Fitzpatrick Family Vineyards

The Vibe

There are wineries with beautiful views — and then there is Fitzpatrick at Greata Ranch. Consistently described by visitors as among the top ten most scenic winery settings in the entire Okanagan, the estate sits directly on Okanagan Lake between Peachland and Summerland, accessed through a heritage ranch gate and a winding driveway that delivers you to a terrace overlooking what feels like an infinite expanse of blue water and mountain. The Fitzpatrick family's connection to this land stretches back to the 1940s, when Ross Fitzpatrick first visited as a young man working with his father's fruit packing company — and the peaches he tasted here were so exceptional that memories of them eventually drew him back. In 1994, after transforming CedarCreek Estate Winery into one of Canada's most celebrated wineries, Ross purchased the then-abandoned Greata Ranch and began the long process of restoration. What emerged is a place of genuine serenity — quiet, unhurried, and completely focused on the pleasure of being exactly where you are.

The Experience

Tastings at Fitzpatrick are personal, unhurried, and consistently described by guests as among the finest they have experienced anywhere in the Okanagan — hosts like Kam and Katey taking time to walk guests through the family's story, the estate's remarkable geology, and the wines themselves with equal enthusiasm and knowledge. The cellar tour adds a genuinely unique dimension — during excavation of the wine cellar, workers unearthed a series of volcanic cannonballs, round balls of lava that cooled mid-air during ancient volcanic eruptions, now displayed as a fascinating geological exhibit alongside the barrels. The tasting room and Fitz Bistro operate as separate spaces on the estate, allowing guests to move seamlessly between a seated wine tasting and a farm-to-table bistro lunch overlooking the lake without one experience interrupting the other. Special evening events — winery dinners, live performances, seasonal celebrations — are worth checking the calendar for before your visit.

The Wine

Ross Fitzpatrick built his reputation producing two-time Canadian Winery of the Year results at CedarCreek — and at Fitzpatrick Family Vineyards, he has chosen to focus that lifetime of accumulated winemaking wisdom on a single, demanding category: traditional method sparkling wine. The FITZ Brut and Blanc de Blancs are crafted with the patience and precision the style demands — aged on lees, disgorged by hand, and finished with a dosage that balances freshness and complexity in a way that earns consistent 92-point scores from national critics. Alongside the sparkling program, the estate produces a focused range of still wines including the celebrated Lookout Riesling, an expressive Ehrenfelser, a Pinot Blanc nicknamed The Mischief, and the Sudden Inversion — a Merlot-dominant red that shows the breadth of the estate's cool-climate terroir. Every bottle is estate-grown and carries the quiet confidence of a family that has been listening to this land for a very long time.

Good to Know

• Best for: Wine enthusiasts, sparkling wine lovers, couples, special occasions, guests looking for one of the most scenically spectacular winery experiences in the Okanagan

• Don't miss: The cellar tour with the volcanic cannonballs — one of the most genuinely surprising and memorable moments on the entire Bottleneck Drive route

• Signature wines: FITZ Brut, Blanc de Blancs, Lookout Riesling, The Mischief Pinot Blanc, Sudden Inversion Red

• Tasting fee: $10 per person for a flight of four wines — reservations required via website

• Hours: Open Monday to Friday 11am–5pm — closed Saturday and Sunday. Plan accordingly

• Dog friendly: Yes — patio seating available for guests with dogs

• Heads up: The separation of the tasting room and bistro means you may want to allow extra time to enjoy both fully — this is not a quick stop, and that's entirely the point