Wines of the Okanagan

Kelowna

Mission Hills in Kelowna, BC

Kelowna is in the heart of the Okanagan. It's the biggest city in the Okanagan sitting on the east side of the lake. Its name derives from an Okanagan language* term for "grizzly bear". Traffic coming from the south must cross the Okanagan Lake on bridge to reach Kelowna. Kelowna is home to Summerhill Pyramid Winery, CedarCreek, St Hubertus and Calona Wines.

The wineries here all benefit from the warming conditions of the lake. Compared to South Okanagan, the Kelowna area features cool growing conditions favourable to white varieties such as Riesling and Pinot Gris and reds such as Pinot Noir. Tantalus Vineyards and St. Hubertus have Riesling vines that were planted in the late 1970s; these now produce remarkably intense wines.

Kelowna is home to Calona Winery, now owned by Peller Estates. Calona Winery is British Columbia’s oldest continually operating winery having been established in 1932. Here also is the organic wines of Stephen Cipes Pyramid Winery which claims to be Canada's most visited winery.

This area was at one time known for its fruit orchards.

Kelowna Metropolitan Area includes the Lake Country. Gray Monk is in the renowned Lake Country winery. Lake Country was incorporated in 1995. The previously unincorporated communities of Winfield, Okanagan Centre, Oyama, and Carr's Landing were united to form the new municipality, and they remain as separate wards within it. The Westbank was once part of the Area but is now a separate city called West Kelowna. We list The Lake Country wineries and West Kelowna separates. West Kelowna we refer to as The Slopes of Boucherie. Mission Hill and Quails Gate among these wineries

* a Salish language which arose among the indigenous peoples of the southern Interior Plateau region based primarily in the Okanagan River Basin and the Columbia River Basin in pre-colonial times in Canada and the United States

Kelowna's Lake Country extends north to Oyama

The Okanagan’s first vines were planted in what is now East Kelowna, at an Oblate mission founded in 1859 by a French priest named Charles Pandosy. Please see out History pages

The Kelowna Wineries

~ Ancient Hills Vineyards
~ Burnt Timbers Winery
~ Calona Vineyards
~ Camelot Vineyard Estate Winery
~ CedarCreek Estate Winery
~ Double Cross Cidery
~ East Kelowna Cider Company
~ Frequency
~ House of Rose Vineyards
~ Kitsch Family Wines
~ Mirabel Vineyards
~ Nagging Doubts
~ Okanagan Villa Estate
~ Orphan Grape
~ Paradise Ranch
~ Peller Estates
~ Priest Creek Estate Winery
~ Rollingdale Winery
~ Ricco Bambino
~ Schell Wines
~ St Hubertus & Oakbay Estate
~ Sperling Vineyards
~ Spearhead Winery
~ Summerhill Pyramid Winery
~ Tantalus Vineyards
~ The View Winery and Vineyards
~ 50 th Parallel Estate Winery

Wineries of Kelowna

~ Northern ~ Lake Country ~ Osoyoos Lake Bench ~ Mount Boucherie
~ The Golden Mile ~ Black Sage Road ~ Okanagan Falls ~ Skaha Lake ~ Naramata Bench
Summerland and Peachland ~ Similkameen Valley ~ Kootenays

Home | About | Sitemap | Wine Towns | Tourism | List BC Wineries | Okanagan | Gallery | Contact Us

©2018 Robert A Bell