There are a few Okanagan wines worth a look. Though far fewer than our tourism industry would have you believe.
In the $20-$50 USD range we have some very attractive QPRs.
I’d like to distill several years of tasting/living in the area for you, in as brief text as possible. We’ll start with the standouts. Then move to the also-rans, and end with the cult expensive wines.
But first, the varieties that seem to excel in the Okanagan.
GRAPE VARIETIES
As of this writing, we seem to excel at:
- Chardonnay
- Pinot Noir
- Riesling
- Cabernet Franc
There is a lot of hoopla about Rhone varieties. And while I would like that, at this point only a few producers are dialing those in. But one would expect VRM / GSM blends to take off in the South Okanagan at some point.
Common history (and popular wine writers) will tell you that the Okanagan has an abundance of Merlot and Pinot Gris. You’d do well to avoid them in most cases.
THE BEST OF THE BEST
Okanagan Falls
- Meyer Family
(pinot noir, chard) - Synchromesh
(riesling, cab franc, pinot noir) - Blue Mountain
(pinot noir, chard, gamay, sparkling)
Notes: the Synchromesh estate vineyard (called Storm Haven) is the standout here. But this is really THE region of Western Canada, and – if I may say so – competitive on a worldwide scale.
Naramata
- Foxtrot
(pinot noir) - Amulet
(Rhone red and white blends) - Roche
(bordeaux red blend)
Notes: Foxtrot is now owned by Doug Barzelay and considered one of the most exciting vineyards for pinot noir in North America (own-rooted 115). Amulet is a mailing-list only boutique venture run out of Roche. Some vineyards in Naramata and some in Oliver/Osoyoos to the South (closer to the Washington border). Roche pulls grapes from the same areas, and the husband-wife team is trained in Bordeaux and Burgundy (Dylan, Canadian) and a member of a sixth-gen Bordeaux family (Penelope, Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion).
Summerland
- Lightning Rock
(pinot noir, chardonnay, viognier, sparkling)
Notes: Lovely young husband-wife team of natty winemakers who toured all of Europe tapping the brains of the top natty folks there before starting their own enterprise here.
Similkameen
- Orofino
(chardonnay, gamay, cabernet franc) - Little Farm
(riesling, chardonnay, cabernet franc)
Notes: if you are a fan of minerality, this is the region for you. While both of these producers are low-intervention, Little Farm is more the natty bottle-variation type, and Orofino has tons more SKUs than I could represent here (including heavy reds), but they are all interesting. Orofino also makes a wild ferment syrah from a concrete tank that is very fun.
Kelowna
- Quail’s Gate
(chardonnay, pinot noir, chenin blanc, syrah) - Summerhill
(sparkling)
Notes: Quail’s has a chard/pinot for whatever your personality (Stewart’s Family Reserve for the opulent lovers, and some single blocks for the more – ahem – reserved). Summerhill makes tourist-trap still wine but magical sparklers in their Cipes lineup. The blanc de noirs is a particular standout. They have a weird pyramid of some kind of occult black magic.
ALSO RANS (some items of interest but not as great as the above)
Oliver/Osoyoos/etc
- Fairview Cellars
- Burrowing Owl
- Black Hills
- Le Vieux Pin
- La Stella
- Painted Rock (technically Okanagan Falls / Skaha Bench, ~30min north of Oliver)
Lovers of bigger wines may want to try these guys. Le Vieux Pin is the best of the lot, and makes interesting Rhone white blends and some single syrahs.
CULT WINERIES (I’m being a bit playful here)
These tend to have over-sized reputations and/or are over-priced. But if money is no option, they are worth trying.
- Bella
(sparkling) - Checkmate
(chardonnay, merlot) - Martin’s Lane
(riesling, pinot noir) - Mirabel
(pinot noir)
FINALLY…
If you want to get a comprehensive list, here are a few more of interest:
- Coolshanagh
(chardonnay, pinot noir) - Tantalus
(riesling) - Terravista
(Spanish whites, Rhone whites) - Nichol
(syrah, st laurent, pinot gris) - Road 13
(Rhone red and white, gamay) - Lock And Worth
(semillon, cabernet franc) - Scout
(riesling) - 1 Mill Rd
(pinot noir… new mailing-list only winery, just their first year but the little I have tried seems promising)
One winery I have a very personal affinity for is Corcelettes. They are (as objectively as possible) good but perhaps not great. Very nice dry Gewurztraminer, rose, occasionally interesting Pinot Noir reserve, and a Syrah-Cab blend called Menhir. Lovely family, beautiful setting, and the best place to end a day of wine tasting.
Full disclosure: I am friends with some of the owners/staff of wineries I recommend; in each case I established that friendship after first liking the wines. My girlfriend now works for one of them, again, long after I loved them and was a club member.
I have a lot more info on local restaurants, where to stay, and how to plan multi-day trips to different areas. But with Covid this seems less pressing. Happy to answer questions about it here or in PM. Or if there is interest, I can start a thread in the Travel section.