Naramata Full Day Lunch Wine Tour- Incl. Tasting Fees & Gratuity!

The best part of this six-hour outing is its sweep across the Naramata Bench. You move from family-run vineyards to boutique tasting rooms, with Okanagan Lake and the clay cliffs providing the backdrop. Tasting fees and a 15 percent guide gratuity are included, which keeps the day simple once you are aboard.

I like the door-to-door pickup in the Penticton area, and I like the small maximum of 14 people. I also like the range of wineries, from Lang’s long family story to Ruby Blues’ rock-and-roll style and Serendipity’s vineyard-to-table feel. The tradeoff is clear: eight winery visits in about six hours means each tasting stop is short, and lunch and wine purchases are extra.

Key points to know before booking

• Eight winery visits: Expect 4 to 5 tastings at most stops, with time to buy bottles.
• Penticton-area pickup: Your guide collects and returns you to your hotel or vacation rental.
• Small group format: The vehicle holds no more than 14 people, keeping the day more personal than a large coach outing.
• Lunch is separate: Choose from Lake Breeze, Naramata Inn, or Poplar Grove, then pay the restaurant directly.
• Herb may be your guide: A review specifically praises Herb for going the extra mile and creating a fun day.
• Six hours is a brisk schedule: You get broad coverage of the Bench, not long, slow tastings at two or three wineries.

Eight wineries, one Bench, and a full glass of the Okanagan

This tour is built for you if the Naramata Bench is your main wine goal and you want someone else to handle the driving. The route links eight winery experiences, with roughly 30 minutes at most tasting rooms. That gives you a useful cross-section of the area, but it also asks you to keep moving.

The wineries are close enough in spirit to form a clear regional story. You taste wines made from Okanagan fruit, hear how families built their properties, and see how different owners present the same sunny corner of British Columbia. Some stops focus on vineyard views. Others lean into food, family, design, or personality.

You begin at 10:30 am. Pickup is available at your hotel or vacation rental in the Penticton area, and you are asked to provide the address when booking. After confirmation, your guide texts the night before to confirm the pickup time. That small step matters because hotel pickup can otherwise feel vague.

The vehicle is air-conditioned and bottled water is included. The group limit of 14 keeps the outing from becoming a large bus production, though your exact group size may vary. Guide Herb is specifically associated with a highly praised winter outing, so if he is leading your day, expect a host who enjoys the social side of wine touring and is willing to go beyond the bare route.

MOCOJO Winery begins the tasting trail

MOCOJO Winery makes a friendly first stop. The winery opened in 2014 and grew from a small bed-and-breakfast setup into a larger tasting room that now welcomes summer visitors. Its early wines included Gewurztraminer and Viognier, followed by Marechal Foch, Malbec, Rosé, and Merlot.

You receive 4 to 5 tastings and time to shop. The value here is the quick introduction to the winery’s broad lineup and its growth from a small operation into a busy tasting destination. If you enjoy hearing how a young winery takes shape, MOCOJO gives you that context without requiring a long visit.

The 30-minute limit is useful for keeping the day on schedule, but it is not enough for an extended tasting conversation. I would make a note of any bottle you want to revisit before you leave, since the route moves on quickly.

Moraine Winery brings lake views and a charitable purpose

Moraine Winery sits above Okanagan Lake on a shelf of the Naramata Bench, framed by pale glaciated clay cliffs. The setting gives you one of the day’s strongest visual moments, with both vineyard country and the lake laid out below.

Owners Oleg and Svetlana moved from Europe to Canada in 1995 and later moved from Edmonton to the Okanagan to begin their winery project in 2009. That personal story adds warmth to the tasting. You are not simply sampling wine from a label; you are hearing about a family decision to build a new life around vineyards.

Again, you get 4 to 5 tastings and shopping time. Moraine also gives part of its tasting fees to Chalice, an international charity that helps cover medical expenses for children in need. That does not change the price structure of your tour, but it adds a useful social detail to the stop.

Three Sisters keeps the family close

Three Sisters Winery grew from a family vineyard and a first vintage made in a barn. Rebecca, winemaker Matt, and Rebecca’s parents John and Liz are part of the story, and family members helped label the early bottles by hand.

The winery’s name refers to the trio of sisters in the families. Its stated style is elegant but approachable, with wines intended for porch sipping or dinner parties. That makes this a comfortable stop for you if you prefer wines that are easy to understand and pair with ordinary meals.

You get 4 to 5 tastings in about 30 minutes, followed by time to shop. The family focus gives the stop a more personal tone, although the short schedule may limit how much of the story you hear from the tasting-room staff.

Lang Vineyards connects today’s bottles with 1990

Lang Vineyards is one of the older family estate wineries on the Naramata Bench. Guenther Lang began in a garage and opened as British Columbia’s first Farm Gate Vineyard in 1990. Three decades later, it remains a family operation with a boutique profile.

You receive 4 to 5 complimentary tastings and time to purchase wine. Lang is a good stop for putting the newer wineries into context. The Naramata Bench is not only a collection of polished tasting rooms. It also includes small agricultural businesses that grew slowly from farm beginnings.

I like this stop for the sense of continuity. If you are comparing several wineries in one day, a place with more than three decades of local winemaking gives you a helpful point of reference.

Ruby Blues adds a little rock and roll

Ruby Blues is the playful stop on the route. Owners Prudence and Beat created the winery after selling Red Rooster Winery in 2008. They wanted to return to vines, wine, and personal contact rather than paperwork, and Ruby Blues took shape from that decision.

The winery works mainly with Okanagan-grown grapes, much of them from local vineyards. Its rock-and-roll character, boutique scale, wine selection, and local artisan goods give you something different from a strictly traditional tasting room.

You receive 4 to 5 tastings and time to shop. Ruby Blues is especially useful as a change of pace. Eight stops can begin to blur together, so a place with a clear personality helps break up the day.

Deep Roots shows the farming side of wine

Deep Roots Winery comes from four generations of farming and more than a century of family agricultural experience. The family sold grapes to other wineries before deciding to bottle its own fruit in 2012 and open a tasting room in 2014.

That background gives the stop a strong farm-to-bottle angle. The wines are meant to show the quality of the family’s own vineyard fruit, rather than simply serving as another label in a long tour lineup.

You have about 30 minutes here, with tasting and shopping time included. I would pay attention to the vineyard story, especially if you like understanding how grape growing shapes the final wine. The short visit means you should not expect a full agricultural tour.

Serendipity Winery links wine with food

Serendipity began when Judy Kingston visited the Okanagan, found an orchard in Naramata, and decided to turn it into a boutique vineyard. Planting began in 2007 with Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Viognier, and Sauvignon Blanc. Her daughter Katie is now the head winemaker.

The property has a wine shop and a bistro serving seasonal food. Serendipity has also received the British Columbia Winery of the Year award, so this stop may appeal to you if you want a stronger food and wine connection during the afternoon.

You receive 4 to 5 complimentary tastings and shopping time. Since the tour already includes a separate lunch choice, Serendipity is mainly a tasting stop here, not the meal stop. Still, the bistro adds another reason to remember the property if you plan a return visit.

Wesbert Winery offers warmth and a newer family story

The Joubert family opened Wesbert Winery in 2019 after moving from South Africa. Their warm hospitality is part of the winery’s identity, while the vineyard setting sits near the Kettle Valley Rail Trail and attracts hikers, bikers, and beachgoers.

Wesbert has a wine shop, tasting room, and terrace. Its winemaking approach is hands-off, aiming to let the grapes and Naramata growing conditions show through. Since 2020, the family has expanded with a second vineyard and more grape varieties.

You get 4 to 5 complimentary tastings and time to shop. This is another newer winery, but its South African family background gives it a distinct voice. It also adds a useful sense of how the Bench continues to attract new winemaking families.

Lake Breeze supplies wine, views, and the main lunch choice

Lake Breeze brings the tour into its food-focused stretch. The MacIntyre family began building the winery in 2001, combining local fruit with a light-touch winemaking approach. The property sits where the Naramata Bench meets the waters of Okanagan Lake, with breezes moving across the bluffs.

You first receive a 30-minute tasting visit. The tour then offers lunch at the Patio Restaurant, where Chef Mark Ashton uses organic, local ingredients and produce from the winery’s own Farmstead. A seasonal Farmstead Tasting Menu is designed to pair with Lake Breeze wines.

Lunch takes about 45 minutes and is not included. You pay the restaurant directly. That extra cost is worth keeping in mind when you compare this outing with tours that include a meal. On the other hand, direct payment gives you a choice of what and how much to order, assuming the restaurant’s available menu suits you that day.

Choose your lunch at Naramata Inn or Poplar Grove

The second lunch option is the Restaurant at Naramata Inn. Its menu centers on local fruit, responsibly sourced proteins, and ingredients foraged from the surrounding hills. Seasonal cooking is the focus, with food drawn from Okanagan farms, orchards, and pastures.

This choice may suit you best if you want the meal to feel closely tied to the region’s farms and produce. Lunch takes 45 minutes and is paid directly to the winery restaurant.

The third option is the Restaurant at Poplar Grove, located on the slopes of Munson Mountain. You get panoramic views of Okanagan Lake while Executive Chef Stacy Johnston prepares food based on Okanagan ingredients. This lunch is scheduled for 30 minutes, shorter than the two other meal options, and payment is made directly to the restaurant.

Because the information gives three possible lunch venues rather than one fixed meal stop, confirm which restaurant your departure date uses. That detail affects both the timing and the amount you should budget. You should also remember that the tour price covers tastings, not lunch.

What the included value really looks like

The tour includes tasting fees, bottled water, air-conditioned transportation, a wine concierge, door-to-door pickup and drop-off in the Penticton area, and 15 percent gratuity for the guide. GST is not included, and neither are lunch or wine purchases.

I see the value mainly in the driving and tasting fees. Eight winery visits can create a stack of small costs if you arrange them yourself, and a designated driver is essential when you are sampling all afternoon. The guide also handles the route, timing, and group movement, leaving you free to focus on the wines and views.

The wine concierge service is useful if you plan to buy bottles. You can shop at each stop, but you will need to keep track of purchases during the day. The tour data does not specify a bottle-shipping or storage service, so ask the operator how purchases are handled if you expect to buy heavily.

The tour has a five-star rating from 29 reviews, with 100 percent recommending it. That is a strong signal, and the specific praise for Herb points to the guide’s role as a major part of the experience. Still, a perfect record does not change the basic tradeoff: the route is packed and lunch costs extra.

Who will enjoy this Naramata Bench day

I would choose this tour if you want broad coverage rather than a slow study of two or three wineries. It suits first-time visitors to the Naramata area, couples who want a relaxed day without driving, and small groups that value pickup and a guide.

It also works well for people who enjoy winery stories. You hear about garage beginnings, family farms, international moves, orchard conversions, and second-generation winemakers. Those details make the day more than a sequence of glasses.

You may want a different format if you dislike fixed schedules or prefer long meals. Thirty-minute tastings leave limited time for lingering, and six hours goes quickly once transportation and lunch are included. The 14-person maximum is small, but it is still a shared tour rather than a private outing.

Service animals are allowed, the tour is near public transportation, and most people can participate. Confirmation arrives within 48 hours, subject to availability. The experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason, so book only when your plans are firm. If the minimum number is not met and the operator cancels, you are offered another date or experience, or a full refund.

Should you book it?

Book this tour if you want a well-organized introduction to the Naramata Bench, with plenty of tasting, scenic stops, and no need to drive. The included tasting fees, pickup, water, air-conditioned vehicle, and guide gratuity make the cost easier to judge, even though GST, lunch, and bottles remain extra.

If I were choosing, I would book it for the range of family wineries and the chance to see how different Naramata producers express the same growing region. I would budget separately for lunch and set aside room for wine purchases. Most important, I would accept the brisk pace as the price of seeing eight wineries in one day.

FAQ

How long is the Naramata wine tour?

The tour lasts approximately six hours and begins at 10:30 am.

Where does pickup take place?

Pickup and drop-off are offered at hotels or vacation rentals in the Penticton area. You should provide your pickup address when booking.

Is lunch included?

No. Lunch is not included. You pay directly at the selected restaurant.

Where can lunch take place?

Lunch may be offered at the Patio Restaurant at Lake Breeze, the Restaurant at Naramata Inn, or the Restaurant at Poplar Grove. The meal schedule is listed as 45 minutes at Lake Breeze and Naramata Inn, and 30 minutes at Poplar Grove.

Are wine-tasting fees included?

Yes. Tasting fees are included at the wineries. Wine purchases are separate.

How large is the group?

The activity has a maximum of 14 travelers.

Is gratuity included for the guide?

Yes. A 15 percent gratuity for the guide is included.