Lake Breeze Vineyards Tasting Room — Attraction in Area E (Naramata/Greyback)

It’s a boring name—let’s get that out of the way. Most wineries follow the pattern of sushi restaurants, completely lacking originality in their names. There are exceptions—Burrowing Owl, Silver Sage, Kraze Legz, but for each of those, there’s a Road 13 (literally located on Road 13), Hillside, and Lake Breeze.

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.

Lake Breeze is one of the larger wineries in Naramata, matching the size of Poplar Grove or Hillside, but of those three, I enjoyed Lake Breeze the most. Yes, there’s a bit of a corporate feel for it. Employees sell you more than the owners or winemakers directly. But the winery itself is stunning…when you disregard the actual tasting room. It’s shockingly small for a building this size, with only a few feet of clearance between the bar and the wall. A $3 tasting fee is lower than most others that ask for $5. It’s well made with ample selection of merchandise and related products; it’s just a surprise the actual room is so small. The premises are vast, with several unconnected buildings inviting a fleeting if not enjoyable stroll, a rarity for the region where real estate is apparently rationed and rival winery tasting rooms are literal stone throws apart. Lake Breeze features signs to guide between locations; the most recommended being the Patio restaurant.

Annoyingly enough, for some reason, the majority of review sites have split the entries for Lake Breeze and its onsite restaurant, only known as the Patio restaurant—way to follow that theme of original and thought-out names. Dealing exclusively with the winery, it’s still more than worth the visit—I’d only recommend going early to avoid a crown, because if there’s one, good luck squeezing in that tasting room.

Lake Breeze is another great location in a region already profuse with praise. Just ignore its drab bottles and uninspired name. Seriously, we took our friends on a wine trip a few weeks ago, and they elected to avoid Lake Breeze judged exclusively on how boring the name was. It’s still a great winery…that’s just what happened.

The Patio restaurant, is unbelievably, a patio. I know…you braced for some Mennonite Shyamalan-like twist there, like the patio was upside-down and people hung from swings or something. Wow…that’s actually kind of awesome thinking about it. Regardless, it’s a patio, but an attractive one, offering shade vital given the encroaching heat associated with Climate Change. We enjoyed a slight breeze on our lunch between other wineries, one flowing from the nearby lake, a…Lake…Breeze…if you will.

The menu was obviously changed since last there as we have photos of an impressive charcuterie no longer offered on their menu. I know, right. What modern, trendy restaurant does not offer a charcuterie or antipasto plate? I thought for winery bistros, it was mandatory. It might have been a special that day, but its exclusion now is bizarre. What was also bizarre was the dog chained up nearby that only occasionally acknowledged the crowd that constantly tried to get his attention. I mean that was weird—a dog near a patio restaurant not interested in the food. Maybe he was one of those prole dogs that only enjoys barbecue. I did enjoy the food, but the view was the real draw, more than worth the pause in a wine journey. Sit back, enjoy, and then move on. Of all the restaurants in Naramata wine country, the Patio is one of the...

Beautifully manicured grounds, inviting courtyards, airy patio surrounded by lush gardens Lake Breeze has a quaint European ambience which is both satisfying and alluring.

Named after the winds that cross the bluffs this is a beautiful place to refresh before harnessing the gentle lake breeze to sail through wine country. Original vineyard dates to 1985 being one of the oldest on the Naramata Bench and officially opening 1995 with Swiss-born Paul and Vereena Moser. Equally prized as all the medals awarded is Winemaker Garron Elmes (Cape Town, Stellenbosch) whom merges the stunning wine tradition of South Africa with okanagan terroir. Also famously, first South African to transplant to our beloved wine country and who brought the impressive potential of pinotage to our attention.

Along the way, new owners Drew and Barbara McIntyre smitten with opportunity and seeing Lake Breeze bear award winning fruit expanded from rustic winery to its current appeal. Included was Winemaker Victor Costa (Okanagan College) who brings his Portuguese family roots and tradition to this lovely portfolio.

In kitchen, veteran Chef de Cuisine turned farmer Mark Ashton (Quattro, Spain, Italy and French Riviera) delivers a complete farm to table with seasonality through his farmstead approach. Ethically raised heritage pigs, farm grown produce and scratch made menu is the focus.

Tying together elegant winemaking and a beautifully prepared menu it is easy to understand why this is one of favourite recommendations… you experience worldly crafted wines with an elevated dining experience all in a relaxing setting at Lake Breeze Vineyards! 🍽🥂🍇🏆❤️🍷

Had a lively and wonderful tasting with Darrel (great host and living his best life). Perfect respite luncheon and superb service...

A lovely place to visit, enjoy their wines and if time permitting, lunch on their patio. We did all of the aforementioned. I was hesitant at first as it looked like a trendy thing to do. I don't do trendy, I do quality. I'm happy that I was convinced to go as it turned out to be a pleasant afternoon and I was wrong on the trendy part. Our server was Avalon, professional and engaging. We had ordered food ahead (7 of us for a birthday party) and she asked if there was any changes when we were seated. Nice that we could do this. The salads were fresh and crisp. The other appys were equally as good. I switched to the Swordfish (something new for me) from Lamb. I should have stayed with the lamb. The swordfish was flattened to a quarter inch and while it was tasty with the sauce, I felt a tad overdone. In fairness to the chef, swordfish was new to me however several others tried it and no one seemed to be overly enthused. The lamb was cooked to perfection. I tried it, yummy. One of our family tried the duck, he would order it again. The desserts were great. I recommend the cheese cake. It was a lovely birthday event and I recommend the experience to everyone. No birthday, no worries, just go and enjoy. I'm sure all of the servers are great but we really liked ours. She evidently likes her job and her enthusiasm shows it. A wonderful afternoon regardless of the smoke and inability to see the lake. A minor inconvenience and hopefully for all, especially residents fearful of the fires, it will change to clear conditions soon and the view from their patio will be...