Okanagan Wine Travel Guide

The South Okanagan is a relative newcomer to the world of wines - most of the vines were planted less than 30 years ago, and yet this area is producing wines so rich in taste that the valley is being branded as the Napa of the North.

So popular is the region that the number of wineries continues to grow each year generating new tourism dollars.  

When travellers arrive during the summer months they will discover a valley of fruit orchards and hillsides with rows of Merlot, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vines cascading over the benchlands.  Cultivated under the care of outstanding growers, and pressed under the eye of world-class winemakers, these vines yield some of the most delicious vintages in British Columbia.

As delightful as it is to choose the hot summer months to vacation in the Okanagan, any season is a good time to tour the wineries.  In the fall the colors  of russet, honey, sage and tawny browns turn the vineyards into a photographer's delight.  The Sumac bushes add splashes of brilliant crimson and the orchards add touches of gold.  It is during fall that the Fall Wine Festivals celebrate the harvest and the new crush.  Dozens of parties, dinners and galas are hosted by businesses and restaurants and by the wineries as well.

People come to the South Okanagan wineries to sample the wines, but the wineries have so much more to offer their visitors.  Each winery has something unique: location, architecture, style or character.  They all have a story, and this Wine Travel Guide is designed to help you plan your wine route when you visit the South Okanagan.