Ancient Hill Winery

Ancient Hill Estate Winery is a boutique, family-scale producer in the rural Ellison area of north Kelowna, directly across from Kelowna International Airport, which makes it perhaps the easiest winery in the Okanagan to visit on the way into or out of town. The name suits the site: this land was originally planted to grapes more than sixty years ago, in the early era of Okanagan viticulture, and the current owners have returned it to vines. Everything poured here is grown in the estate vineyard and made on-site in a European-inspired style, with the winery deliberately keeping production to small lots.

For visitors, Ancient Hill offers a genuine working-winery experience without the crowds of the bigger valley estates. The tasting room is open daily from 10:30 am to 5:30 pm, and guests can taste through the current releases, browse the wine shop, and then settle onto the patio with a glass to take in panoramic views over the valley. The distinctive building, with its old-world character, has become a recognizable landmark for travellers on the Scenic Sip wine trail that links the wineries of Lake Country and north Kelowna. Because the vineyard sits at elevation in one of the more northerly growing areas around Kelowna, the wines lean toward fresh, cool-climate styles that offer a different expression of the Okanagan than the hot southern benches. Ancient Hill makes an appealing first or last stop on an Okanagan wine tour: close to the airport and Highway 97, friendly and unhurried, and small enough that visitors often find themselves chatting with the people who grew and made the wine in their glass.