Elephant Island Winery

Reviews

• ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
  Super accommodating staff and fantastic location. Fruit wine was delicious (especially the Black Current), but really wish the alcohol content was higher. Would definitely recommend to friends and family.
  By Rosencrantz, May 29, 2017
• ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
  Went there with a few friends 2 days ago... Forgot her name but was an older lady with gray hair and glasses. Awesome experience, great scenery for selfies and photos. I'm a changed man after trying Elephants Black Currant Wine. Planning to and will definitely go back. Only feedback i would recommend is that they should maintain the roadway ((to get there) sign was abit hard to see and road was a bit bumpy (needs maintenance))
  By Kurtis Jong, November 12, 2016
• ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
  Elephant Island is an atypical winery in a countryside populated by uncharacteristic wineries. They are on the same road as Deep Roots, though the latter is easier to access. Little did we know that Deep Roots would be forgettable and Elephant would stick with us…despite any accusations about it not being technically a winery. I say that because I’m getting frustrated by the proles parading as patricians snubbing their nose at businesses lacking the characteristic fields of vineyards surrounding them. Elephant Island is a reminder that even the amazing can get repetitive without the occasional shift in style. 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. Elephant Island claimed three of those. Fruit trees dominate Elephant’s fields, offering a stark contrast to the terrain of the region, and a welcoming one at that. It could be considered a “hidden gem” given you may accidentally drive by in your search for it, eventually resulting in you coasting into the less desirable Deep Roots. And Deep Roots isn’t bad…just Elephant is better. In fact, accidentally driving by is necessary as the first right is the exit—you’re better to miss it, take a five-minute break at Deep Roots to admire their winery before taking a right (or rather left) to Elephant’s rear entrance. You drive through overhanging fruit trees, an image seen virtually nowhere else on the Bench. The winery itself looks like a hippy commune, though a lot more welcoming. The diminutive tasting room was inviting and cozy. I especially liked the chalkboard behind the bar. The host was both friendly and casual, like I was talking to an expert in their home rather than in their business, though given my previous comment regarding the hippie commune, I can’t assume she doesn’t sleep in the back. I don’t consider myself a wine snob—I respect and appreciate the contributions made with wine variations involving other fruits, especially when those flavors are allowed to soar. My issue is when a fruit winery tries to emulate a grape wine—it ends up always coming up short. With Elephant Island, I can taste the fruit in the wine, and that says a lot. A personal favorite is their cherry wine, though their black current is a close second. Admittedly, Elephant does offer some grape varietals, Cab Franc, Merlot, Viognier, but these are not their strong suit. However, the real jewel is probably their Pink Elephant sparkling, which was one of the few sparkling wines that didn’t make me want to vomit. If you are touring Naramata wineries, you owe yourself that break in the pattern, to try something new, whether that be a stopover at a bakery or cheese shop or a different type of wine. There are several of these along the Naramata, but Elephant Island is one of the more memorable in our opinion.
  By Chris Dias, October 18, 2016
• ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
  I would give this 4.5 stars if I could. The only reason I would leave the half star is because I could only taste specific wines they had. I was looking forward to tasting a certain wine but they did not have that one open for the day. Besides that, the ones we did taste were amazing. Very refreshing on the hot summer day and I loved the tasting area. It was very different from anything I have ever been to. We were here July/August of 2016.
  By Alyssa Richardson, July 23, 2016

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About Elephant Island Winery in Naramata