Located in the picturesque region of West Kelowna, BC, Rollingdale Winery is a farm gate winery. One of our favourite aspects is their location, which used to be an orchard with apple, peach, and cherry trees—a testament to the growth potential of the land.

Moreover, we really like their accessibility—they’re just seven minutes from downtown! On top of that, they are open any day of the week!

A notable feature is their exclusive practice of growing grapes and crafting wine organically. In fact, they have been certified organic since 2007!

However, we need to slash off some points for availability because they only accept limited reservations due to being a small winery. While they do take walk-ins, depending on the number of customers, it’s not guaranteed you can enter.

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The bright side of having a small winery is the laid-back atmosphere, which we really enjoyed. You can even bring your furry companion since they’re dog-friendly—their adorable dog, Mike, accompanies their customers sometimes!

Although we like Rollingdale Winery’s good selection of wines, from aromatic to fruity to robust, they only produce small batches. Their ice wines are quite famous, though!

Another feature that caught our attention is the Rollingdale Wine Club. Club members get 15% discounts on wines, receive three wine shipments yearly, and tastings from the barrel!

In 1978, a fifth-generation French winegrower Paul Bosc founded Château des Charmes. They earned a spot on our list due to their generations of experience in the wine industry.

Their vineyard’s location is in Niagara-on-the-Lake at St. David’s, providing picturesque views. It’s a family estate, and the place is massive, providing them with more than enough room to plant many vines.

Possibly the most impressive aspect is they make their wines exclusively from grapes they grew themselves. They plant the European varieties of grapes, Vitis vinifera, known to make the finest wines.

Notably, they are committed to sustainability and are part of Sustainable Winemaking Ontario—a program that ensures wineries uphold environmentally conscious practices. They extend this beyond their vineyards by using raw materials for their barrels.

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Château des Charmes craft reds, whites, sparkling, and dessert wine. What excites us is the distinct flavours each of their vineyards produces—their St. David’s Bench vineyard has a more tangy flair, while the Paul Bosc Estate has a bolder profile.

Their Club Château perks impressed us as club members get six curated bottles of wines every quarter paired with recipes. Plus, each member gets to bring up to six guests for wine tasting!

Not only that, but you can also book their estate for private events. That’s a luxurious event, huh?

While we appreciate that their wine tasting is available in French and English, we heard some cases of poor organization. We were also disappointed that some customers experienced poor service quality.

Bob and Marzia founded 180 Estate Winery at Jordan Station in Ontario. We admire them for pursuing their passion for wines—they even moved their family from Mississauga.

With only 10 acres of land, they are one of the smallest wineries in Ontario. The positive aspect is the size allows them to adopt a hands-on approach, resulting in more flavorful wines.

In addition, we really like their sustainability practices. One of which is through harnessing solar panels to gather energy—a commendable initiative!

Moreover, they practice Integrated Pest Management (IPM), an approach to managing their land to prevent pests from getting out of control. We also appreciate their commitment to minimizing pesticide usage.

We like their customizable club membership, called CLUB180. You can opt for bi-monthly or quarterly wine shipments with three, six, or twelve bottles—including reds, whites, sparkling, and Icewines!

Plus, you can invite three of your friends for a quarterly wine tasting. We were also happy about the complimentary birthday wine!

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A standout service is their Sunday live events. There’s live music every 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm, adding a touch of spectacle and fun to the experience!

What’s also remarkable for us is the option to rent out 180 Estate Winery for private events, such as weddings. They go the extra mile by offering wedding and elopement packages, making things convenient!

Unfortunately, we received reports of subpar service, particularly during wine experiences. Some club members mentioned they felt ignored by the servers when ordering food.

We would also like to see an improvement in their food selection. The people we surveyed felt the price didn’t quite match the quality.

In 1993, Pillitteri Estates Winery was established, yet its roots trace back through generations, predating 1948 in Sicily. We were impressed with their history, starting their small batch of Vidal Icewine in 1988 to now distributing their renowned wines worldwide.

Situated in Niagara-on-the-Lake, with a vast estate that left a lasting impression on us. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, considering their title of being the world’s largest estate producer of Icewine!

Furthermore, we found it incredible that they have five vineyards where they craft their famous Gewurztraminer Riesling and cabernet merlot. Each vineyard is treated differently, ensuring they can craft wines tailored to different preferences.

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Their winemaker, Aleksandar Kolundzic, is worth highlighting due to his wine-making skills. In fact, he has earned multiple awards, including the gold place for the 2016 Decanter World Wine Awards in the UK for crafting the 2014 Reserve Vidal Icewine.

Another feature we really like is their wine club due to the many benefits you can get! There are a total of six free tastings per year, discounted shipping outside of Ontario, and monthly wine shipment—available bi-monthly and quarterly, too!

Additionally, we appreciate their various wine tours for different preferences (and budgets!). They have an outdoor tasting, private tours, and even winery yoga!

What disappointed us was hearing reports about poor subpar customer service, which can leave a bad taste during a supposed-to-be-relaxing wine tasting. We also heard instances of long waiting times, sadly.

Fitzpatrick Family Vineyards is located in Greata Ranch and has one of the most stunning views of Okanagan Lake, which we think is perfect for sipping wine! Their expertise dating back to 1986 is awe-inspiring as well.

Moreover, we think their location at Greata Ranch is ideal for the art of wine-making due to the land being known for producing top-tier fruits! That results in exquisite wines, based on our experience!

You can even rent out the place for an event, which we really like due to the scenic views. A wedding overlooking Okanagan Lake sounds beautiful, no?

Additionally, we admire their commitment to sustainability, striving for a land free from chemicals. They also have a composting program to recycle organic materials.

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One of their most famous products is sparkling wine, crafted using the traditional method originating from the Champagne region of France. Their sparkling takes 24 months of aging, and we appreciate their dedication to not rushing this delicate process.

Let’s not forget their Wine Club, which includes 18 bottles a year (yes, you read the right!)! Plus, you can invite three of your friends for a VIP wine tasting.

While they have a restaurant like most wineries in Canada, we found their prices slightly higher. Unfortunately, we also received complaints from previous customers about occasional shortcomings in their service quality.