With hundreds of vineyards packing BC’s Okanagan valley, there’s no shortage of award-winning wines. When the time is right to travel again, you can book an Okanagan wine tour and let someone else take care of the planning, or stop by these six spots for a tasting experience that’s a little beyond the ordinary.
With over 200 wineries in the Okanagan valley, there’s an experience — and a flavour — for almost everybody. (Photo: Destination BC/@lukelelee)
Frequency Winery, Kelowna
Wine and music: it’s a match made in heaven. At Frequency Winery every bottle is exposed to 528hz, and they invite you to taste the angelic difference. They also invite musicians to record in their winery studio, so every bottle gets a dose of good vibes. Check out videos from past sessions on their website, and walk-in to the Southeast Kelowna tasting room to try the wine.
Summerhill Pyramid Winery, Kelowna
While many wineries have caves to store barrels as they age, Summerhill Winery has a pyramid. The owners say it clarifies their wine: if it contains a flaw the pyramid will accentuate it; if it’s good the pyramid will make it even better. For over two decades the vineyard has been experimenting with this sacred geometry, and if gold medals are any indication, the pyramid appears to be working.
For a jaw-dropping experience with old-world elegance, you can’t beat Mission Hills Winery in Kelowna. (Photo: Destination BC/Tanya Goehring)
Mission Hill Family Estate, West Kelowna
When you want grandeur and old-world charm, nothing beats Mission Hill. It’s one of the Okanagan’s oldest, and Canada’s only five-time winner of Winery of the Year, with elegant architecture to match a fleet of fine wines. No Okanagan wine tour is complete without a fancy tasting at Mission Hill.
Liquidity Wines, Okanagan Falls
For the art connoisseur, Liquidity offers a feast for the eyes. Drink in gorgeous valley views, sip an award-winning Chardonnay, then sample the many world-renowned sculptures and paintings that dot the property. Founder Ian MacDonald has furnished the winery with art, inside and out: paintings and photographs hang in the main lobby, tasting room, and bistro, and giant, imaginative sculptures stand in the gardens outside. The vineyard also hosts authors and other artist events, when physical gathering is safe.
No visit to the Okanagan is complete without an Okanagan wine tour. (Photo: Destination BC/Kari Medig)
Orofino Vineyards, Cawston
If you’re interested in extreme environmentalism, Orofino checks all the boxes. The tasting room and office space is 100 per cent solar powered. The winery building is insulated with straw bales, an eco-friendly material that’s been used in houses for more than 200 years. Come for the eye-catching green technology, stay for the wines grown on some of the oldest vines in the valley.
Great Estates Experience Centre, Penticton
Don’t have enough time to visit all of the Okanagan’s 200 wineries? Visit Great Estates Experience Centre for nine wineries in one. Learn what sets the Okanagan apart, and sip your way through a range of crowd-pleasers. In one sitting you’ll travel from Nk’Mip Cellars, North America’s first Indigenous-owned winery, all the way to Jackson-Triggs, one of BC’s most well-known wines.
Please note that Provincial Health Protocols currently advise against travelling outside your region to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
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