Moraine Estate Winery — Attraction in Penticton

I feel at the bottom of my heart that the real reason to visit any wine region (defined personally as having more than…I don’t know…one winery) is to visit the family-run estate wineries. Surprisingly, these can range from colossal cathedrals in the worship of viticulture to the petite businesses where the tasting room doubles as a family’s kitchen. Moraine appears on the surface to fall somewhere between. Their production is large enough to find the product most anywhere in BC, but only the most focused tourists would catch the signs for the winery on the road.

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. Three of those were from Moraine, which speaks volumes considering how many are jammed in the Naramata bench. It’s getting to be like a Japanese subway in that region. On our second trip a few weeks ago, we completely missed the signs for it and ended up skipping the location. A damned shame mitigated by the knowledge that my home town boasts a Wines of BC department in our local Save-On. Moraine makes good wine, and that should be enough reason to visit the winery if driving by, but the location itself isn’t anything special. There’s no black lighting or thirty-foot tall ceilings. The entrance door is not a wooden sculpture worth more than my car. The tasting room is diminutive but matching the rest of the austerity of the winery. It all looks…kind of plain. But I also bought three bottles. So, it’s still worth it.

On our visit, we snagged both a Cliffhanger White and a Cliffhanger Red, both of which remain sealed in my cellar. The third is a rather petite yet imposing pipette of Twin Peaks Cab Franc/Merlot Icewine. That one will be opened soon. Moraine is not particularly memorable. The winery is lackluster; their bottles are plain, but the wine is good, and that’s all...

This was a first time visit for us and it sure was a wonderful experience. When we entered, we were greeted by Jerry. We didn't have a reservation but they were able to accommodate our group (4 people). We were introduced to Rachel, who was going to go through their wine offerings with us. She sat us outside on their patio with a lovely view of the lake and vineyard. The sun was shining and the temperature was an excellent 24C. The wines we tried were excellent. We also ordered a cheese plate. Once we finished our tasting we ordered their Meritage (a blend of Merlot, Cab Franc and Malbec) along with another cheese plate to consume on site. Throughout our visit, Rachel was an exceptional host. There were a number of people that came and went during our visit. Ironically, like us, they were attracted to the later operating hours and while a reservation is a bonus, it wasn't essential. After putting a dent in our wallets, we left with some exceptional wines and wonderful memories. We will go back. I can think of one or two vineyards that could take lesson or two from this vineyards exceptional...

Easy to drink, tasty and clean wines (heard they don’t add chemicals). Our favourites are: rose bubbly, Cliffhanger Red, Shipuchka frizzante and their red and white port-style fortified wines. Tasting is quite an experience: Jerry is the star. He is knowledgeable about wine and food pairings, gives plenty of advice about cooking and even shared a couple of cool recipes with us. We bring visiting friends to Moraine, and each time their wine tasting is super-fun. Jerry has a great sense of humour, and we really appreciate it. The option of tasting with food includes beautiful local meats, cheese and crackers. Moraine estate winery has a beautiful VIP room and a spacious modern patio with a magnificent view of the lake. It’s available for private or corporate events - or you can buy a bottle of wine and sip it with family or friends overlooking the vineyard and the lake. It’s beautiful and fun out there. We sure enjoy ourselves each...