Poplar Grove Winery

The benches above Penticton are where the vines go. Sloping ground drains better than the valley floor, gathers heat through long summer days and cools off at night, and that daily swing is a large part of why grapes do what they do in this valley. Wineries sit up on those slopes on both sides of the water, north and east across toward Naramata and south toward Skaha, with tasting rooms looking back down over the lakes and the town wedged between them.

Plan the practical side before you set off. Winery hours in the Okanagan expand for the summer and contract sharply once the season turns, so call ahead rather than assuming, especially outside of July and August. Groups should give notice. Decide who is driving before the first glass is poured, since the bench roads are narrow and winding and a tasting circuit adds up quickly. Give yourself more time than the distance suggests, as the drive up from town is slower than the map makes it look.