Something about Elephant Island hits a little different than most other wineries on the Naramata Bench.
Maybe it’s the long, curving driveway tucked amidst the cherry orchards, with the charming wine barn greeting you at the end. Maybe it’s the casual, relaxed atmosphere, where you sip your tasting outdoors on the patio, under the shade of the trees. It feels downright civilized, yet homey — truly, what an afternoon in Naramata should be.
Or maybe, it’s the option to taste not only noteworthy wines made from Naramata grapes, labelled with with quirky names (try to “Told You So” Viognier/Sav Blanc, and the merlot/cab franc “Think Again)…..but to try Elephant Island’s signature line of fruit wines. After all, before this was Wine Country, this was Orchard Country.
For years, Elephant Island Framboise (raspberry) dessert wine has achieved a loyal following — but don’t sleep on the Cassis or the Crab Apple….or the Pear or Cherry table wines. In fact, forget everything you thought you knew about fruit wines, and simply enjoy the robust flavours of these alt-grape wines - as Elephant Island themselves say, they are “made with the same devotion and technique that guides conventional winemaking.” Not sure what to serve with each wine? Their website has some great pairing ideas, along with recipes.
Stewards of the Land
With a focus on growing a diverse range of quality, healthy fruit both on trees and on vines, Elephant Island places utmost importance on maintaining a healthy agricultural landscape. Using compost, hand weeding, grazing sheep, keeping bees and chickens … Elephant Island Winery focuses on systems that work in harmony to create a healthier farm, business, community and environment. And the hard work has paid off. In April 2023, Elephant Island was awarded certification by Sustainable Winegrowers BC. In honour of Earth Day which is celebrated in April, the timing is a perfect celebration of their hard work coming to fruition.
Come Visit:
Elephant Island is open currently Wednesday to Friday (12 – 4 pm, 12 – 5 pm on weekends). Open daily starting May 1st. Please check Elephant Island’s website for current hours.
Tastings:
Come by to try a tasting of current releases, or work your way through the 1-hour premium tasting. Details for current tastings are here. Wine club members are even eligible for tours of the farm in addition to other perks!
A Night of Magic
Sure, wine club members could simply drive up to pick up their allocated boxes, but where is the fun and whimsy in that?
For the second year now, Elephant Island is inviting any interested parties to their A Night of Magic event (June 2, 2023), for a spectacular evening of magic and illusion, accompanied by spell-binding wines from the 2022 vintage. Part ‘pick up party’ for wine club members, part community event to remember, A Night of Magic is quickly becoming the event of the season to attend. (Be sure to get your tickets before they…..disappear! 💨 🪄 )
