One of the elements that makes our wine country so special is the presence of small artisan and farmgate wineries. The opportunity to visit these delightful family owned and operated wineries is a very special part of our wine industry and not to be missed on your wine touring itineraries.
Small yet mighty, here are some of our winery gems to experience:
Enjoying a glass of wine on Priest Creek's Patio. Photo: Ken Hagen
Priest Creek Family Estate Winery in Southeast Kelowna is a beautiful testament to farming legacy. Darren and Jane Sawin moved here from Saskatchewan and built their winery to be able share their farming roots with their children. Priest Creek vineyard is located in Kelowna’s celebrated Southeast Kelowna wine region and features wine made from 30-year-old Gewurztraminer vines in their wine repertoire.
Also in Southeast Kelowna, Meadow Vista Honey Wines offers delicious wines but these are not made from grapes – they are made from honey. More than the traditional mead wine made from this natural nectar, this family-owned winery offers a range of libations that will make you tastebuds buzz with excitement. The tasting room shop has other bee-autiful items like beeswax candles to purchase.
Outdoor Wine Tasting at Meadow Vista Honey Wines. Photo: Ken Hagen
Further up the hill is Nagging Doubt Wines, owned and operated by Rob and Abbey Westbury. At this true farmgate winery, Rob is the vigneron (a French term for the person that grows grapes for winemaking) so here the owner grows the grapes as well as makes the wine. With an appointment, you can sit down for a tasting with Rob in the barrel room personally.
Blind Tiger Vineyards is located in our stunning Lake Country wine region. Here you will find organically grown and produced wine, a woodfire pizza restaurant and live music in the vineyard. With an interesting history as an Alpaca farm, owners Charlene and Jerry Wowchuk have created a unique winery experience that has become a destination for music lovers too.
Outdoor wine tasting at Off the Grid Winery. Photo: Ken Hagen
On the organic winemaking frontier, Off the Grid Winery is owned and operated by one of the West Kelowna’s pioneering farm families. The Paynter family has a long history in agriculture here and collectively as a family have a winery and a fruit stand in the area. On the estate, enjoy a self-guided farm tour with many animals to meet including sheep, goats, chickens, bunnies, and turkeys. They also have some special goat “friends” on the property: Joey, Chandler, Rachel, Monica, Ross and Phoebe.
Niche Wine Company is a tiny winery making hand-crafted small batch wines that are “farm fresh”. Here James and Joanna Schlosser pour their hearts into their vineyard and their wines have become known for making great Pinot Noir. The vineyard sits at an elevation of 620 meters offering stunning views and a unique high altitude terroir for the vines.
Stopping at Ancient Hill while riding the Okanagan Rail Trail. Photo: Aaron Theisen & Seekers Media
Heading North, Ancient Hill Winery is in the rural, Ellison area of Kelowna. Richard and Jitske Kamphuys came to Kelowna from the Netherlands and revitalized a beautiful pioneer vineyard property that was producing grapes back in the 1940’s. The European old world style winery has a beautiful tasting room to sample the wines including some unique to the Okanagan varieties like Baco Noir, Lemberger and Zweigelt.
For more information about the wineries in Kelowna and surrounding area, be sure to visit our website here: https://www.tourismkelowna.com/things-to-do/wineries/
