La Frenz Estate Winery

La Frenz Estate Winery is one of the Naramata Bench's most decorated producers, founded in 1999 by Australian-born winemaker Jeff Martin and his wife Niva together with their daughters. The family farms 62 acres across six vineyards, five of them on the Naramata Bench and one on the warmer Golden Mile near Oliver, and the winery's approach is firmly site-driven: grape varieties and clones are deliberately matched to the conditions of each individual vineyard. Jeff Martin was drawn to the Naramata Bench for its cool, dry desert climate, glacial soils, and pristine landscape overlooking Okanagan Lake, qualities he saw as ideally suited to world-class wine. That conviction has been borne out in the results, including being named the number one Best Performing Small Winery of the Year and number two Winery of the Year at the 2021 WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada.

Visitors will find the La Frenz wine shop and tasting room at 1525 Randolph Road, just outside Penticton at the start of the Naramata Bench wine route, making it an easy first or last stop on a day of touring. The portfolio is broad, spanning white wines, red wines, reserve selections, and a line of fortified wines that reflects Jeff's Australian winemaking roots, along with wine club exclusives for members. The winery runs both traditional and subscription-style wine clubs and hosts events through the season. With its combination of consistent critical acclaim, family ownership, and a tasting room set amid the vineyards above Okanagan Lake, La Frenz is a benchmark stop for anyone exploring Naramata Bench wineries and a reliable introduction to what this celebrated sub-region does best.