canada's premiere wine producing region. The temperate climate, produces outstanding award winning wines. Combined with the natural beauty of the lakes, trees and surrounding mountains, the Okanagan Valley is a gathering place for wine lovers around the world.

The 10 Best

1. Tantalus Vineyards
   Established in 2004, Tantalus Vineyards is situated on the eastern slopes of the Okanagan Valley overlooking the shores of Lake Okanagan and the city of Kelowna. Tantalus is dedicated to growing and producing limited quantities of exceptional Riesling, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Originally known as Pioneer Vineyards, the site was first planted to grapes in 1927 and is one of the oldest continuously producing vineyards in British Columbia. Today, Riesling vines planted in 1978 make up the backbone of the vineyard. The vineyard consists of forty acres of varied topography. Each block demonstrates its own particular aspect and slope. This results in different fruit characteristics that add depth and complexity to the wine. Tantalus wines are made exclusively from fruit grown at our vineyard. Hand tending the vines and practicing sustainable viticulture allows each wine to express the unique terroir of this historic site.
   
   
2. Cedar Creek Estate Winery
   A family owned and operated winery located just south of Kelowna in British Columbia’s spectacular Okanagan Valley. At CedarCreek, we are committed to producing premium British Columbia wines. Family ownership means we craft our wines with care and attention to detail, from the vineyard to the bottle.
   
   
3. Greata Ranch Vineyards
   The first vines were planted in 1996 and the first harvest in the fall of 1998. Since that time Greata Ranch Vineyards has produced high quality grapes that have been showcased in many CedarCreek wines. In the spring of 2003 the first of the Greata Ranch wines were released under their own label and sold from the Greata location.
   
   
   
4. Tinhorn Creek Vineyards
   The vineyards of Tinhorn Creek Vineyards are located on two spectacular benches above the South Okanagan Valley. On the west side of the valley is the Golden Mile Bench. On the east side is the Black Sage Bench. The wines win top awards in national and international competitions.  The self-guided tour of the winery and vineyard enables visitors to stay as long as they wish and provides ample learning opportunities about the winemaking process. Our friendly and educational wine shop staff will answer any questions you may have after your tour. The tasting room and wine shop are well stocked with all kinds of gift ideas for the wine enthusiast. Buses and groups are welcome. Special or guided tours can be arranged by appointment.
   
   
5. Burrowing Owl Estate Winery
   The Burrowing Owl Estate Winery site is perched on a hillside on an eastern bench of the South Okanagan.  It had its first commercial wine release in 1997.  The winery has received widespread accolades for its wines, particularly its red vintages, resulting annually in sold-out inventory. Burrowing Owl also features a 10 room guest house and a four-star restaurant, The Sonora Room, offering full lunch and dinner service as well as afternoon tapas.
   
   
6. Kettle Valley Winery
   Drawing its name from the Kettle Valley Railway, which traveled through the Naramata area on the east side of Okanagan Lake, the winery opened to the public in 1996.  Kettle Valley Winery is known for it’s dark, intense and well structured red wines, including Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and blends such as “Old Main Red”.  Chardonnay has been the main white wine produced, but in recent years Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc have also proved popular.  They are all flavourful and aromatic, with a rich mouth feel.
   
   
7. Red Rooster Winery
   Red Rooster Winery was founded by an energetic entrepreneurial couple from Switzerland who purchased an orchard in Naramata in 1990, but soon saw an opportunity in the Okanagan’s rapidly growing wine industry. They converted the orchard to vines, and the winery’s first vintage was in 1997, and was produced at the original winery site just outside the town of Naramata. Soon after opening the original location, the quality of award-winning wines and legendary hospitality was creating a bottle neck of welcome traffic at the tiny premises. The solution was a new winery, which opened in 2004, just 10 minutes south of the original location. The winery is not hard to find, just a few minutes outside Penticton on Naramata Road. The site is charmingly rural and boasts fabulous lake and mountain views. There are two buildings on site, one dedicated to producing wine, and one dedicated to hospitality for the enjoyment of our guests. Our Hospitality building allows our guests to discover and taste our wines, explore wonderful works of art from local artists in our own gallery and to enjoy lunch from our picturesque patio.
   
   
8. Black Hills Estate Winery
   Black Hills Estate Winery is located between Oliver and Osoyoos, British Columbia. The vineyard is nestled in the sun-burnt hills on the Black Sage Bench, home to British Columbia’s highest quality vinifera grapes. The rugged desert earth, long sunlight hours and cool nights yield the intensely flavourful grapes that we blend to produce our Bordeaux-style Nota Bene, our Sauvignon Blanc / Semillon blend Alibi, and our late harvest Sequentia wines. Our grapes are hand-picked and brought from our vineyard to our winery where they are sorted, destemmed, slowly fermented and then pressed into oak barrels to produce our high quality hand-crafted wines.