Top Things to do in Naramata
Top Restaurants in Naramata
The 6 Best Free Things to do in Naramata, Okanagan Valley
Discover the best top things to do in Naramata, Canada including MOCOJO Winery, Elephant Island Orchard Wines, Lang Vineyards, Marichel Vineyard, Naramata Falls, Van Westen Vineyards.
Restaurants in Naramata
1. MOCOJO Winery
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 38 reviews
MOCOJO Winery is a family vineyard and winery offering wine tastings and sales with a stunning view of the Okanagan Valley. Open daily 12 - 5 May 1st to October 31st.
Reviewed By Cannuckk - Langley, Canada
Our visit to MOCOJO was a bit of a happy accident; we had spent two hours hiking the Kettle Valley Trail from Penticton and we’re heading down from the trail towards the main road, to meet with our friends and visit one or two wineries. On the way down we saw MOCOJO was open for tastings, and went in to see if their tasting setup could accommodate our dog, who was along for the drive. We met Diane, one of the owners who warmly welcomed us (and dog) to the outdoor tasting area. We were fortunate that there were only a couple other guests while we were there, and while we waited for our friends to join us, Diane had the time to engage us in a nice chat about wine and all things related. Of course it’s always a more special experience when you have the opportunity to visit with a winery owner, their passion and knowledge always shines through, and Diane was no exception. We had an opportunity to sample 5 wines,for a modest $5 tasting fee, waived with the purchase of a bottle. I like that philosophy of wine tasting; I don’t like to feel obligated to buy in case I am genuinely not taken by the particular wines on offer. That was not a problem in this case, there was universal agreement amongst the three of us tasting that all five wines were worthy of purchase. Our budget allowed for the purchase of two, a merlot and a gewurztraminer that were unique in that the grapes were harvested in 2018, a notable forest fire season in the region. Whether the smoke in the air that year gave our chosen wines the special taste we enjoyed enough to want to purchase, I’m not sure, but enjoy them we did. MOCOJO is definitely worth as visit, and combining that visit with a hike on the very scenic Kettle Valley trail is certainly an option we would recommend.
2. Elephant Island Orchard Wines
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 191 reviews
Elephant Island began as a family haven, a place of summer picnics, orchard adventures and magical holidays on the Naramata Bench. Today the elephant has grown into a 6,000 case winery driven to craft wines of character. Wines that sing with the unconventional voice of vanguard fruit. Wines that are balanced by a reverence for traditional winemaking practices. Wines that are rooted and inspired by family history.
Reviewed By L69 - White Rock, Canada
This was the last winery of the day & the best one out of all the other ones we had visited that day. It’s so quaint & inviting, the patio is so cute. Our server was excellent & very knowledgeable. We had the fruit wine flight & we all left with a bottle of the crab apple wine. The service was excellent
3. Lang Vineyards
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 89 reviews
Lang Vineyards was the first "Farm Gate" winery opened in all BC. It is located high up on Naramata Bench. We have a tasting room, patio and an amazing view. Stop in and enjoy our award winning wines!
Reviewed By MathduckAlberta - Edmonton, Canada
For over 20 years, we have made Lang Vineyards a must stop. The staff have always made us feel welcome. The pleasure of sipping wine while overlooking Okanagan Lake is blessing. The winery also showcases the artwork of local artists They are old school as their general tastings are free. They are known for having a Maple Wine which is a blend of chardonnay and Canadian maple syrup. Their Marechal Foch is winning awards. We always seem to get a couple bottles of the riesling icewine
4. Marichel Vineyard
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 11 reviews
Reviewed By PrinceGastronome - Vancouver, Canada
Well, this is confusing. It’s Marichel, not Marechal. I don’t know where the name derives from, but it’s not related to the varietal. Marichel doesn’t even harvest Marechal Foch; their specialty is Syrah. It makes me wonder where the name came from. If the winemaker is named Marichel, it would be simultaneously both an amazing coincidence and an irony. I actually know a chef with the last name “Kitchen”. It happens. My girlfriend and I were on vacation through Okanagan wine country. Over six days, we visited sixty wineries. That’s sixty wineries, not an exaggeration. We ended the trip with 120 bottles acquired. And apparently one does not visit Naramata without patronizing Marichel. As friends discovered our journey, no winery was recommended more. I totally understand why. Don’t be led astray by claims of an epic décor, like some monument to viticulture—this is one of the more lackluster looking wineries in the region. The tasting room features a single picnic table. A picnic table. We almost missed the location twice. No, the reason to visit Marichel is their commitment in doing one thing really, really well. That says something about competing wineries. Many of them, even the estates, go for the “shotgun” approach, offering a chaotic scattershot of different wines, whites and reds, to cover all their potential customer palettes. I noticed after my trip those smaller wineries with larger selections seldom had a single bottle that spoke to me (not literally, as that would be a condition), but when specializing in one or two varietals, generally they do well with those bottles. For Marichel, harkening back to the aforementioned irony, it’s Syrah. Marichel presents itself as the wine equivalent to Scientific American (the magazine; I know that’s closely becoming an oxymoron). There’s no pandering to the viticulturally-challenged. Marichel drops some mean knowledge beats on their websites and makes no attempts to explain them to proletariats. They grow only two grapes, Rhone varietals. When describing their Syrah, they claim it’s made up of “scions and rootstocks, with Clone 7 on 3309 predominating.” Yeah, I didn’t understand any of that either. Marichel doesn’t make Côte-Rôtie Syrah, Barossa Shiraz, or Viognier from Condrieu…because…that’s apparently important. “And while we adore Cold Heaven Viognier from California, Tarawara Shiraz from Yarra Valley, and Hermitage Syrah from the Rhone… they’ve all been done.” I’m a massive geek, and even I wanted to scream “NEEERRRRD!”. They obvious love wine and want to share that passion with everyone. It’s no wonder their Syrahs are so well renown. Okay. I’ll buy two. The other aspect of Marichel I appreciate is that often, the individual poring the wine is the winemaker himself. A delightful fellow and obviously one that knows his craft. This makes the claims on the website even more authenticated. They also bottle a viognier, but in the end, it was their Syrah that spoke to us, that speaks to a lot of people. If you enjoy that varietal at all, you owe it to visit this place and snag a few bottles.
5. Naramata Falls
6. Van Westen Vineyards
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 34 reviews
Reviewed By MissingCubaAlready - Vancouver, Canada
The nearby distillery pointed us in the direction of Van Westen, noting they have the best reds on the bench. So glad we went to find out! The whole tasting experience was friendly and fun, and much more informal than other wineries, which was a nice change. Their selection of wines were all delicious and the reds really were divine! The tasting room is more of a large warehouse area so it is a bit chilly (take a sweater!). And there was an adorable dog just chilling on the couch. Highly recommend stopping here!!
