Wine Tasting In Okanagan Valley
My wife Laura and I devoted two days of our two-week tour of Western Canada to visit the Okanagan Valley in south-central British Columbia, one of the largest areas for producing wine in all of Canada.
We were looking forward to it because on a post-Alaskan cruise visit to Vancouver a couple of years ago, we were impressed with the quality of the wines from the area we tasted when we went out to dinner. Wines from the region are almost impossible to buy in the U.S.
Okanagan Valley produces about 15-20% of Canadian wine, with most of the rest coming from the Niagara Peninsula in Eastern Canada. Although they grow many different grape varieties, the main ones are Merlot, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir.
Several of the tasting rooms we visited were amazing, with sleek and comfortable environments and outstanding lake views. Most offer small bites or full meals along with your tasting. One thing we noticed was that there was a bit of an inverse relationship between how spectacular the tasting room was and how spectacular we thought the wine was. Some of our favorite wines came from more modest tasting rooms.
The wines are on par with wines we have tasted in places like Temecula and the Finger Lakes, where you can taste the fact that the growing conditions do not allow for completely balanced wines. The fruit you expect to taste is often overshadowed by vegetal and earthy notes. Like both the Finger Lakes and Temecula, the whites were much better than the reds, and like the Finger Lakes, Pinot Noir was by far the best of the reds.
There are around 185 wineries in Okanagan Valley, and as hard as we tried, we could not make it to all of them. The ones we chose were the result of research, recommendations from friends, and proximity. We stayed in Penticton and would recommend staying there if you plan to visit. Kelowna, an hour or so north of Penticton, is a larger city and has more amenities, but we found the area to be congested. The best wine is found around and south of Penticton, so you save a lot of driving by staying there.
Even though we would recommend all of the wineries we visited they are listed below in descending order of wineries that we think provide the best combination of wine, value, and tasting room experience.
Meyer Family Vineyards:
They are a small family-run operation specializing in Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
Wine: Their wines are balanced, and although complex, the fruit was allowed to be an equal partner with all of the other flavors. Our favorites were the ‘22 McLean Creek Rd. Chardonnay ($24 Canadian/$16 US) 89 Points, and the ‘22 Old Block Pinot Noir ($36/$24) 89 Points.
Tasting Room: Modest, traditional tasting room located among the vines. Friendly knowledgeable staff. Tasting fee ($8/$6) wine only, ($14/$9) with small bites.
Mission Hills
Features a large tasting room and spectacular grounds and is worth a visit even if you hate wine. It is as if a lakeside resort, an art museum, and tasting room morphed into one. Mission Hills is the pioneer of wine in the area and the best known for which they seem to charge a premium.
Wine: Specializing in Pinot Gris, Bordeaux Varietals, and Chardonnay. Our favorite wine was the ‘22 Border Vista Rose ($38/$25). The rest of the lineup was OK, but nothing worth recommending.
Tasting Room: Amazing tasting room and grounds. It is a huge operation so the server was not close to the winemaking, and they had only superficial wine knowledge. The tasting fee is $35/$23, food is available à la carte.
Black Hills
Sleek modern hilltop tasting room with outstanding vineyard, valley, and lake views, featuring Rhone and Spanish varieties and Chardonnay.
Wine: The star of the show for us was the Sparkling Brut ($55/$36) 89 Points. Balanced, toasty, and citrusy, this was quite the surprise. Of all the still wines, we thought the ‘22 Chardonnay ($40/$26), 88 points was quite nice.
Tasting Room: Sleek modern tasting room with stunning views. Benchmark Tasting ($15/$10), Portfolio Tasting ($30/$20). Food was available for order, and despite being a large operation, our server was very engaged and knowledgeable.
Nicole
Small family-run operation with a cozy traditional tasting room with lake views. Features Pinot Gris, Bordeaux, Austrian, and Rhone varietals.
Wine: Both the ‘23 Pinot Gris and the Two Barrel Pinot Gris were our favorites (88 Points); everything else we tasted was worth a try.
Tasting Room: Our host (the only employee in the tasting room) was very knowledgeable and close to the operation.. A joy to spend time with. Tasting fee ($15/$10) no food is available, but you can bring your own.
Mayhem
Owned by a sibling of the Meyer Family (located next door), they specialize in Pinot Gris and Bordeaux varieties.
Wine: We most liked the whites; the reds were OK. Our favorites were the ‘23 Anarchy Pinot Gris ($26/$17) 88 Points and the ‘23 Mayhem Pinot Gris ($19/$12.5) 88 Points.
Tasting Room: Modest, modern tasting room nestled among the vines. Knowledgeable fun staff. Tasting fee ($10/$7) with no food options available.
Burrowing Owl
Traditional tasting room nestled among the vines with an ornate ceiling. Their focus is Rhone, Pinot Gris, and Bordeaux varieties. All tasting fees go to support the owl habitat in the area.
Wine: Our favorite was the ‘23 Pinot Gris ($28/$19) 88 Points. Except for their Rose, all the other wines we tasted were worth trying.
Tasting Room: Very traditional $5/$3 tasting fee, has an on-site restaurant. The staff is engaged and knowledgeable.
Cedar Creek
With the same ownership as Mission Hill, specializing in Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc, this winery offers an upscale modern tasting experience with amazing lake views. They charge a premium price for both the wine and the experience.
Wine: Our favorites were the ‘22 Platinum Border Vista Sauvignon Blanc ($42/$28) and the Platinum Naramata Pinot Noir ($68/$45). I gave them both 87 points. Most of the rest of the lineup was OK, with a couple of them, The Platinum South Kelowna Slopes Pinot Noir Rose and the Estate Syrah, less than OK.
Tasting Room: Sleek, modern, sophisticated with outstanding lake views. Tasting fees: Introductory tasting fee $20/$13, Enhanced Tasting $30/$20. They have an on-site restaurant. The server was not very wine-knowledgeable.
Painted Rock
Contemporary tasting room with amazing views. Bordeaux, Rhone, and Chardonnay.
Wine: Our favorite wine was one of the few reds to make the list, the ‘22 Malbec ($59/$39) 87 points. Most of the other wines were just OK, with the ‘22 Chardonnay being downright awful.
Tasting room: A beautiful location and despite being a larger operation, our server was very engaged and knowledgeable. ($30/$20) food available.
Please leave a comment below or email gasperthewineguy@gmail.com if you have any questions.
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