Had a stand-up private tasting of the Qwam Qwmt tier of wine led by a lovely host who was knowledgeable about the wine, and we enjoyed chatting with her about wine and life and COVID. The tasting fee of $15 is waived with a $50 purchase. It gets busy, particularly on the weekends, so best to book a tasting reservation in advance.

The Nk’Mip Cellars building is beautiful, spacious and bright and houses a reception and gift shop, a wine tasting area and an outdoor patio restaurant that serves lunch. We were there for a regular wine tasting ( there is also a premium tasting) and were given a white, a rose and two different reds to sample. The friendly and knowledgeable hostess described each of the wines and left us to sample them at our leisure, no pressure to buy. Probably the most fun and relaxed wine tasting I’ve ever experienced… and we did buy because the wine was excellent.

I am far from a wine connoisseur, so I won’t pad this review with phony remarks about being able to taste hints of mandarin, peach or cardamom in any one particular sip of wine. Instead, I’ll just cut right to the heart of the matter: The Okanagan is known the world over for its wines. While in the region, I wanted to get a few bottles – one of which HAD to be an icewine (a personal favourite). Thus, after patronizing the Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Centre, we strolled over to the Cellars to grab some icewine. All told, we were in and out in less than 10 minutes. We’d grabbed a couple bottles of the Riesling Icewine (2018) and consumed one of them at my grandparents’ 65th Wedding Anniversary (gifting them the other). The wine was a big hit, with many enjoying the light sweetness of said wine. Beyond that, we really can’t say too much because our visit was laser-focused on a particular item. It did confirm to us, though, that the Icewine found at Nk’Mip Cellars is worthy of the recognition it’s received. Definitely check this place out if you love wine and are visiting Osoyoos. We’ll certainly be getting more in future!