Hillside Estate Winery Penticton BC

This is not your typical mom & pop winery. This is a mature winery that is serious about wines. They have a restaurant or Bistro on site with beautiful views and an excellent chef. If you are winery hopping in the Okanagan Naramata Bench area you should schedule your visit around lunch or dinner. However, I recommend making a reservation if you want to eat in their Bistro as it is very popular and you can choose between several combinations of tastings, tours, and Lunch or dinner combinations. I am typically not one for making reservations but they are the exception. They have a very well appointed wine shop and tasting bar if you just want to drop in for a quick wine purchase. They have a very impressive cellar that is dug deep into the hillside. The walls are solid river rock, 22 feet high, three foot thick and houses stainless steel tanks and racks of French and American Oak barrels. The stone walls create a natural wine cellar temperature and the tower circulates warm air out and pushing cooler air in to the cellar. They are easy to spot just look for the bell tower on the west side of the Okanagan Lake as you drive north on Naramata Road from Penticton. Hillside Estate Winery, 1350 Naramata Road, Penticton, BC, V2A 8T6 Ph# 250-498-6274.

Winemaker Kathy Malone produces top quality Okanagan Valley wines destined for many markets. The winery produces approximately 12,000 cases of wine a year. Their Gamay Noir vines were planted over 25 years ago so I purchased a bottle to try ($25.09). This wine has a taste of red cherry, raspberry and cedar notes that finishes with a moderate but well-balanced feel of tannins on the palate. The Gamay Noir pairs well with grilled wild salmon, seared duck or roast pork dishes. Currently, Hillside Estate Winery is the only winery in BC producing Muscat Ottonel a truly unique and unusual aromatic white wine which has developed a huge customer following. I did not purchase it on this trip because I plan to return in April and purchase their new release. This is definitely a winery worth a return visit. Some of their other award winning wines are: Pinot Gris, Gewurztaminer, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Merlot, Reserve Merlot, Syrah, and Mosaic (their trademark Brodeaux-style Blend). To check out their web page type or copy & paste “Hillside Estate Winery” into the Google Search in the top right corner and click on “The Web” tab.

Soaring Eagle Estate Winery

1751 Narmata Road, Penticton, BC, Canada. PH# 250-490-4965.


It is the business and home of Keith and Lynn Holman. Belly up to their tasting bar and meet two of the most interesting and engaging people in the wine business. Their Winemaker Bernhard Schirrmeister has created a riper fuller style of wine using later harvest, lees contact, and low barrel aging to enhance but not to interfere with what nature provides. Lees Contact is particularly effective at modifying wood tannin astringency by binding with free ellagic tannins, thus lowering the proportion of active tannins. Thereby, improving the balance of fruit, wood, bacterial and yeast aroma, and flavor notes in the wines he produces.

On this trip I purchased 2007 Merlot Rose ($16.53) and 2007 Pinot Meunier ($19.14)

Search tip: Type "Soaring Eagle Winery" in the Google Custom Search and click the "The Web" tab.

Okanagan Wine Festival 2009 Hester Creek Winery

This was a very popular winery on the day we chose to visit their tasting room. The tasting room was so busy that we were not able to get to the bar for the tasting. We decided to leave and return later in the week but unfortunately, we never made it back. Hester Creek Winery may be one of the oldest vineyards in the Golden Mile of the southern Okanagan Valley. They produce Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Semillon/Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Trebbiano, Cabernet/Merlot, Merlot, and several reserves wines. They are located on the Road #8 south of Oliver on Hwy 97. Ph# 250-498-4435 or 1-866-498-4435

The Tasting room and wine shop were beautiful with a gourmet kitchen to die for. They regularly invite gourmet chefs to cook and pair wine with various dishes. A must see on my next trip to the Okanagan Valley. Maybe, I will return in April when they release their latest white wines. I think a stay at one of their Villas may be just what I need to evaluate their new wines. To check out their web page type Hester Creek Winery into the Google Search in the top right corner and click on “The Web” tab.

Okanagan Festival 2009 Gehringer Brothers Winery

Highway 97 at Road # 8 south of Oliver, BC. Winemakers Walter and Gordon Gehringer (two brothers) have consistently produced handcrafted wines winning numerous awards. Walter graduated from the University of Geisenheim in Germany with an engineering degree in viticulture and oenology. Gordon graduated with a degree from Weinsberg in West Germany in the Wine Masters Art. The present vineyard site was purchased in 1981 and the winery was built in 1985 and produced the first vintage that same year. They are best known for their Rieslings and offer dry, medium, and private labels as well as superb ice wines. They produce wines in the German style and are best known for their white wines. As far as I know they do not have a website. Their tasting room is open daily from 10am – 5pm. Ph# 250-498-3537.

2008 Auxerrois ($14.09). Auxerrois Blanc is a French grape that is named after the city of Auxerre in Burgundy, France and is also widely grown in Germany and Luxembourg. This wine has a delicate fruit taste with a soft mellow acidity rich in subtle flavors and finished in an off-dry style. A wine that is widely accepted by people with different preferences. A great accompaniment to seafood especially scallops and shellfish as well as cream sauce dishes. Serve slightly chilled. This was a unique wine that I had not previously tried so I purchased a bottle.

2008 Schonburger/Gewurztraminer ($15.09) This is a classic Schonburger/Gewurztraminer made in the old German tradition. The flavors profiles of these two varieties truly complement each other. Schonburger contributes a delicate spice and subtle muscat (light orange) highlights that are evident throughout. Gewurztraminer supports this wine with an added dimension of spice and a crisp lively acidity. The fruit flavors are tropical reminiscent of papaya, passion fruit, and lychee nuts. The sweetness is completely balanced by the wines flavors. Great as an aperitif (served before the meal with an appetizer) and can be served with fruit and cheese or with lighter foods. Serve slightly chilled. This is a medium-dry wine.

Okanagan Festival 2009 Tinhorn Creek Vineyards

Tinhorn Creek Vineyards, 32830 Tinhorn Creek Road, Oliver, BC, V0H1T0. Take Hwy 97 south from Oliver turn west on number 7 road follow signs. Tinhorn Creek Estate Winery has been a fixture on the western side of the Okanagan Valley since its opening in 1995. Tinhorn Creek own and operates about 100 acres of vineyards in the Okanagan Valley on two different sites. The 89.5 acre Diamondback Vineyard on the Black Sage Bench is planted with Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Semillon, and Syrah vines. The 30.5 acre Tinhorn Creek Vineyard where the winery is located is planted with Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Kerner, Pinot Noir, and Merlot vines.

They allow both guided and self guided tours of their winery. They name their fermentation tanks for people who helped them get the winery up and going. On the Saturday afternoon when I was there they were hosting an outdoor dinner and concert for the members of their wine club and celebrating the release of their 2007 vintage wines on the opening weekend of the Okanagan Wine Festival. There was a very large turnout for this celebration.

For those that live in Canada you may wish to join their “Crush Club” where they will give you a 15% discount on a case of wine; however, you must pay the shipping cost. See their web site for details. In the Google Custom Search (top right), type in Tinhorn Creek Winery and choose “THE WEB” tab. 

Their wine tasting room is open from: May – Oct 10am – 6pm. / Nov – Apr 10am – 5pm. Ph # 250-498-3743 / 888-484-6467

Okanagan Festival 2009 Tinhorn Creek Vineyards Wines

Winemaker Sandra Oldfield was trained at the University of California, Davis and her American style is reflected in the character of some of Tinhorn’s wines. The tasting room at Tinhorn Creek is bright, stately and staffed by a very knowledgeable team whom we found very accommodating. While we were there we purchased Merlot $19.09, Cabernet Franc $18.09, and Pinot Noir $19.09. I found their red wines flavorful with light pepper and oak taste but not bold. I would classify these wines as easy to drink fruity wines where the tannins do not overwhelm you. This can be attributed to their fermentation process where they pump the juice from the bottom of the tank to the top of the tank and allow the grape juice to soak through the grape skins and settle gently to the bottom of the tank several times. A much better process than crushing the grapes, seeds, and stems together. I was actually able to taste the difference between the grapes without being overwhelmed by tannins. The only reason we did not buy their Gewurztraminer or Chardonnay was that we were focusing on red wines. Both their Gewurztraminer and Chardonnay are great white wines. Tinhorn Creek was the first winery in Canada to bottle its entire portfolio with Stelvin screw-cap enclosures ensuring consistent aging and a guarantee that the wine will be enjoyed as it was intended. Do not let the screw-cap fool you; these are premium wines ready to drink. The screw-caps are perfect for people like me. You know, those who buy wine to drink and not as an investment to hoard. Give me a hearty red wine and a steak with baked potato in the company of a beautiful woman and that is my perfect moment. Keep It Simple Sweetheart (KISS).

South Okanagan Vineyards in BC Canada

The South Okanagan Valley is the heart of the grape growing area in British Columbia. Roughly 60% of the total grape acreage for all of BC is found between the towns of Oliver and Osoyoos. The vineyards you can see in the photo are a part of the growing area called the Golden Mile. Wineries such as Tinhorn Creek, Gehringer Brothers, Hester Creek, Inniskillin Okanagan, Golden Mile Cellers, and Antelope Ridge are all found in the Golden Mile portion of the Okanagan Valley. There are many other smaller independently owned vineyards in the Golden Mile that sell their grapes to wineries throughout BC. On the West side of the valley in the Golden Mile area grapevines are planted in gravelly soil with some clay and sand. The lake you barely see in the back ground is Osoyoos Lake (looking south). The vineyards on the left side of the photo (eastern side of the Okanagan Valley) are the vineyards of the Black Sage Bench (spot the patches of dirt of the feed lots against the eastern mountains and Black Sage is just to the right of them over the hill). Black Sage is one of the largest grape growing areas in British Columbia with over 1500 acres of vineyards. Black Sage Bench Vineyards on the east side of the valley grow in deep deposits of sand. In the 1980s the majority of this area was planted with Hybrid grapes. The 1988 free trade agreement between Canada and the United States saw the implementation of a major vine pull out program. During the grape pullout program of 1988, most of the vines were taken out and replanted with Vinifera (Old World) types of grapevines or classic European grape varieties. Some of the more successful wineries in the Black Sage Bench are: Burrowing Owl Vineyards, Black Hill Winery, Desert Hills, Silver Sage Winery, and Carriage House Wines. The mountains on the opposite side of Lake Osoyoos are actually in Washington State (USA). The desert terrain of the Oliver area actually extends south through eastern Washington, Oregon, California, and Mexico. The Okanagan Valley is Canada’s only desert pocket. Although the vines in this area have more than enough sun light to ripen every year the average rainfall is only 9 inches per year. In order to survive most grapevines need around 18 – 22 inches of rainfall each year. That is why all the vineyards around this area are irrigated.