Naramata BC: The Okanagan Wine Bench Guide

Naramata is the boutique wine village of the South Okanagan — 15 kilometres north of Penticton along a twisting road carved into the east bench of Okanagan Lake, with 40-plus wineries packed into a 20-kilometre strip, beaches on the lake, a disused railway turned into the Kettle Valley cycling trail, and a population of about 2,000 people who have made their peace with the steady stream of visitors pouring through between May and October. It is the Okanagan’s answer to Sonoma or the Yarra Valley: compact, walkable, cyclable, deeply committed to its vineyards, and largely free of the high-rise resort development that has shaped nearby Kelowna.

The Naramata Bench is not an administrative region. It is a geological one — a terrace of glacial deposits rising 100 to 200 metres above the east shore of Okanagan Lake, where the combination of long sunny days, warm nights, limestone-rich soil, and good drainage produces some of BC’s best still and sparkling wines. The bench has been planted to vines since the 1960s but exploded as a premium wine region starting in the 1990s, and today encompasses some of the most respected producers in the country alongside an endless rotation of small family operations with tasting rooms no bigger than a living room.

For couples, cyclists, wine nerds, or anyone seeking a quieter alternative to Kelowna or central Penticton, Naramata is the Okanagan’s signature destination.

The Naramata Bench wineries

Forty-plus wineries operate along a roughly 20-kilometre stretch of Naramata Road and the adjacent back roads. Visitors typically taste at three to five per day; seven is possible but exhausting. Reservations are increasingly required, especially at the premium producers and on summer weekends.

A selection of producers worth visiting

• Lake Breeze Vineyards — small Mediterranean-styled estate on the bench, strong pinot blanc and sauvignon blanc, lunch service in season.
• Poplar Grove Winery — one of the bench pioneers, full-bodied reds, exceptional hilltop tasting room views.
• Therapy Vineyards — deliberately provocative branding, serious wines underneath, a popular lunch stop.
• Hillside Winery & Bistro — estate winery and full-service bistro at lunchtime.
• Bench 1775 Winery — clean modern architecture, lakefront tasting patio, full lunch menu in season.
• Red Rooster Winery — large accessible estate with art installations and reliable varietals.
• JoieFarm Winery — Old World-styled whites and rosés from a small team that helped define the bench’s current ambitions.
• Nichol Vineyard — one of the oldest on the bench, specialising in syrah grown on the slope.
• La Frenz Estate Winery — Australian-trained winemaker, acclaimed whites, intimate tastings.

Entrance fees for tastings typically range from CAD$10 to CAD$25 per flight, often refundable against a bottle purchase. Picnic areas are common. Most wineries are open from May through mid-October.

For a broader overview of the region, see our Okanagan wine guide.

The Kettle Valley Rail Trail

Running the length of the bench is one of the best short-distance cycling routes in Canada — the Naramata section of the Kettle Valley Rail Trail (KVR), a rail-to-trail conversion that follows the 1915 Kettle Valley Railway on a gentle 2% gradient. From Penticton, cyclists can ride the trail 22 kilometres north through the heart of the wineries, stopping at tasting rooms along the way, and return (or continue further) as energy allows.

Typical day trip: rent a bike in Penticton, ride north along the KVR to Naramata village, stop at 3 to 4 wineries, have lunch at a bistro, and either return the same day (44 kilometres round trip) or continue north to the tunnels at Little Tunnel and Chute Lake (spectacular views, optional).

Many visitors do a shuttle-assisted version: they ride in one direction with wine pickups at their visited wineries, and a shuttle returns them to accommodation. Several outfitters in Penticton and Naramata offer bike rental, shuttle services, and guided tastings as packages. Browse GetYourGuide for Okanagan wine and cycling tour options.

For a deeper dive on the route, see our Kettle Valley Rail Trail guide.

Beaches and the lake

Naramata has a small swimming beach in the heart of the village, Manitou Beach, just a few minutes’ walk from the Naramata General Store. It is small but family-friendly, with shaded picnic areas. For a bigger and quieter swim, Naramata Provincial Park Beach is 5 kilometres south and is typically less crowded than similar spots closer to Penticton.

Boating, waterskiing, and standup paddleboarding on Okanagan Lake are popular, with rentals available in Penticton. Watch for summer smoke; late-season wildfires in the region can occasionally impact air quality.

Eating in Naramata

Naramata punches well above its weight for dining. The village itself is small enough to walk through in ten minutes, but holds several strong options:

• The Naramata Inn: the village’s flagship heritage hotel (1908) with a restaurant run by acclaimed chef Ned Bell — one of BC’s best fine-dining experiences, and worth the reservation even if you are not staying there. Go for the lake view at sunset.
• Naramata Pub at the Village Grounds: casual, reliably good, with a strong wine list and wood-fired pizza.
• Restaurant at La Frenz: seasonal wine-country lunch, patio views over the vineyards.
• Nels Corner Gelateria: worth a stop for pistachio ice cream after a hot cycling day.

Winery restaurants across the bench are mostly lunch-only but include Poplar Grove’s Vanilla Pod (patio lunch), Hillside Bistro, Therapy’s Joyride, and Lake Breeze’s The Patio — all strong.

Where to stay

Naramata accommodation ranges from century-old heritage inns to vineyard cottages:

• The Naramata Inn (1908) — the village anchor, stunning historic building, walking distance to everything.
• God’s Mountain Estate — landmark boutique inn with sweeping lake views, garden suites, a celebrated farm-to-table breakfast.
• Vineyard cottage rentals on several estates.
• Penticton hotels (15 to 20 minutes south) — more options at more price points, car required.

Reserve months in advance for July and August.

Getting there

From Vancouver: 5 hour drive on Highway 3 (Hope-Princeton) or Highway 5 (Coquihalla) to Penticton, then 15 minutes north. Flights to Kelowna (1 hour from Naramata by car) or Penticton (20 minutes) are alternatives.

From Kelowna: 60 to 70 minutes south on Highway 97, then east on Naramata Road.

Public transport: limited. A rental car is effectively required for most visitors.

A two-day Naramata itinerary

Day 1 — settle in, cycle, and taste

• Morning: arrive, check in. Bike rental pickup.
• Afternoon: KVR ride north with 3 to 4 winery stops.
• Evening: dinner at the Naramata Inn.

Day 2 — deeper tastings and the lake

• Morning: private tasting at a premium winery (Poplar Grove, JoieFarm, or Nichol).
• Lunch: estate restaurant on the bench.
• Afternoon: beach time at Manitou or Naramata Provincial Park.
• Sunset tasting at Bench 1775 or similar with a lakefront patio.
• Dinner: casual at the pub or drive to Penticton for more options.

Practical tips

• Always designate a driver or use a wine tour shuttle. BC has zero-tolerance drunk driving rules and a network of private operators happy to do the driving for you.
• Cellular coverage is good throughout the Naramata Bench.
• Summer temperatures regularly exceed 35 degrees Celsius; drink water between wineries.
• Wildfire smoke can be an issue in August. Check air quality before outdoor activities.
• Many wineries now require tasting reservations, especially in peak season; book at least a day ahead.
• The Naramata General Store is your main supply point; one small grocery in town, a second in Penticton.
• Ice cream at Nels Corner Gelateria is a mid-afternoon tradition.

Naramata is Okanagan wine country at its most walkable and human-scale. Where Kelowna’s wineries can feel corporate and Oliver’s can feel remote, Naramata threads the needle — serious wine, excellent food, a small village, a long lake, and a cycling trail that quietly delivers you between them. For a four-day Okanagan trip designed around wine and cycling rather than ski-resort energy, it is the best base in the valley.