Recently we’ve written a few blogs about Shelter Bay Townhomes and their perfect location amongst all the benefits of living in West Kelowna. And of all the blogs, the one that received the most feedback, was our commentary on living in the middle of Wine Country.
No doubt this is a passion for a lot of people, so our last blog listed several West Kelowna vineyards worthy of visiting, and we were amazed at how many new suggestions we received!
Of all the great recommendations for wineries, big and small … one comment really hit home. It was a request to write about the amazing wine tour companies operating in and around West Kelowna.
It made sense to us, as we probably all agree that the best part about visiting each of these awesome wineries is the education you receive specific to their own unique style of wine making. Each vineyard is so different, their approaches so personal, it’s well worth the time to experience each one…but, the not everyone is able to sample the wines! The designated driver pulls the short straw when it comes to a wine tour and while it is great to learn about each wine, not engaging in the full experience is tough.
Enter the wine tours option!
Trouble free travel on planned routes stopping at your favorite wineries… well, that sounds about perfect! And when you add in, as some tours do, the option of stopping for meals, entertainment and sightseeing, we can’t think of a better way to spend a day (or two).
There are several Wine Tour companies in the area, so we did a bit of research and here is what we came up with…
https://www.vinesandviews.com Located in West Kelowna at 1314 Ponderosa Ct, West Kelowna but their approach is to take you on a wide experience of customizable vineyards tours in either Kelowna, Penticton, or Vernon. What we like about the Vines & Views approach is they specialize in “custom tours”, including different areas, Stagette Wine Tours and Boat Wine Tours!
https://www.jokanaganwinetours.com Located in West Kelowna at 1368 Gregory Rd, and specializing in wine and brewery tours. They are well known for their West Kelowna based tours focused on the world-famous West Kelowna Wine Trail. Their tours include different wineries of your choice where your host, and the amazing people serving your tastings, educate you on the rich history behind the foundation of each wine. What we like about Jokanagan tours is their slightly different take on the experience and their one-of-a-kind tours that include entertainment from Kelowna’s most hilarious comedians.
https://siptours.ca While “Sip Happens” isn’t in West Kelowna, they are just across the bridge located at 347 Leon Ave #210, Kelowna, and they were just voted the Best Wine Tour Company in British Columbia in 2022 and Kelowna’s Best Wine Tour Company in 2021 and 2022. The reason for all the accolades must be their unique approach. With wine tours developed specific to each region, as well as wine and boat tours, Bachelorette wine tours and their connection with Okanagan Boat Charters https://okanaganboatcharters.com they offer the option of having your own designated captain to guide your private float around the lake and experience your own Sip & Cruise Wine Tour.
https://www.okwinetours.com Back on the West Side of the Bridge, at Okanagan Wine Country Tours, located at 1960 Nancee Way, in West Kelowna, you’ll find a wide range of tour options including an opportunity to swirl and sip along the West Kelowna Wine Trail https://www.thewestsidewinetrail.com stopping at the area’s most prestigious wineries like Frind Winery https://www.frindwinery.com, the Okanagan’s only lakeside winery, as well as Mount Boucherie Estate Winery https://mtboucherie.com/, Rollingdale Winery, https://www.rollingdale.ca and Black Swift Vineyards. They also offer a “Best of the West Kelowna Tour” that takes a full day and expands the list of stops to include vineyards such as Mission Hills Family Estate Winery https://www.missionhillwinery.com and Quails Gate https://www.quailsgate.com.
Whichever tour company you try (and why not try them all) we’re sure it will provide a fabulous way for everyone to participate and experience all the fantastic vineyards on the Westside Wine Trail as you visit some of the oldest and most well-established vineyards and wineries in the Okanagan Valley and take it all in, one sip at a time.