Okanagan falls | bc wine route

# of wineries: 12+

Don't miss: Stag's Hollow, Noble Ridge

Common varietals: a little bit of everything!

Wine region: Okanagan Valley

Only a 20 minute drive south from Penticton, BC, will get you to the incredible Okanagan Falls! 

Unlike a lot of other areas within the Okanagan Valley, OK Falls is not directly on a lake. Instead, it is nestled on the land between two lakes: Skaha to the north, and Vaseux to the south.

From sparkling wine + Riesling to Pinot Noir + Syrah or unique varietals like Albariño + Teroldego, there are so many varieties of grapes that thrive in Okanagan Falls! While a lot of grapes grow well in OK Falls, the majority of grapes grown in the sub-GI are Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir. 

I have explored OK Falls a few different times and even though there are less wineries to choose from than some other areas, the ones here are absolutely fantastic and should not be overlooked!

Situated within the Okanagan Valley Geographical Indication (GI), Okanagan Falls has it's own sub-Geographical Indication (sub-GI, or sub-region). That means that you can see Okanagan Falls listed on a wine label! This essentially means that the terroir of Okanagan Falls is so unique that wines produced there can stand out from the rest of the Okanagan Valley!

OK Falls actually sits on the very edge of a desert—yes you read that right, a desert in Canada! Long hot days and slightly cooler nights help the grapes to develop beautiful fruit flavours while retaining their acidity. A classic trait of BC wines. 

The rolling hills, ridges, and hollows in the photo above that are characteristic of OK Falls create picturesque views throughout the region but are also very useful for vineyard drainage. Bonus!

The hollows, known as kettles, are really unique to the area thanks to a receding glacier. Huge chunks of ice would break off of the receding glacier and dig into the sediment below, which was also left by the melting glacier. When the buried ice chunk finally melted, a depression was left in the ground like what you see in the photo above at Stag's Hollow Winery. Lots of falling ice chunks make for lots hollows and land filled with ridges and mounds, a landscape that is prevalent in OK Falls.*

Thanks to the glacier, a lot of gravel was left behind as well which also plays into the great growing conditions in OK Falls. 

* Please note that I am not a geologist or whatever, so this is my best interpretation of the glaciofluvial land formations in Okanagan Falls!

P.S. if you don't understand the bold italicized words, there are definitions at the bottom of the page to make it easier!

Noble Ridge Vineyard & Winery - Offers insane views of their vineyard and Vaseux lake as you sip their delicious line up of wines. Their customer service is always top notch!

Stag's Hollow Winery - An OG in the BC wine industry, they focus on heavily on sustainable farming and minimal intervention wine making to produce wines that show off their unique terroir. Only a 3 min drive from Noble Ridge.

If you have time:

Blue Mountain Vineyard & Cellars - Produces incredible Traditional Method sparkling wines. Only an 8 minute drive from Stag's Hollow.

Wild Goose Winery - Another OG in the BC wine industry, they produce a lot of aromatic grapes on their property. Only a 1 minute drive from Stag's Hollow.

Liquidity - A beautiful view, elegant wines with a female winemaker as a bonus! Only a 3 minute drive from Stag's Hollow.

See Ya Later Ranch - Yet another OG in the BC wine industry and they're dog friendly! While they technically aren't in the borders of the OK Falls sub-region they are in the nearby area. A 13 minute drive from Stag's Hollow.

There are a few more wineries in Okanagan Falls that I haven't yet had the chance to visit. But if you have never been, this is a good starting point!

GI: Geographical Indication; a specific wine region in BC which can be indicated on wine labels. BC has nine GIs as well as sub-GIs.  

Sub-GI: Sub-geographical Indication; a sub-region or a much smaller area within a larger GI where it is recognized that the terroir enables the area to produce distinct wines. You can also see this listed on a wine label.

Traditional Method: sparkling wines made in the same way that Champagne is made! It just can't be called Champagne is if isn't produced in Champagne, France.

Terroir: all of the environmental things that can affect the taste of grapes. These are things that make the vineyard or area unique such as the soil, climate, altitude, proximity to mountains or lakes etc. Basically, the unique parts of a vineyard can create distinct wines!