Roche Wines

Roche Wines occupies a bench at 60 Upper Bench Road South in Penticton, right at the gateway to the Naramata Bench, one of the Okanagan Valley's most beloved wine-touring corridors. The winery is the project of Penelope and Dylan Roche, owners, winemakers and vignerons who brought generations of French winemaking tradition with them when they settled in the Okanagan in 2011, trading Bordeaux for the Bench. That heritage shows in their approach: the couple are dedicated to natural, artisanal farming and winemaking, applying traditional French savoir-faire and sustainable vineyard practices to Okanagan terroir. The result is a portfolio of wines rooted in Old World sensibility but unmistakably shaped by the lake-moderated slopes of the Naramata Bench. For visitors, Roche is an easy and rewarding stop on the way out of Penticton toward Naramata village. The wine shop is open weekdays for browsing and purchases with no reservation required, while seated tasting experiences can be booked ahead for those who want a more guided introduction to the lineup. The setting captures what draws so many travellers to this stretch of the Okanagan: vineyards sloping toward Okanagan Lake, big valley views and a cluster of small, owner-operated wineries within minutes of one another. Because the winemakers themselves are so closely involved in every step from vine to bottle, a visit here often comes with genuine insight into how French technique translates to British Columbia fruit. Roche Wines suits wine lovers who enjoy meeting producers with a clear point of view, and its location at the Penticton end of the Bench makes it a natural first or last stop on a Naramata wine-touring day. Hours shift seasonally, so it is worth checking the winery's website or calling ahead, particularly outside the busy summer months when the Bench is at its liveliest.