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

The best part of this tour is the chance to sample the family-run wineries of the Naramata Bench without worrying about driving afterward. You move through a fine mix of boutique producers, lake-view tasting rooms, and long-running estate vineyards, with a wine concierge and door-to-door pickup in the Penticton area.

I like two things right away: tasting fees and a 15 percent guide gratuity are included, and the route gives you more than one style of winery. Moraine pairs wine with a charitable cause, Ruby Blues brings a playful rock-and-roll feel, and Serendipity adds a strong food and family story.

The main consideration is time. The published plan lists many winery stops plus several possible lunch locations, so the exact sequence and number of visits may need to change to fit the six-hour day. Ask for the final route and lunch plan before setting your expectations.

Key points to know before booking

• Pickup in the Penticton area: Your guide collects you from a hotel or vacation rental, then confirms the pickup time by text the night before.
• A broad winery mix: Expect boutique labels, family estates, charitable winemaking, farm roots, and lake views rather than one narrow wine style.
• Tasting fees included: Each winery allows roughly 4 to 5 tastings, with time to shop for bottles.
• Lunch is extra: Lake Breeze, Naramata Inn, and Poplar Grove are listed as possible lunch stops, but you pay the restaurant directly.
• Small-group format: The maximum is 14 people, a useful size for a day built around tasting-room conversation.
• Herb may be your guide: One especially warm account praises Herb for going the extra mile and creating a fun day with excellent wines.

Why the Naramata Bench works so well for a wine day

The Naramata Bench rises above Okanagan Lake near Penticton. Its clay cliffs, vineyard rows, and open views give each tasting stop a sense of place. You are not simply moving from one shop to another. You are seeing how different families and winemakers use the same sunny corner of British Columbia in different ways.

This route also gives you useful variety. Some wineries focus on a small, personal tasting-room feel. Others have a restaurant, terrace, or broad lake outlook. That variety matters because nine tastings in identical rooms would quickly blur together.

The tour lasts about six hours and begins around 10:30 a.m. Pickup is available at your Penticton-area hotel or vacation rental. Include the address when booking, then watch for a text from your guide the night before with the confirmed pickup time.

A maximum of 14 people keeps the group from becoming unwieldy. It is still large enough to bring a social feel, but smaller than a big coach excursion. Air conditioning and bottled water are included, both welcome on a warm Okanagan day.

Starting with MOCOJO and Moraine

MOCOJO Winery is a good opening note because its story is fairly recent and hands-on. It opened in 2014 with Gewürztraminer and Viognier, then added Marechal Foch, Malbec, Rosé, and Merlot. The winery grew out of a bed-and-breakfast idea, but demand led the owners to trade the sleeping rooms for a larger tasting room.

You receive about four or five tastings and time to shop. The short visit favors sampling a range of wines rather than a long technical lesson. If you find a bottle you like, this is a useful early stop for making a note of the name before the day gets busy.

Moraine Winery sits above Okanagan Lake on a shelf of the Naramata Bench, framed by glaciated white clay cliffs. The setting is one of the reasons this route works. You can connect the wine to the dry hills, open lake, and bright Okanagan light.

Moraine also gives the tasting a charitable angle. A portion of tasting fees supports Chalice, an international charity that helps with medical costs for children in need. You still get four or five tastings and shopping time, but the visit carries a purpose beyond the glass.

Three Sisters and Lang: family wine in two different voices

Three Sisters Winery began as a family project involving Rebecca, her winemaker husband Matt, and her parents John and Liz. The first vintage was made in a barn, and family and friends helped label the bottles by hand. That background helps explain the winery’s friendly, personal character.

The wines aim for a balance between elegance and easy drinking. You can expect four or five tastings, followed by time to shop for a favorite. I would pay attention to which wines work best for your own table, since the winery presents its bottles as suitable for porch sipping and dinner parties.

Lang Vineyards brings a longer family story. Guenther Lang began in his garage and launched the first Farm Gate Vineyard in British Columbia in 1990. Today, it is one of the older family estate wineries on the Naramata Bench.

Lang offers four or five complimentary tastings, an appealing detail for the value-minded visitor. Since the tasting fee is already covered in the tour package, this stop can feel especially worthwhile if you want to compare an established estate with newer boutique labels.

The two visits also provide a useful contrast. Three Sisters focuses on an intimate family origin story and approachable wines. Lang gives you a sense of how the region’s wine industry has grown over more than three decades.

Ruby Blues, Deep Roots, and the pleasure of variety

Ruby Blues Winery has a more playful personality. Owners Prudence and Beat had previously sold Red Rooster Winery, then returned to a smaller operation focused on vines, wine, and people. The result is a boutique winery with a rock-and-roll feel, Okanagan-grown grapes, and local artisan goods.

The tasting includes four or five wines, with time to shop. This is the sort of stop that breaks up a long run of formal tasting rooms. If you enjoy a little character with your wine, Ruby Blues may be one of the more memorable addresses on the route.

Deep Roots Winery tells a farming story that reaches back more than a century. Four generations worked the land before the family began making its own wine in 2012 and opened the tasting room in 2014. Before that, they sold their grapes to other producers.

That background gives the wines a clear point of focus: the fruit grown on the family property. You can taste four or five selections and consider how a grower’s approach differs from a winery built primarily around production and branding.

Both stops are short, about 30 minutes each in the listed plan. That is enough for a tasting, a few questions, and a quick look at the shop. It is not enough for a slow vineyard walk or a long meal, so keep your shopping focused.

Serendipity and Wesbert bring newer energy

Serendipity Winery grew from Judy Kingston’s decision to turn a Naramata orchard into a vineyard. Planting began in 2007 with Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Viognier, and Sauvignon Blanc, and the first harvest arrived in 2009.

Judy and her daughter Katie, the head winemaker, run a wineshop and bistro as part of the property. The winery has also been recognized as BC Winery of the Year. You receive four or five complimentary tastings and shopping time, with the option to note the bistro as a reason to return for a longer visit.

Wesbert Winery opened in 2019 after the Joubert family moved from South Africa. Their warm hospitality is part of the winery’s identity, while the five-acre vineyard, tasting room, wine shop, and terrace give the stop several ways to enjoy the setting.

Its location near the Kettle Valley Rail Trail makes it particularly appealing if you are combining wine with hiking or cycling on another day. The winery also expanded into a second vineyard after 2020 and added new grape varieties. The approach is hands-off, allowing the fruit and Naramata growing conditions to lead.

Again, the tasting is about four or five wines and includes time to shop. Across the full route, those repeated tasting opportunities can add up quickly. Use the water provided, take notes, and buy only what you genuinely want to carry home.

Lake Breeze is where wine and lunch meet

Lake Breeze brings together the scenery and the food side of the tour. The MacIntyre family began its winery in 2001, pairing a young winemaker’s direction with a low-intervention approach designed to show the fruit and its origin.

You may taste here before lunch, then continue to The Patio Restaurant. Chef Mark Ashton leads a farm-to-table program using local organic ingredients, including produce, fruit, and herbs grown at the winery’s Farmstead. A seasonal tasting menu is designed to pair with Lake Breeze wines.

Lunch is not included. You pay the restaurant directly, so budget for the meal separately from the tour price. This is important because the package covers tasting fees, water, transportation, the wine concierge, and the guide gratuity, but not food, GST, or bottles.

The listed lunch time is about 45 minutes. That works for a focused meal, but it is not a leisurely afternoon at the table. If lunch is a major reason for booking, confirm whether The Patio is the selected restaurant and ask what menu timing to expect.

Other lunch choices: Naramata Inn or Poplar Grove

The Restaurant at Naramata Inn offers another food-centered option. Its menu uses local fruit, responsibly sourced proteins, and ingredients foraged from nearby hills. The dishes are built around the Okanagan rather than generic restaurant fare.

The listed lunch period is 45 minutes, and the bill is paid directly to the winery. The setting and menu may appeal to you if food matters as much as tasting. Still, the short time means the meal will be part of a busy touring day, not a long, relaxed restaurant visit.

Poplar Grove Winery provides a third possibility. Its restaurant sits on the slopes of Munson Mountain, with broad views over Okanagan Lake. Executive Chef Stacy Johnston creates dishes using products from the valley, paired with Poplar Grove wines.

This stop is listed at about 30 minutes, shorter than the other lunch choices. That may suit you if you want to keep moving, but it gives you less time at the table. Confirm the lunch stop before booking if restaurant choice is central to your plans.

The three lunch options make the day flexible, but they also create uncertainty in the published outline. The route names many wineries and then lists more than one restaurant. For a smooth day, ask which wineries are confirmed, how lunch is selected, and how much time will be available at each stop.

What the price includes, and what it does not

No tour price is provided here, so I cannot judge it against a dollar figure. I can tell you what value to measure.

The package includes tasting fees, an air-conditioned vehicle, bottled water, a wine concierge, pickup and drop-off in the Penticton area, and a 15 percent gratuity for the guide. Those inclusions remove several small costs that can otherwise add up during a wine day.

The biggest value is the driver and route planning. You can taste at each stop without appointing a designated driver, and you do not need to work out parking or winery directions. Door-to-door transport is especially useful if your accommodation is outside central Penticton but still within the stated pickup area.

You pay extra for lunch, GST, and wine purchases. The tasting fees do not cover bottles, so set a separate wine budget if you expect to buy from several wineries. With four or five samples at many stops, you will have plenty of chances to shop, but you do not need to buy at every stop.

The included 15 percent gratuity is also worth noting. You are not expected to calculate a tip at the end of the day, although the tour price itself may still be subject to tax.

Timing, group size, and practical concerns

The experience is offered in English and uses a mobile ticket. Confirmation is sent within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability. The tour requires a minimum number of people, so if that minimum is not met, you are offered another date or experience, or a full refund.

Cancellation deserves attention. Once booked, the experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. Do not reserve it until your plans are firm.

Service animals are allowed, and most people can participate. The tour is near public transportation, though the main convenience comes from the included pickup and drop-off. Your guide confirms the pickup time by text the night before, so keep your phone available.

The published rating is five out of five from 29 reviews, with 100 percent recommending the experience. The strongest praise centers on the guide, the relaxed fun of the day, and the quality of the wine. One account specifically names Herb and says he went out of his way to make the outing enjoyable. If Herb is assigned to your group, you can expect a guide who takes the hosting side of the job seriously.

Who should book this Naramata wine tour?

I would choose this for a first wine visit to the Naramata Bench, especially if you are staying in Penticton and want transportation handled. It suits couples, small groups, and people who want a broad introduction rather than a deep technical study of one producer.

It is also a good fit if you value family stories. Moraine, Three Sisters, Lang, Deep Roots, Serendipity, Wesbert, and Lake Breeze all bring a personal angle to the day. You are tasting the work of families and small teams, not only large commercial brands.

I would hesitate if you want a slow, private tasting at just two or three wineries. The schedule is built around several short visits, and the exact mix of wineries and lunch stops should be confirmed. It may also disappoint if you expect lunch to be included in the price.

Should you book it?

Book this tour if you want easy transportation, included tastings, and a wide sample of Naramata wineries in one day. The lake views, family ownership, and mix of boutique styles give the route more character than a simple hop between tasting rooms.

Before paying, confirm the exact winery lineup and lunch location. If you are comfortable with a full, tasting-heavy schedule and an extra bill for lunch and bottles, this is a strong practical choice for exploring the Penticton wine country without driving.

FAQ

How long does the tour last?

The tour lasts approximately six hours.

What time does the tour start?

The stated start time is 10:30 a.m.

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 wine tasting included?

Yes. Tasting fees are included, and the listed winery visits generally provide about four or five tastings each.

Is gratuity included?

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

Is lunch included?

No. Lunch is not included. The bill is paid directly to the selected restaurant or winery.

Which lunch locations are listed?

The listed options are The Patio Restaurant at Lake Breeze, The Restaurant at Naramata Inn, and The Restaurant at Poplar Grove Winery.

How many people can join the tour?

The tour has a maximum group size of 14 people.

Can I cancel or change my booking?

The experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If the minimum number of participants is not met and the operator cancels, you are offered another date or experience, or a full refund.