Wines of the Okanagan

Thompson Valley

Flowing from the Rocky Mountains, the North Thompson passes by the communities of Blue Water, Avola, Vavenby, Clearwater, Little Fort, Barriere and Heffley Creek before meeting the South Thompson at Kamloops.

The North Thompson is a beautiful blue-green river, weaving through heavy forest of Cedar, Fir and Spruce. There are some sections of wild water, but for the most part, the North Thompson is quite tame allowing for some excellent drifts. Chinook salmon and Dolly Varden are the main targets for fishermen.

The South Thompson flows westward from Little Shuswap Lake, passing the town of Chase before meeting the North Thompson at Kamloops. Relatively slow-moving and driftable the south fork is host to millions of spawning Sockeye salmon heading for the famous Adams River. Rainbow trout, Dolly Varden and Mountain Whitefish will be found at the headwaters eagerly feeding on dislodged salmon eggs. During this time, fishing can be excellent!

The area is often referred to as the Thompson Okanagan. JoAnn and Gary Armstrong were the first to pursue winemaking here They selected the area near Cache Creek for their fruit winery. In
2008, Kamloops businessman Ed Collett began developing a promising limestone slope about 16 kilometers (10 miles) east of Kamloops

~ Harper's Trail Estate Winery
~ Monte Creek Winery
~ Privato Vineyard and Winery
~ Sagewood Winery

Wineries of Thompson Valley

Osoyoos Lake Bench ~ The Golden Mile ~ Shaka Lake ~ Okanagan Falls ~ Kelowna ~ Naramata Bench

Summerland and Peachland ~ Mount Boucherie ~ Black Sage Road ~ Similkameen Valley ~ Kootenays