Peachland is unusually well placed for wine. It sits on the west side of Okanagan Lake between two clusters — the Westside Wine Trail twenty minutes north, and the Summerland and Naramata benches to the south — with two wineries of its own in between. You can taste well without driving far, which matters more than it sounds, for reasons covered further down.

On the doorstep

Fitzpatrick Family Vineyards

At Greata Ranch, a few minutes south of Peachland on Highway 97, and the closest winery to the house. The setting is the draw: the vineyard runs down to the lake and the tasting room looks straight out over the water. They specialise in traditional-method sparkling wine, alongside estate still wines including Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The Fitz Bistro on site opens seasonally. Book tastings ahead, particularly at weekends.

Hainle Vineyards Estate Winery

Up on Trepanier Bench Road, and the most historically significant winery in the valley. The Hainle family founded it in 1972, made the wine generally credited as North America’s first commercial icewine, and in 1988 became the first certified organic winery in Canada. Riesling, Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon alongside the icewines. The tasting room lists daily hours of 11:00 am to 5:00 pm; it is a small, idiosyncratic operation, so ring ahead rather than turning up on spec.

Twenty minutes north: the Westside Wine Trail

West Kelowna has around seventeen tasting rooms gathered along the slopes of Mount Boucherie, a dormant volcano, and this is where most visitors spend a day. Among them:

• Mission Hill Family Estate — the architectural set piece of the valley, with the Terrace Restaurant. Note that from 9 May to 8 September 2026 it is members-or-reservation only.
• Quails’ Gate — three generations of family ownership, strong Pinot Noir, and the Old Vines patio for lunch.
• Mt. Boucherie, Volcanic Hills, Grizzli and Crown and Thieves — all within a few minutes of each other, and all with kitchens attached.

Some of the oldest vines in the Okanagan are on this trail. Two or three wineries is a comfortable afternoon; five is a slog.

Further afield

Summerland is twenty-five minutes south, and the Naramata Bench — a long single road of small producers above Penticton — is about fifty minutes. Naramata is the better day out if you have one to spare and want somewhere that feels less polished.

Why most people take a tour

Tasting is drinking, and BC’s impaired driving rules are strict. The roads between these wineries are narrow, winding and busy in summer. A guided tour solves the problem, and the guides generally get you tastings you would not have booked yourself. Operators working this area include Napa North Wine Tours, Red Dog Wine Tours, Teehouse Wine Tours, Metropolis Wine Tours, Vivid Tours, SIP Tours and Hoodoo Adventures, with Lakeside Eco-Sports running wine tours by e-bike for something more active. Itineraries and prices change every season, so compare directly rather than trusting any list.

If you would rather drive yourself, nominate a driver before you set out and remember that a standard tasting flight is several ounces of wine, not a sip.

What to expect in 2026

Two things worth knowing before you taste. Most wineries now charge a tasting fee, commonly waived or credited if you buy a bottle; and in summer the busier rooms want a reservation, especially at weekends.

The other is the freeze. In January 2024 the Okanagan went from 5°C to around -30°C and stayed below -18°C for more than fifty hours, destroying roughly 95% of the wine grape crop and killing about a fifth of the vines outright. The province responded by temporarily allowing BC wineries to make wine from grapes and juice brought in from outside the province, labelled as crafted in BC rather than as BC wine, and that support ran through the 2025 vintage. 2025 was a strong harvest, but it has not yet caught up with demand. You may therefore see unfamiliar labelling and shorter lists than you expect — it is worth asking the person pouring. Most are glad to explain, and it is a better story than the tasting notes.