‘First visit and only one day’ for a Kelowna wine tour
If it was my first visit to the Okanagan and I only had one day, I would choose the Bare Wine Tours Private West Kelowna Wine tour with my friends. Like a good mixtape (or Spotify playlist for the younger generation) each song should leave you wanting to hit repeat, but not monotonously merge into each other. Similarly, a good variety of wineries prevents your day from becoming bland.
Stop 1 - Mission Hill Family Estate Winery - ‘a grand & glamorous winery’
I think without understanding history, it’s often hard to appreciate the present. Therefore, I’d start my day with what was really one of the main catalysts in the Okanagan becoming a great wine destination. Anthony Von Mandl graduated from UBC and became a successful wine importer in the 1970s before buying Mission Hill in 1981. Just over a decade later the 1992 vintage won international acclaim as the best Chardonnay, cementing the Okanagan as a wine destination.
Alternative if unavailable - Quails Gate Estate Winery (Another sophisticated historic winery)
Stop 2 - The Hatch - ‘creative, alternative & trendy winery’
In 2015 the Hatch was born, and I believe resonated with a whole new wine tasting cohort. They threw out the rules and etiquette often associated with some more ostentatious wineries. They were the beginning of a more relaxed, fun and hip movement in the Okanagan wine industry. Not afraid to take risks, be different, but still able to produce great wines. Such rapid success has resulted in the growth of another 2 new wineries, a cidery, and a brewery being spun out of the Hatch team within 7 years.
Alternative if unavailable - Black swift winery or Crown & Thieves winery (both are also Jason Parkes owned wineries)
Stop 3 - Mt. Boucherie Estate Winery - ‘modern, and polished winery’
This historic vineyard and winery built a new modern 15,000 square-foot wine centre, and restaurant in 2020. Named after the West Kelowna historic landmark volcano it has reactivated itself as a hot must visit wine destination. The