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Naramata Bench

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Elephant Island Orchard Wines is a hidden gem tucked away in a 5 acre cherry orchard specializing in fruit wines. We made a stop here to try something a little different from the other wineries.

Tasting Barn

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The tasting barn is where you can do a series of tasting, shop for wine and purchase other items.

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Since the tasting barn was super crowded, there was barely any room to move, so they opened up their patio for a more comfortable tasting experience.

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They also sell cheese too if you want to purchase some to go with your wine.

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Patio

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With the weather so nice, having a seat outside was perfect. We all sat down and their amazing staff guide us through all the different types of wines.

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Our complimentary tasting included:

  • Pear Wine
  • Cherry Wine
  • Black Currant Wine
  • Blackberry Wine
  • Crab Apple Wine
  • Apricot Dessert Wine
  • Framboise
  • Cassis

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All of them were really good and the fruity flavours really shine through. Of them all, Black currant and cassis really stood out to me.

Final Thoughts

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Overall, it was one of our favourite wineries during our time on the Naramata Bench. All the tastings are complimentary and they give you a good range of wines to try.

We Rate Elephant Island Orchard Wines35rating

Address:
2730 Aikins Loop, Naramata, BC

Website:
https://www.elephantislandwine.com/

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Legend Distilling creates unique hand crafted spirits in small batches. When we were driving along the Naramata Bench, we had to stop here. It’s a nice break from all that wine tasting and try some good ol’ spirits.

Legend Lounge

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This place was packed when we arrived, so we waited a little bit so some of the counter space was cleared.

Tasting

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We tried:

  • Defender Island Gin
  • Doctor’s Orders Gin
  • Shadow in the Lake Vodka
  • Slowpoke Vodka
  • Blasted Brew

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All of them were really good, but I ended up purchasing the Blasted Brew as it goes well with desserts.

They use locally roasted organic coffee from Backyard Beans in Summerland. You will find hints of dark chocolate and vanilla with the smooth flavour of cold brewed coffee to create this unique craft liqueur.

Backyard

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In the back, you can lounge around outside, drinks some cocktails, have some snacks, and enjoy the company of you and your friends.

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There are picnic tables too if you want to bring your own food to consume.

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Final Thoughts

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Overall, it was nice to try something different than wine on the Naramata Bench. When we passed by, we knew we needed to make a stop. Their spirits were really good and unique. We all left with a bottle that tingled our tastebuds.

We Rate Legend Distilling: 35rating

Address:
3005 Naramata Road
Naramata, BC

Website:
http://legenddistilling.com/

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La Frenz Winery and their wine shop is open daily from 10am to 5pm. Their winery and their wines are internationally recognized and have won award after award. They have 4 vineyard sites to be able to grow the different grape varieties for their wines.

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The tasting room was packed and our group of 6 didn’t have a reservation.

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We didn’t realize they highly recommend reservations during July and August.

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We waited a little bit, but they were able to seat us outside in the patio.

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It was one of my favourite tastings of the day as we were able to relax on a table and not feel rushed to finish the tasting.

They also have a misting machine up top to help cool you down in the hot summer heat.

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As they sat us down, they gave us a cup of bread sticks to munch on as we started our tasting.

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We ended up doing the Portfolio Tasting flight where we can select up to 4 wines from their daily featured list for $5. The fee can be waived if you buy a minimum of 2 bottles.

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I went with all white wines and I had:

  • 2015 Sauvignon Blanc
  • 2015 Riesling
  • 2014 Chardonnay
  • 2015 Alexandria

All really good wines that I would highly recommend. If I had to choose one, it would be the Sauvignon Blanc since I like a good dry white wine.

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My other friends went with the red wines and they did find a few they liked.

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Overall, it was one of my favourite tasting places because of the atmosphere on the patio. Wines were great. Definitely try to get a reservation on the patio.

Address:
1525 Randolph Rd, Penticton

Website:
http://www.lafrenzwinery.com/

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Ruby Blues Winery is one of the top wineries to try in the Naramata Bench near Penticton as its quite busy. I was pretty excited to come for a visit since I missed it on my previous trip to Penticton last year.

They are only open from May till October.

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You know you’re in the right spot when you see their Volkswagen decked out in hippie love.

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Like most of the wineries on the Naramata Bench, their view of the Okanagan Lake is also very nice.

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When we were here, they had a few wines to try:

  • Pinot Gris
  • Gewurtztraminer
  • White Stiletto
  • Late Harvest Chardonnay
  • Peach & Love & Bubbles
  • Red Stiletto

Tasting are absolutely free, just give a smile in return.

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Prudence administered our tasting and she was so engaging. You could see she was genuinely excited about all the wines being poured, that we all became super engaged.

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All the wines were good, but the 2 that stood out to me was the Peace & Love & Bubbles as it makes a great bubbly to go with any meal or celebration. Also the Pinot Gris was a nice wine with fruity notes that I really enjoyed.

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Once you’re done the tasting, head over to the wine shop/ gift shop and you’ll find things that will remind you of the winery like the VW cars and the red stilettos.

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Overall, it was a very fun winery. If you can get a wine tasting with Prudence, I would highly recommend it.

Address:
917 Naramata Rd, Penticton, BC

Website:
http://www.rubyblueswinery.ca/

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Lake Breeze Winery was awarded the prestigious distinction of Best Small Winery in Canada, along with Best Winery in British Columbia from the National Wine Awards of Canada.

We decided to come here on our second day in Penticton as a lot of the locals highly recommended coming here for a visit. They also have a patio restaurant on the winery.

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We headed to the wine shop to do our wine tasting. It was really busy here when we went, so our group had to wait a little bit.

Tastings are $3 and is donated to local charities. If you make a purchase, the fee is waived.

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When we were here, we tried the:

  • 2014 Semillon
  • 2014 Pinot Blanc
  • 2015 Spice Jar
  • 2013 Pinot Noir
  • 2013 Meritage

The tasting options changes daily.

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Our group liked the 2015 Spice jar, it is off-dry with a blend of Gewerztraminer, Ehrenfelser, Schonburger, and Viognier. It goes well with Thai cuisine, curries, and blue cheese.

It was a fun winery to try out some of their award winning wines.

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Address:
930 Sammet Rd, Naramata, BC

Website:
http://lakebreeze.ca/

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Moraine Winery is a family-owned winery overlooking Okanagan Lake in the Naramata Bench. This was recommended to us by our tour guide and this was our 5th stop of the day.

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At group of us were still good and not overly drunk. We held it together very well. hahaha.

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We headed into the tasting room and it was pretty busy, so we waited until a spot freed up for us.

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Below are a few of the wines they had available for tasting. They had a lot to choose from.

White Wines:

  • Chardonnay 2014
  • Viognier 2015
  • Cliffhanger White 2015
  • Pinot Gris 2015
  • Gewurztraminer 2015
  • Riesling 2015
  • Pink Mountain Rose 2015

Red Wines:

  • Pinot Noir 2014
  • Malbec 2014
  • Syrah 2014
  • Cliffhanger Red 2014
  • Red Mountain 2013

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Some wines that stood out to me were the Cliffhanger White 2015 as it is a mix of 80% pinot gris and 20% Gewurtztraminer. It has nice fruity notes with hints of a nutty tones.

Gewurtztraminer 2015 was a very nice one too. It has a unique aroma of pears and lychee.

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You can purchase the wines that you fancy at their shop. You can also order online too.

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They also sell some cheese, meats and crackers if you need a little snack when you’re visiting here. You can also bring your own food to eat on their patio. There are a few tables around.

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A nice winery to stop at. I’ve actually never heard of Moraine Estate Winery until now. It’s mostly sold at private liquor stores as it’s hard for them to produce the mass volumes needed by places like the BC Liquor Stores.

Address:
1865 Naramata Rd, Penticton, BC

Website:
http://morainewinery.com/

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Deep Roots Winery is located on the popular Naramata Bench. Their tasting room has amazing views on the vineyard over looking Okanagan Lake.

We made this our 4th stop on our winery tour. The tasting room was outdoors on the 2nd floor and view is awesome.

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It was also a very beautiful day when we were visiting. A few clouds in the sky but it was very toasty.

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You can also bring your own food to the winery and have your own lunch with this great view for free.

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With all 6 of us, they were able to guide us through their whites, rose, and reds. There is a $5 fee per tasting, but can be redeemable upon purchasing.

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Of the whites, I enjoyed the 2014 pinot gris as it has a lot of fruity floral notes. Delicious wine for the hot summer.

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Their 2015 rose was quite nice with its deep pink colour with hints of rose petal, pear, strawberry, and other fruity notes.

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Between tastings, we would wander a bit a start staring off into the Okanagan Lake. It’s so beautiful.

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After the tasting, you can grab the bottles in the wine shop.

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Address:
884 Tillar Rd, Naramata, BC

Website:
http://www.deeprootswinery.com/

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Van Westen Vineyard is located in the Naramata Bench. There has been 3 generations and 50 years of family tradition in this vineyard.

This was our 3rd stop on our winery tour and probably one of the best wineries we visited on our trip.

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Their tasting room is pretty cool as all the bricks have been written on with chalk. You can’t leave without leaving your mark on their wall.

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Duke, the winery dog was here to hang our with all the winery guests.

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We started off with the white wines and they don’t have a fancy tasting room like some of the other wineries. We loved this experience as it was all about the wine.

We tried the:

  • Vino Grigio 2014
  • Vivacious 2014
  • Viognier 2014
  • Vixen 2014
  • Vicicle 2014

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The white wines were fantastic! My favourite was Vivacious 2014 as it has a good amount of tree fruit and lemon aroma. There is also hints of honeysuckle and apple peel.

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Next, we went into the barrel room to taste their reds. The ones they had to sample were:

  • Van Westen/Dibello Pinot Noir 2011
  • Voluptuous 2012
  • V 2011
  • V 2012

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I loved this experience! Very unique and they show you how it is without any fancy set up. The ladies with me ended up buying quite a few bottles from Van Westen.

Address:
2800 Aikins Loop, Naramata, BC

Website:
http://www.vanwestenvineyards.com/

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Therapy Vineyard is located on the Naramata Bench near Penticton. This was our second winery top of the day and I was pretty excited to come here as I’ve always seen their cool Freud inspired wines at the liquor stores.

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Their vineyard is quite nice and even has a guesthouse that accommodates up to 22 people. Great for large groups that really want to get away from the city.

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Wine Tasting

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Wine tastings are $3 for 5 selections but is waived if you are purchasing a bottle.

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We started off with the Fizzio Therapy Blanc and it is light in colour, carbonated, and has hints of peaches and apples.

The other tastings options were:

  • Sauvignon Blanc
  • Bruised Ego
  • Artist Series Fume Blanc
  • Gewurtztraminer
  • Pinot Gris
  • Freudian Sip
  • Pink Freud
  • Pinot Noir
  • Merlot
  • Freud’s Ego
  • Super Ego

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I went with the white wines since I prefer it over red.

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Good wines, but I find that due to the branding, it’s more of a fun wine to bring to a friends house when they are in need of some “Therapy”, wine and a good chat.

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These are the types of wines I see from them at the liquor store.

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The ones with the faces are the ones that are harder to find and its their more serious brand.

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In the end, we bought a few bottles to take home and it was a nice chance to see where it is all made.

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Address:
940 Lower Debeck Rd, Naramata, BC

Website:
http://therapyvineyards.com/

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Lang Vineyard was our first stop in Penticton. They opened their doors in the Naramata bench in 1990 and has grown to be one of the Okanagan’s most popular boutique wineries in the area.

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There’s a little picnic area with tables and umbrellas if you brought your own lunch to enjoy the view. We came here really early, so it was very quiet.

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Wine Tasting

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Tastings have a small fee, but its waived with any purchase.

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Some of the wines they had available were:

  • 2015 Sparkling Pinot Noir
  • 2013 Bravo Red
  • 2015 Cabernet Franc
  • 2013 Syrah
  • 2014 Marechal Foch

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For the whites, they did have their Pinot Gris, Viognier, Riesling, and Bravo White.

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For their Ice Wines they were tasting:

  • Red Canadian Maple Wine
  • White Canadian Maple Wine
  • 2011 Riesling Ice Wine

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All the wines that you try in the tasting is available to purchase in the store.

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2015 Sparkling Pinot Noir is a sparkling rose with a blend of Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes. You can taste cherries and berries. Of our group, this was one of the favourites of the tasting.

Overall, a nice stop to try a few of their signature wines. I enjoyed it and they were super nice and informative when doing our tasting.

Address:
2493 Gammon Rd, Naramata, BC

Website: 
https://langvineyards.ca