Vineyards and Gastronomy

Here are a few ways to experience the Valleys & Vineyards food scene:

• The Restaurant at Poplar Grove – Chef Stacy Johnson’s inspired team serves ultra-local cuisine in a modernist dining room with stunning views from the Naramata Bench. It’s a perfect perch for sipping Poplar Grove’s beloved rosé.
• The Bear, the Fish, the Root & the Berry – Dine at Spirit Ridge resort in Osoyoos, located in the only pocket desert in Canada. The restaurant is named for the Four Food Chiefs of the Syilx People and takes culinary inspiration from Indigenous food traditions.
• Cooking classes at Lakehouse Kitchens Cooking School in Kelowna – Learn from the Okanagan’s top instructors, who teach you to combine fresh, local flavours in a professional kitchen setting. OR who teach you to turn fresh local ingredients into masterful/delectable culinary creations.
• Winemaker Dinners at Phantom Creek Estates – Overlooking some of the finest Black Sage Bench terroir around Oliver, this architecturally stunning, art-enriched winery offers seasonal collaboration dinners, and tastings of wines created with famed consulting winemaker and sustainability champion Olivier Humbrecht.

Enjoy local pours at these Valleys & Vineyards locations:

Cider, Beer, and Wine

• Creek & Gully – On this certified organic apple farm in Naramata, pop into the tasting room for mouthwatering Crabby-Pear cider, artisanal canned sodas, and fruit juice.
• BC Ale Trail – Download their app to help you create custom journeys that include outdoor adventures, local discoveries, and craft beer. Follow the Kelowna and West Kelowna Ale Trail and the Penticton Ale Trail down the Okanagan Valley.
• Nk’Mip Cellars – At the first Indigenous-owned winery in North America, sample wines from Nk’Mip’s Quam Qwmt (“achieving excellence”) series that includes Syrah, Pinot Noir, and a Riesling Icewine.  Savour lunch at Sweetgrass, with its menu inspired by Indigenous and contemporary cuisine.
• Orofino Vineyards – In the Similkameen Valley town of Cawston, find this sustainably built strawbale winery, known for its Beleza premium red blend, wild-fermented Riesling, and late-harvest Muscat sweet wine. Book a bespoke tasting with winemaker John Weber.
• Kismet Estate Winery – At this Oliver family estate, experience Indian shared-plate dining at Manzil Restaurant and sample medal-winning Cabernet Franc and Phulkari Rosé made by young winemaker Manpreet Dhaliwal.

Tasting Trails

• District Wine Village – In Oliver, a distillery, a brewery, an artisan bakery, and several micro-wineries and tasting rooms—plus live entertainment—offer a fun way to spend a day. Shuttles run from nearby hubs, including Penticton, Okanagan Falls, Oliver, and Osoyoos.
• Bottleneck Drive – Less than an hour drive south of Kelowna, the 18 wine, beer, and cider stops around Summerland are grouped into three handy routes. The setting is so scenic, you might recognize it from TV and films.
• Mission Hill Iconic Lake-to-Estate Voyage – Visit three of Kelowna’s finest wineries on a day-long private yacht charter for two to six guests. Enjoy small-batch Pinot Noir and Riesling, plus Tom Kundig architecture, at Martin’s Lane; sip expressive Chardonnay and dine at CedarCreek Estate’s Home Block restaurant for lunch; and conclude with an Okanagan Lake swim, then dinner and a tasting at Mission Hill Family Estate’s Terrace restaurant.

Wellness and Wine Country

Grapes themselves have long been considered an anti-oxidant superfood, but only in the Okanagan Valley do wellness and wine country merge in these other innovative experiences, which are bookable year round.

• Sparkling Hill Resort and Spa – Among the experiences at this European-inspired hotel and its KurSpa are a Cryo Cold Chamber, plus seven themed steam and sauna rooms.
• Summerhill Pyramid Winery – This organic—and the only Demeter-certified biodynamic—BC winery harnesses ancient geometry for the aging of gold-medal wines, in a scaled-down replica of the Great Pyramid.

Savour the farm-fresh flavours of Valleys & Vineyards:

Farm Markets

Pull over for colourful bins of just-picked fruits and vegetables that are beautiful enough for a restaurant plate, and delicious enough to munch as road-trip fare. Farm markets like these have the season’s freshest haul.

• Plot Twist Farms – Located on the Naramata Bench, a 10-minute drive from Penticton, this purveyor to top Okanagan restaurants also sells farm-gate artisanal produce.
  Parsons Farm Market – Find a rainbow of fall produce, from squash to apples and pears, at the oldest farm market in the Similkameen Valley village of Keremeos, known as the fruit stand capital of Canada.
• Everything Wild – Forager Scott Moran is a favorite of local chefs for his mushrooms, wild nettles, rosehips, and more. Find him at the Kelowna Farmers’ and Crafters’ Market.

Specialty Farms

Where vineyards meet glacial lakes, growers open their gates to offer their own unique flavours, agritourism experiences, and autumn-hued valley views.
Gellatly Nut Farm Regional Park – At this heritage orchard in West Kelowna, gather your own hazelnuts, chestnuts, and walnuts that fall from leafy canopies. Shop for curvy tree-wood bowls and take a dip at the park’s beach.

• Arlo’s Honey Farm – Savour the taste of pure wildflower honey and the earthy smell of beeswax candles, lip balm, and lotion bars. Appreciate the essential role of pollinators on a beekeeper-led tour of the hives and the Bee Educated centre.
• McMillan Farms – Move through this farm’s seasonal corn maze, pumpkin patch, and hayrides, a short drive from downtown Kelowna. Sip hot cider made with local apple juice from Crafted Street Food truck.

Artisan Cheesemakers

What grows together, goes together: in these fertile Valleys & Vineyards, wine, cider, and beer go perfectly with decadent cheeses, locally made or curated.

• Perseval and Young – In Kelowna’s North End Brewery District, expert cheesemongers offer Weekender kits of cheeses, charcuterie, crackers, and preserves.
• Upper Bench Winery & Creamery – For a sun-drenched taste of Naramata, pick up a round of Gold, a buttery, washed-rind artisan cheese.