Wine is better on two wheels.

Including the kayaking wine tour, the Okanagan Valley has the most unique and adventurous wine tours that I have ever experienced in the world.

Monashee Adventure Tours have several cycling winery tours to choose from. Who would have through to pair these things together? Genius.

I was sceptical at first, “A bicycle wine tour… isn’t that drinking and driving?”

But, then I realized it was actually perfectly safe.

It’s not like we were getting drunk (or even a small buzz) from those few sips of wine that we took along the way, and our guide was incredibly mindful of how we were doing. He was constantly looking back to make sure everyone was safe, and in line, and never went at a pace that we couldn’t handle, or on the road itself.

We got a full tour of Kelowna’s city outskirts, including three wineries, a historical site, a lookout point and a lovely forested trail.

And, if we really wanted to drink some wine, we had the option of a glass or five at the end of the bike ride.

The tour began at the Vibrant Vine, after a pizza lunch and our very first tasting.

From there, we rolled down the lane way and through the hills of wine country. We stopped at a great view point, with panoramic views of Kelowna and Lake Okanagan in the distance. After a few more turns, we zipped down a winding hill and pulled into our next winery; The View.

We sipped some new and innovative wines, including Bling, a canned sparkling wine spritzer. That was definitely a first for me. It was a nice way to take a break before hopping back on the bikes.

The ride was never too strenuous, but it was just adventurous enough. We whirred through vineyards and circled around fruit orchards. The roads took us mostly downhill, but tested us with the occasional uphill track.

From there we pedalled around the countryside some more, until we reached the Mission Creek Trail; a forested gravel path along a river, populated by the occasional jogger and squirrel.

We stopped at a wooden patio that overlooked the river to read some of the mounted literature about salmon spawning and the surrounding area.

The trail was my favourite part of the ride.

Around the corner from the trail, was the Father Pandosy Mission site, where the Oblate priest established the first non-Native settlement in the Okanagan Valley in 1859.

From the historical site, it was a quick jaunt over to Sperling Vinyards for one last tasting. We tried a few whites and reds, as well as a nice rose. This was the last stop on the tour, and we parted ways with our bikes in the parking lot.

I’m not sure that I’ll ever be able to do another regular wine tour again.

Here are some of my favourite photos from the tour:

Rose at Sperling Vineyards

Delicious Chikka Tikka Pizza from Bellissimo! Pizza

Wine sipping selfie at the Vibrant Vine

Father Pandosy Mission

This trip was made possible by Destination BC.
All thoughts & opinions are my own.

What’s the coolest wine tour you’ve ever been on?