News

Congratulations to Our Wine Makers on the 2023 Wine Align Awards!

PLATINUM AWARD

GOLD AWARD

SILVER AWARDS

BRONZE AWARDS

BC Wine of the Year

Congratulations to our winemakers, Garron Elmes and Victor Costa, for their spectacular showing at the 44th Annual Okanagan Spring Wine Festival last weekend with the much-anticipated British Columbia Lieutenant Governor's Wine Awards. Victor was onhand to accept the accolade. 

Lake Breeze Syrah was awarded Wine of the Year. Lake Breeze also received a platinum medal, 2 gold medals and a silver medal.

We are very proud to accept the 3rd "Wine of the Year" awarded to Lake Breeze!

Air Canada Unveils Lake Breeze Pinot Gris in Select Maple Leaf Lounges in North America

 

 Read the press release.

Top 10

Lake Breeze has, once again, been honoured as a Top 10 Small Winery in Canada. It's a fitting tribute to 25 years of winemaking excellence. Congratulations to the team here at the winery, with special thanks to our winemakers Garron Elmes and Victor Costa.

Chef Mark demonstrates his focaccia making skills

Lake Breeze's Garron Elmes is now an old-timer

Read the full post on John Schreiner on wine.

“The philosophy when we started out with Paul Moser was well-priced wines that over-delivered for what you paid for them,” Garron says. “That has always been my philosophy.” Along with assistant winemaker Victor Costa, he has been taken the opportunity to expand the portfolio with premium and ultra-premium wines, without taking away from the quality of the “regular” wines. In 2016, the winery crowned its portfolio with a $90 Merlot and a $60 Chardonnay under the MacIntyre Heritage Reserve label. At the same time, the winery expanded its Cellar Series of wines, inserting a more affordable premium tier between its regular range, priced between $19 and $24, and the MacIntyre Heritage wines. “This is our third or fourth vintage making the Cellar Series,” Garron says. “We just wanted to do something, when we had a tier of wines that was small production, that it was what we thought was best of the best. We would put those under the Cellar Series label. All of the wines are named after different winds.” For example, Alizé, French for trade wine, is 100% Roussanne. This is a varietal rarely seen on its own because it is usually blended with Marsanne and Viognier into what the industry calls a Rhône blend. “We first made Roussanne in 2016,” Garron says. “I got some fruit and decided to make something different for our wine club. The wine turned out so well that, when that block of fruit became available the next year, we snapped it up. Of all the wines we make right now, this is probably my favorite out of the whites.”
 

Quality food, wine offered on The Naramata Bench, written by Shelora Sheldan

in the Penticton Herald

Spring is a time of renewal and with it changes to our eating and drinking landscape.

The Naramata Bench, with its award-winning wines, elevated cuisine and spectacular views, is seeing its fair share of transformation: expansions, businesses sold, new ones being built, chef changes and new vintages, it’s an exciting time to be a tourist in your own town.

Celebrating 25 years, Lake Breeze Winery is looking back while moving forward with the opening of the Farmstead at Lake Breeze. The expansive property inhabits the land where the pioneering Sammet family settled a century ago, and as tribute, a two-acre farm located on the original farmstead is almost complete.

Just steps from The Patio restaurant and Courtyard Tastings, the vision is to not only provide guests with a genuine farm experience but expand the kitchen’s farm-to-table mandate with a vegetable and herb garden, orchard and animal pasture.

This connection to the land is a dream come true for longtime Lake Breeze chef Mark Ashton who has added farmer to his skill set. As building commenced last year, he ethically raised heritage pigs on the site, fed in part from whey from Poplar Grove Cheese, organic feed and tasty scraps from the garden.

It’s culminated in The Patio’s first charcuterie program, and the harvest from last year’s garden means more preserves, sauces and dressings for their line-up of take-home provisions. This year, chickens are settling in to supply eggs, and extensive plantings of herbs and vegetables will support the restaurant’s seasonal menus. And most adorably, four new heritage piglets are getting used to their new home.

While The Patio at Lake Breeze will open for al fresco dining in May, the Farmstead will join forces late spring/early summer with a picnic area and paths leading around the expansive farm grounds for chicken and piglet viewing.

Reopening Spring 2021 with COVID-19 Precautions

Lake Breeze prioritizes the safety of our visitors and our committed staff. Accordingly, we will continue with the model established in 2020 for our tastings in 2021, with a few changes.

When not at a tasting table or seated at a patio table, guests are required to wear masks.

All tastings will be by reservation only, thereby reducing our usual crowds of visitors to  a maximum of 8 tables. Please arrive 5 minutes before your tasting reservation. Late arrivals disrupt service and may be turned away. Upon arrival, check in at our host station. You will be directed to a waiting area indicated by markings on the pavement. Please wait there until you are directed to your tasting table.

Tastings will be held in our beautiful courtyard at eight separate tasting barrel tables (which will accommodate groups of up to 6) in order to ensure appropriate physical distancing between groups of guests. Guests will be asked to step back while we pour samples, and the staff member pouring will wear a mask. Our tasting team will lead you through an informative flight of six wines.

Please limit your visit at your table to 35 minutes in order to allow for thorough sanitation (of tables, glasses, washrooms and all other touchpoints) for our next guests. Hand sanitizer is available throughout our property  for use by our guests and staff.

Wine orders will be taken at your table. 

If you or a family member have any of the following COVID-19 symptoms in the last 10 days (fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, muscle aches or headache), please cancel your visit. We look forward to serving you when you have been symptom-free for at least 10 days.

Please be assured that we have briefed every member of our staff on new enhanced sanitation protocols to ensure the health and wellbeing of guests.

The Patio at Lake Breeze to Reopen

Farmstead Wine Country Lunch on The Patio at Lake Breeze

Following extensive planning and careful attention to the safety of our Lake Breeze guests and loyal team, we are pleased to announce our re-opening for lunch. 

All dining will be by reservation only and pre-paid. Seating on the patio is  limited to 10 tables which will accommodate 2-6 guests in order to ensure appropriate physical distancing between groups of guests. Please arrive 10 minutes before your reservation. Upon arrival, check in with our parking lot host, park and walk down the driveway. Markings on the pavement will guide you to a waiting area. Please wait there until you are directed to your patio table.

Please limit your visit at your table to 2 hours in order to allow for thorough sanitation (of tables, glasses, washrooms and all other touchpoints) for our next guests. Hand sanitizer is available throughout our property for use by our guests and staff.

If you would like to also experience our Courtyard Tasting, please avoid overlap with your lunch reservation. 

Wine order forms will be provided at your table on request. A plexiglass barrier has been installed at our cashier station to ensure the safety of visitors and staff. Orders can be paid by debit and credit card at the cashier station outside the tasting room.

Lunch by reservation only, daily, starting Friday, June 26th.

Dive in.

Covid-19 Reopening Plan and Policies

Lake Breeze prioritizes the safety of our visitors and our committed staff. Accordingly, we have established a new model for our tastings.

All tastings will be by reservation only, thereby reducing our usual crowds of visitors to  a maximum of 18 per tasting. Please arrive 10 minutes before your tasting reservation. Upon arrival, check in with our parking lot host, park and walk down the driveway. Markings on the pavement will guide you to a waiting area. Please wait there until you are directed to your tasting table.

Make a Reservation

Tastings will be held in our beautiful courtyard at three separate tasting tables (which will accommodate groups of up to 6) in order to ensure appropriate physical distancing between groups of guests. Guests will be asked to step back while we pour samples, and the staff member pouring will wear a mask. Our tasting team will lead you through an informative flight of six wines.

Please limit your visit at your table to 45 minutes in order to allow for thorough sanitation (of tables, glasses, washrooms and all other touchpoints) for our next guests. Hand sanitizer is available throughout our property  for use by our guests and staff.

Wine order forms will be provided at your tasting. A plexiglass barrier has been installed at our cashier station to ensure the safety of visitors and staff. Orders can be paid by debit and credit card at the cashier station outside the tasting room.

If you or a family member have any of the following COVID-19 symptoms in the last 10 days (fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, muscle aches or headache), please cancel your visit. We look forward to serving you when you have been symptom-free for at least 10 days.

Please be assured that we have briefed every member of our staff on new enhanced sanitation protocols to ensure the health and wellbeing of guests.

Thank you for visting Lake Breeze. Life is better at the Lake!