Lake Country sits at the northern frontier of the Okanagan wine region — and its cooler climate, extra rainfall, and steep lake-hugging slopes produce wines of remarkable freshness and aromatic complexity that stand apart from anything grown further south. The region sits on a rich mix of clay, gravel, and limestone soils deposited by ancient glaciers, and benefits from three lakes — Wood Lake, Kalamalka Lake, and Okanagan Lake — whose moderating influence extends the growing season and protects the vines from frost. Modern advances in viticulture, including wind machines and careful site selection on south-facing slopes, have unlocked what was once considered too cold for premium winemaking.

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The Lake Country wine story begins with one family's vision. In 1976, Austrian immigrants George and Trudy Heiss planted BC's first Pinot Gris vines at what would become Gray Monk Estate Winery — sourcing 50 cuttings from Alsace, France and betting everything on a hillside that nobody else believed in. For 27 years, Gray Monk was the only winery in the entire region. Today the Scenic Sip Wine Trail spans eleven distinct stops — from Gray Monk's pioneering lakeside estate and the world-class Block One Restaurant at 50th Parallel Estate Winery to boutique organic estates like Blind Tiger Vineyards, the award-winning Peak Cellars with its 96-point internationally acclaimed Riesling, art-inspired Ex Nihilo Vineyards, and the newly opened Azhadi Vineyards — the Okanagan's most architecturally extraordinary new winery destination, inspired by Tehran's iconic Freedom Tower and perched above Okanagan Lake at McKinley Beach.