Coming from Alberta, I always have liked the few flavors of syrup of Summerland Sweets I could find…read moreat a grocery store, but this place is like the ultimate jam and syrup destination! There are so many more flavors than just raspberry and blueberry, and more jams than I could count. When we visited we were stunned for a moment when we walked in, and we shopped for a long time. Along with all the fruit-flavored goodies there are so may cute home items and decor to look at, as well as ice cream (there was a busy line for this while we were shopping). Summerland Sweets is in the middle of a number of wineries and made for a great break from wine tasting (including wonderful clean public washrooms). This is now a mandatory stop when we visit the Summerland area, and my only regret is not going home with one of the 4L jugs of syrup!

Summerland Sweets is a rustic wood building that reminds me of Little House on the Prairie. The…read moreparking lot is gravel and there are several picnic benches outside to use while you enjoy your treats. My father grew up in Summerland and still owns his family home and vineyard there. We toured the area this time and bumped into Summerland sweets. What a great find! We walked in and found shelves and shelves of jam, fruit candies, pottery, fruit wines, and an ice cream counter in the back. Our group of 10 all stopped for an ice cream and we were so glad we did! They offer two types of cones and a bunch of different flavors of ice cream. The standard scoop is HUGE. The ice cream prices are very cheap (see photo) and the scoops are generous. The girls working the counter are very friendly and were super nice with our 4 seniors (all over age 85) who were trying to decide what to get. The cherry ice cream was a huge hit! There is also a wine tasting room where they serve fruit wines. The colors are beautiful and the wine tasting is free. We ended up with some fruit flavored candy for my husband to bring back to work (in Houston). We don't do a lot of touristy type things when we go to the Okanagan, so this was a wonderful place to stop, close to where we were staying. I highly recommend Summerland Sweets for a quick stop for ice cream, wine tasting, and gift shopping. If you love maple syrup or fruit syrup they sell that too!

After finishing up a floating trip in Penticton, we decided we were craving some fresh fruit,…read morehowever at 6pm all the fruitstands we were passing were closed...until we came across this gem! This place has humerous and happy staff along with incredibly reasonable prices. You will find fruit, veggies, canned goods, baked items, and ice-cream! We decided to have a small treat before supper and asked for a jr. cone for $1.50 and she was not shy about piling that ice-cream mountain high! It was delicious! They also have a customer washroom, play area outside for children, and a cute little goat named Jimmy who waits for you to sneak him some fresh grass through the cage. I definitley recommend stopping in to check this place out! Nice way to support the locals.

I'd just parked only to see someone packing away the sign that indicates that the cellar door was…read moreopen. That someone looked up and said something like: we're officially closed in about 2-minutes, but since you're already here, I'm sure we can manage a "power-tasting", come with me! Absolutely lovely energy in their new space. Even though it was obviously past closing time, the staff all seemed genuinely happy to be there and willing to assist the handful of customers that were still there, myself and even a couple more late comers. It was such a contrast to the experience I had only a day before when a few friends and I went to Monster Vineyards the day before - they were obviously quite displeased that we'd arrived close to closing and had the gall to ask if we could do a tasting, but I'll get to that review. This experience at Joie Farms was a lovely reminder that not everyone feels like they only should work till the end of their shift and a second more is them doing you a favour. Delicious wine, knowledgeable staff that was enthusiastic and willing to help, and a gorgeous new tasting room - a definite 5/5 experience.

With a view overlooking the valley and Okanagan Lake, the sunshine beamed on us as we sipped on our…read moreGewurztraminer and savoured our Magherita wood fired pizza. Joie Farm Winery calls it the 'picnique' area, which was aptly named. With picnic blankets and comfortable lawn chairs, and mini tables for you to rest your wine glasses, this was the perfect set up for a relaxing afternoon. We also had a wine tasting at Joie. My favourite Joie rosé was already sold out for the season, but I found a new favourite, the En Famille Gewurztraminer. It was so good that we decided to get a bottle to complement our pizza. They are now closed for the season and will open back up in May. I highly recommend coming here for a relaxing afternoon, just sitting in the picnique area!

Our second stop of the day was at Sleeping Giant Fruit Winery. They were in tough as we'd visited…read moreElephant Island Winery, another fruit winery, the day before. They're part of Summerland Sweets. They've got everything fruit related you could want: jams, syrups, dried fruit, etc. There's also an area for ice cream. Scoops are reasonable ($3.25 single, $4.00 double, $5.00 triple and $6.25 house special). Waffle cone is an extra $0.75. Tastings are complimentary. Oddly, they only let you sample 5 and they have to be the same type for the both of you. It's unfortunate as they have so many flavours (18 fruit wines and 11 dessert wines). Our server was knowledgeable and tried to suggest based on what we liked. Also appreciated how there's genuinely no pressure to buy a bottle. - Peach - this is the base flavour that our server used to judge what we liked. Peach was subtle. - Blueberry - sweet. Would use it as a dessert wine or to mix with other drinks. - Bumbleberry - this was our favourite of the bunch we tried. A mix of blueberries, raspberries and black currant. Well balanced and a touch of tartness. We bought a bottle ($12.95) which was on sale for the spring. - Ted's blend - a mix of Lapin cherries, black currant and blueberries. Drank more like a red white. - Black currant - enjoyable but you get quite the tart finish. - Ina's blush - a mix of peaches and blueberry. We didn't love it. - Strawberry rhubarb - tasted just like it's described. Pie in a glass. There's more options/selection at Sleeping Giant but the quality and execution is better at Elephant Island Winery.

Went here when driving around on the wine trail in Summerland and by far, this is the BEST wine…read moreI've ever had. The tasting was a few of their fruit wines. If you like fruity, sweet wines, this is the place for you! We bought a bottle of peach and a bottle of raspberry. In my opinion, the raspberry is one of the most divine things I've ever tasted! After purchasing the win, we found out they had a syrup tasting room. Yes. Syrup. Tasting. Room. The apple pie, to die for. The black raspberry, amazing. They had so many different things to taste and buy. This was definitely the most family friendly as well. It's like a little cottage store with a wine tasting room. This will definitely be at the top of our list of places we stop at the next time we visit BC.

Checked out Zias Stonehouse Restaurant. They're close to Peacock's Perch Pub…read more We dropped in for a Thursday lunch (1:15pm). The inside is massive with a quaint outdoor area. 99% of the customers were of retirement age. Decor is eclectic and seating you'd find at your grandma's house. Lunch menu is a great deal ($15.00) with 6 mainstays and four specials. There's dinner feasts for two ($70.00-$80.00). - Almond lemon sole ($15.00) - sole was lightly breaded. Lemon herb cream sauce was subtle. Good mix of vegetables (red cabbage, carrot and asparagus). Rice was more filler than flavour. - Lunch apricot chicken ($15.00) - breast was moist, but apricot ginger sauce was mundane. Can't beat the value at ZSR. 3.5 stars.

Impressive service, cozy ambiance and basil delicious dinner at Zias tonight!…read moreLove the warmth and inviting atmosphere of the restaurant, cute little rooms with so many interesting displays, and tables adorned with tablecloths - taking you back to dining at your grandmas house! Food was so flavourful and beautifully plated. Braised red cabbage was the best I've ever had. Not too pricey either!

FANTASTIC WINERY!! Our group of 7 went for a tasting this afternoon and had the pleasure of being…read moregreeted AND educated by Dianne (one of the owners). She was absolutely amazing and so much fun!! The wine is DELICIOUS and diverse for all palates, you will find something you love GUARANTEED! Thank you to the Oh family for their welcoming service, warm hospitality and great laughs! We will be back!!

MOCOJO Winery is well worth the visit. Not only are their wines amazing, but they provide a…read morememorable tasting experience. There is plenty of parking and their tasting room and pergolas boast an incredible view where you can snap some photos with your wine-tasting crew. We have been hosted by each of the owners Hon and Diane at different tastings and they each share their family's story and how they came to be on the Naramata Bench making delicious wines. And bonus... there is a yummy ice cream for the designated driver which is appreciated! Whenever we have guests we are sure that MOCOJO is on our wine tour list!

A lovely selection of wines and a garden-style patio with a simple but delicious menu of items to…read morechoose from. My wife and I shared both a roasted chicken sandwich and a bench burger and both really hit the spot along with our many wine samplings. Each plate also came with a small side salad. A lovely spot to fretter away an afternoon!

The cutest little farm to table patio restaurant on the way to Naramata!!…read more I came here for lunch on a Friday afternoon and this was the most serene patio with a beautiful atmosphere and delicious food. I had the prosciutto with a side of bread and it was to die for. We also tried the pasta and ciabatta sandwich. All was great and you could really taste the freshness of the ingredients. They even grow their food right on site. For dessert we had the lemon tart and espresso ice cream. The lemon tart was the star of the show, not too tart not too sweet. We were seated quickly and our server was attentive and helpful. There was even a little dog going around to greet the customers!! One thing to note is that they do not take reservations, so I would recommend getting there early to ensure a table. Overall great experience and I can't wait to come back.