Ex Nihilo Vineyards & Tasting Room — Attraction in Lake Country

Update May 2023. We returned to Ex Nihilo hoping for another memorable visit. Indeed it was. The wines and the service have declined considerably. Again we booked a Memor Vivo tasting. Our server was Wayne. He was totally disinterested in his guests. He offered minimal information about the wines he was pouring. We really felt we were in the way. After he poured the last wine, he just disappeared. He gave no opportunity to purchase wine, maybe that was a good thing. When no one returned to serve us, we quietly got up and left. The wines themselves are overpriced for their mediocracy. We understand that previous partners in the establishment now have outright ownership. It is a shame that they are allowing the business to lose it's excellent reputation. 2022 - We booked a Memor Vivo experience. To be honest we were a little put off when there was gratuity added to our online payment, however they explained this was to cover the "costs" of the service and not the server. Perhaps including that added cost in the fee would be a better business model Ex Nihilo has a beautiful tasting room and they go to the trouble of providing different glasses for different wine styles [hence the 15% extra charge]. Carol M attended to us. What a wonderful representative. Knowledgeable, courteous and friendly, she was obviously there to make our visit memorable. The wines, isn't that why we visit wineries, are good.........not always the best, but all of high quality. Some of the reds are little overpriced. But they are complex and palatable. We were surprised by the Pinot Noir. Smooth and more full bodied than most in the Okanagan. One thing I liked, we were offered member exclusive wines, not only to taste, but also allowed to buy. Ex Nihilo has come a long way since my last visit in about 2016. You should definitely put it on your wine...

Our group had an incredibly upsetting experience at this winery, one that left us shocked and disheartened. Friends had flown in from across the country to Kelowna to celebrate Pride Month and honor a close friend who has been a tireless advocate for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. This was meant to be a joyful reunion—our first stop of the evening.

From the moment we were seated, our server (Cara) treated us with hostility and judgment. Her demeanor was rude, condescending, and dismissive. Despite being a group of eight adults, she refused to let us order wine right away, insisting we order food and water first. She claimed it was because we arrived by cab and “must have been drinking,” though we explained that we took cabs specifically so we could enjoy the winery responsibly and safely.

It became clear her behavior was rooted in bias. Her discomfort with our group—especially our queer friends—was palpable and discriminatory. After two shared bottles of wine (total) over the course of dinner, with no incidents, we were abruptly told we would no longer be served. When we asked why, we were given no clear explanation. Instead, we were threatened with police involvement if we didn’t leave immediately.

This was not just poor service—it was blatant discrimination. We were calm, respectful patrons who came to enjoy a meal and support a local business. Instead, we were humiliated, targeted, and made to feel unwelcome because...

My experience with Ex Nihilo years ago was great, did the wine tastings, had even signed up for their wine club membership for wine shipments. The reason for this low review is my current service now. After multiple shipments I decided to cancel my wine club membership to have more wine shipped over due to budget cuts in the household. Part of the membership gets you a discount off the wine and requires a minimum amount of wine shipments to continue which their guest services team mentioned to me and I agree is fair and at the time they delayed a shipment to help me out. After receiving the last shipment about a year or so ago, I called in to cancel my membership and guest services complied. During this time frame my credit card on file also expired so the “break up” should’ve been fairly clean. This week I received a charge on my card for another shipment. I quickly called Ex Nihilo and left a voice mail to contact me back. That was Monday. Thursday I left a second voicemail expressing my concerns as I’ve in no way expressed permission to update my payment information on their profile for me. At this point the ball is in Ex Nihilo’s court to contact me back as this all can be resolved with one call. You have my contact information, and it’s now 6 days and two voicemails with no correspondence. I will update this review or escalate accordingly. I look forward to hearing from the management team at Ex...