We first visited this winery in 2019 and had THE BEST experience. Not so much with the wine, which is good, but with the pizza. Fast forward to 2023. We had been to Naramata a few times since but because of COVID, Upper Bench was not serving food. Disappointing, but understandable. Anyways this year was our year. We were heading to Naramata from Edmonton for our annual pilgrimage. It took forever with wildfire delays, the rockslide on Hey 9u and other such issues, it we made it. Planned our entire day around getting an Upper Bench pizza. Glorious! We got there on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. Walked up to the host stand with sheer excitement. We were asked if we were there for a tasting and we enthusiastically stated we were there for pizza. We were met with "oh the girl who does pizza called in sick today." Try to imagine the level of disappointment. I asked if there was anyone else that could make a pizza, as it seemed strange to me that only one person could make pizza and that if this person called in sick, the entire pizza operation shuts down. But it would seem this is the way it is. Again, sheer disappointment. Please do better. read more

We drove to Upper Bench from Osoyoos after seeing they are a creamery, as well as a winery! Our entire morning was spent scouring yelp & social media looking for a winery with some gooooood charcuterie. Cheese is one of my love languages and we were excited to try it. It was PACKED when we arrived & we ended up sitting at the bar where they make the pizza, then migrating to a table as it cleared out. We were only there an hour, but quickly found ourselves alone on the patio. We ordered the charcuterie, which had apples, cherries, a couple slices of bread, a red pepper jelly & 3 small-ish slices of cheese. They included their blue cheese, brie and whatever the 'gold' cheese is. We'd seen prosciutto on their boards on instagram and were really bummed that there wasn't a meat included on the board. While the gold cheese was our favourite, the rest of it was honestly underwhelming for $29, which was a bummer considering it's why we chose this place. However, we also ordered a pizza at the suggestion of our server -- just a margarita pizza, plus added proscuitto which was PHENOMENAL! My boyfriend lived in Italy for a year & said it's the closest to authentic Italian pizza he has found since living there in 2017! My partner enjoyed the Merlot, while I drank the Chardonnay -- the Chardonnay is hands down the best I've ever tried. Honestly, I regret not buying more than 1 bottle! The service was prompt, our server was friendly & checked in with us a few times. He made great suggestions & ensured we were well taken care of. Overall, we'd go back even if just for pizza alone next time we're in Penticton or passing through -- but wouldn't make the 1hr drive from Osoyoos just for the charcuterie! Lol. read more

This patio is unreal in the summer for a glass of wine and incredible food. They make their own cheese which each pair uniquely with their wines. On the patio, you can get a cheese plate to sample each type of cheese, or my personal favourite their flatbread pizza. They have a stone oven outside and make it fresh right in front of you! My personal favorite is their blue cheese and prosciutto pizza. The tasting bar is also really fun because again they let you taste their selected wines, and pair each with a cheese! Regardless how many times I have been here, it is always a stop when wine touring in the area. Also keep you eye open for fun events, on Easter there was a really fun adult Easter egg hunt in the vineyards where you would win wine, cheese and other awesome prizes ! I didn't win anything unfortunately, but my sister won both wine and cheese and it was a really fun experi read more

Upper Bench Estate Winery & Creamery - Wineries Near Me - Penticton, British Columbia

See all

I love wine, and I love cheese. That is all. ... ... Okay, I guess I should pad this out a little bit more for those wanting content. I could write a poem, but I lack the attention span to make them work. Roses are red Is that the door? I'm hungry. Girls? Or I can talk about wine and cheese. I'm shocked we missed this place on our first run through Naramata. The previous trip involved 60 wineries over a week, so I think we can be excused for skipping the odd one. As names go, Upper Bench sounds sports related but isn't; that would be ironically claimed by the summarily named Top Shelf Winery a few miles south, a place whose logo is a literal hockey mask. Top Shelf, Upper Bench, it's an understandable confusion. One is hockey themed which instilled little confidence as we drove by, the other pairs wine with cheese, which you would have to fight to keep me away from. Upper Bench was the first location we visited this day (after a failed attempt at Township7 minutes earlier). An adorable dog shied away from us, though fought through it occasionally due to an overpowering desire to play. When inside, we discovered an undersized but effective tasting room rationing nearly equal space for wine and cheese. Both are worth trying, and both are worth buying. The location is effective, though not wowing pretentious viticulture fanboys. We were in and out quickly with loaded stock. I could not recall the specific cheese procured as it was ingested not long after. As for wine, I scored the Zweigelt 2015 and a Yard Wine (a blend of Cab Franc and Merlot). My friend also picked up a Zweigelt, claiming it one of the best of that varietal he ever had. Upper Bench is more a typical winery in Naramata. It doesn't boast a huge lounge. It isn't world famous, but it's welcoming with reasonably priced wine you'll inevitably purchase. The host is funny and generous, and I imagine most of my group would have stayed there all day to play with that dog. I love the offerings of cheese, and this is becoming an increasing trend with wineries. I'd rather that than some pseudoscientific gimmick that does nothing to increase the quality of wine. Cheese is good. Wine is good. Upper Bench is better. read more

See all

Great blue cheese - I really recommend buying yourself a wedge of the King Cole blue and some crackers and then breaking it out for a picnic later in the day. This blue cheese is definitely best when it's closer to room temperature, rather than straight out of the fridge so don't worry about not having an ice pack with you! There are two very friendly dogs on the property. If you're a dog lover look for them around back and toss a ball for them. Wine wasn't particularly special on its own - but I imagine I would have enjoyed doing the wine + cheese pairing flight they offer! read more

Upper Bench Estate Winery & Creamery - A big ol' hunk of King Cole blue cheese from Upper Bench Winery and Cheesery. - Wineries Near Me - Penticton, British Columbia

See all

We had a wonderful time yesterday at Upper Bench. Four of us had the pizza lunch with wine tasting. Well worth every penny. A definite highlight of our day. We had a hard time choosing our favorite pizza. Dont forget to take home some of their cheese. The Riesling is excellent and the cab sauv is awesome. Linda thank you for a wonderful lunch. you are a charming host. read more

The lady that greeted was rude and not helpful. They aren't doing tastings at the moment so we bought items to go. The cheese was delicious, wine was ok but the customer service sucked. She was unpleasant. read more

I was really hoping for cheese. All week long I'd been hearing how great the cheese and wine pairing are and how the cheese makes it worth going. So on our last stop leaving the Bench, we veer off course down a road facing away from the lake, and pull into an ample, quiet parking lot. Inside the tasting room, the air is full of that moldy delicious aroma of cheese. I can feel the saliva starting to form in the back of my mouth. I'm ready for a full cheese assault. Except for one thing - they're running out of a cheese to sample as the weekend approaches and so there's none open for us to try. And so, slightly disappointed, we dig into a wine tasting instead. Tastings include 4 choices of the 7 varietals. Together, Peter S and I made a decision to sample them all, in succession, sharing a glass between us. This was a little confusing for our hosts whose system worked like this: choose your 4. We'll figure out which order you should drink them in. We explained to the attendant we wanted to try each (and then double up on the one we liked the most), but after the first sip, a steady stream of folks came in, and between that, a new person being trained, and the trainer wearing too many hats, well the two of us were kind of forgotten, lost in a sans-cheesy haze. So much so, that they took our wine glass away before we'd had our last tasting. A little shocked at the abruptness of the whole thing, we made our buying decision quickly. The one bottle that stood out, the Pinot Blanc, really spectacular. And then, we were out of there, sensing this place just was not our jam. In comparison to the level of service we received at so many other wineries along this side of the lake, this one went down as my least favourite tasting experience on the bench. read more

I really enjoyed that this place differentiates itself from other wineries by offering cheese pairings with their own cheeses. They make the wine tasting seem so much less about day drinking, and much more about the whole experience of tasting things. Smitten by their cheese, we ordered a picnic basket to go - it came with lots of different cheese, crackers, and other cute accouterments like dried cherries. The only issue I had with this winery, is that they have a BEAUTIFUL patio, but it doesn't have a full roof - so if it is raining you cannot be outside without getting soaked. We had our dog with us, so it made our tasting rather difficult to not be able to be outside. read more

Very disappointed after today's visit to the winery. We had driven an hour to visit this winery. I had my husband and two kids with me. We wanted to stop and try the pizza, wine and cheese. First thing I see when we arrived was a sign that read no minors on the patio. So no big deal, we thought let's go in to the tasting room and try the cheese and wine tastings. The tasting room was fantastic and the man helping us was very knowledgeable and told us that we couldn't eat lunch on the patio because of the kids but we could take the pizza to go. So then we went to order the pizza and they said it was going to take 25-30 minutes. Super ridiculous so we left with no pizza and the waitress was quite rude as well. Maybe next time we can try the pizza if there is a next time. read more

Upper bench has a nice family owned atmosphere. Absolutely fantastic cheese ! The cheese club is highly recommended ! Also go for the Rose' and Pinot Noir. The yard wine is also something dinner. Looking forward to pizza this summer ! read more

Worst customer service I have ever experienced in the wineries of Naramata. We walked in last Saturday. Didn't know there was no tasting, but the door was open so we ventured in. The woman jumped back 10 feet (she was behind glass), and looked terrified. Said there was no tasting. Shoed us out. Spooked... we left quickly. She then made a HUGE point of taking a picture of our car. Friend has California plates. He went to explain to her that he's Canadian and been in Canada since early March. She got really rude... didn't believe him. When he said 'two people in my car live in Penticton and the other 2 are in Vancouver' she rudely snubbed him and made a point of calling that police. Saying she was reporting him. Wineries maybe be about wine, but it's the customer service that creates your experience. Attention: owners.... get rid of the (elderly?) lady behind your counter. She's not helping your business. *** update*** The follow up response by the establishment speaks volumes about the level of customer service. They have lied through their teeth. There were no obscenities in the parking lot. The customer service person was the nastiest person I have ever dealt with up there. And I go every year. Would you like confirmation of this? Speak to Rob W. He knows the owner. He lives in Penticton and was in the car. Check with him. read more

This was our third stop out of 5 wineries and I have to admit I came only for the cheese!! We ended up getting the king Cole, u&brie and the gold, all of them chosen through the tasting but I would've taken any these people know how to make cheese. We also walked away with 2 bottles of wine which were fabulous....Pinot noir and the reisling, wonderful knowledgeable people and wonderful goodies! read more

We were a little disappointed in this experience. We were hoping for a sit down tasting but ended up standing at a counter. Wine availability was limited and we felt rushed because more people entered the small room we were in. The lady serving us was very nice and did a good job. We tried three cheeses but were again surprised at the small selection. read more

Loved it. We did a wine and cheese tasting and it was lovely, the best part was the wood fired pizza at The Oven, literally the best pizza I have ever had! Like original Neapolitan style pizza, so delish! Cannot recommend enough! read more

The service was terrible, the waitress was so rude and unaccommodating. The price was also way to high for what was received. The only good thing about the place was the water misting on the patio. read more

I bought the wine and cheese club subscription for my parents as a present. While both the wine and cheese were fantastic, the winery seemed very disorganized. I needed to change the email and address to my parents after they received their gift and the emails continued coming to my email even though my parents checked their file and were told it was my mom's email on file. Then, the first package was sent to their house but the second was sent to my house in Calgary. When we needed to fix the mistake, my parents spent hours on the phone with Fed Ex and the winery and while the lady was somewhat apologetic she did little to make up for the mistake. She said the new package would arrive the following Monday, which was a holiday. It makes me think she did not even look into the arrival date. My parents ended up driving the two hours to pick up the wine themselves. I cancelled my subscription because of this hassle, which is a shame as I may have continued had there been more of an effort to correct this. read more