Recommended Wineries for one day in the Okanagan

I will be taking a few friends from the East coast to Vancouver and on one of those days we plan to drive from Vancouver to the wine region in the central part of the country. It's been a few years since I've been in the Okanagan and I never did get a chance to get to areas like Osooyoos. Unfortunately due to my travels, I will only be able to spend one day there so it will be a packed day.

Also, the people I'm bringing are newer to wine but love all of the "lifestyle" elements to it, ie the nicely tended estates, the great interaction with staff, etc,.

I would really appreciate it if you could id a few wineries worth visiting and even a route for driving if appropriate.

Many thakns in advance
Mike

Wow, not exactly a plethora of suggestions yet... I won't be mnuch help, although I've been there 4 or 5 times. I assume you know it's about a 3.5 hour drive to Kelowna, the northern part of the wine region. Osoyoos is another 1.5 hour drive or so south, through what can be failry brutal traffic in the summer.

There are few cellars with any 'soul', to my mind, but there are more with all the bells and whistles (e.g., Mission Hill, Sumac Ridge, Quali's Gate). Near Kelowna, Cedar Creek makes some nice wines, although there's a hefty tasting fee for the reserve wines. The Naramata bench area has a good concetration of wineries, and isn't too far from Kelowna. La Frenz makes some interesting wines there (mainly the whites), and Popular Grove has some nice cheeses as well as wines. But many wineries here are only open weekends. Nichols makes some nice if overpriced wines.

Thornhaven, on the way to Osoyoos, makes some nice whites, especially Getwurtztraminers. Blue Mountain makes some nice wines, and is open by appontment (as are many of the top producers).

Burrowing Owl has a nice restaurant, and makes OK wines, although they seem to be decreasing in quality over the last few vintages.

If you make it as far as Osoyoos, Nk'mip Cellars is an interesting stop.

Many thanks for the information! heading there in a few days so this definitely got to me in time! I'll post on the ones that I ended up at.

[Jenise]

Many thanks for the information! heading there in a few days so this definitely got to me in time! I'll post on the ones that I ended up at.

Michael, sorry I didn't see your note earlier. After three trips to the Okanagan, I'd reccomend anyone head straight for Penticton and the Naramata Bench. The wineries are in close proximity, and some of the best are there, like La Frenz (exceptional whites), Poplar Grove and Kettle Valley. Everything John said about the Kelowna wineries is true, but it's a bad bet for someone with only a day. The wineries are far apart and on the other side of the lake (like Cedar Creek), which requires crossing a bridge that only has one lane in each direction and traffic for about three. It can take an hour to go three miles. You're better off heading south to Penticton on the west side of the lake and concentrating your action there. From town center to on the Bench is like a mile. Also, going the other direction, it's not far south of there to Blue Mountain, and there are several decent wineries in its immediate proximity. The trip to Blue Mountain, if they'll receive you, is worth the drive alone--it's just about the prettiest winery setting I've ever seen--raw and tranquil at the same time. The drive from there to Osoyoos is another 30-45 minutes, and would not be worth the drive if, again, you're only there for one day.

Wineries to avoid: neither I nor anyone I know is a fan of Red Rooster, whose wines are aimed at a level or two below your tastes (all the whites have RS...)They're on Naramata and have a fancy corporate-money kind of winery building aimed at attracting tourists, a la Fess Parker or Ferrari-Corona, if those register. Don't even be tempted. The only good thing is they pour everything, where at a small producer like Kettle Valley (the tasting room is in the garage of a typical suburban home, which I love--Napa this isn't!) they might only have two or three wines to show you.

Jenise.

Totally appreciate the straight talk! I no know that I will have a good time tomorro and in the future when I get to eturn back to this area!

I love poplar grove and kettle creek wines and have always tried to bring a few home each and every time!