Elitist or racist, can’t decide. I asked the old man if they had a gallery and he said, «no but you can walk around this floor». Moments later I saw him explaining to another couple– with a lot of detail– that they support local artists and how they have three room displaying their artwork etcetra etcetra. Mediocre wine with so much attitude– not going there again.
Cassandra L.
Place rating: 5 Vancouver, Canada
After being introduced to Ex Nihilo by a friend, it’s been a favourite of mine. Their Pinot Noir is amazing — it’s one of those red wines that can drink all day and all night and not feel sick of it. They recently opened Chaos Bistro that serves up a variety of wood-fire oven pizzas. I had their Pizza Del Chaos which includes: caramelized onion cream sauce, roasted local apples, blue cheese crumble topped with arugula. The dough was amazing — the right amount of crunch without being dough-y combined with the tang from the blue cheese and sweetness of the apple paired with Ex Nihilo’s Reisling. I can confidently say that this pizza is in my top three ever(the top two I had in Italy). Would definitely recommend and will be coming back again!
Sarah W.
Place rating: 4 Kelowna, Canada
Ex Nahilo is a fantastic little gem staged full of beautiful oak casks & remarkable artwork. The wines have great flavours & this winery has a great story about how they got their name. There are friendly staff & a great tasting menu. Stop by & check it out.
Mat S.
Place rating: 5 Vancouver, Canada
Ex Nihilo, one of the best wineries in the Okanagan. Situated in Lake Country, between Kelowna and Vernon, this winery is a delight to go to. They now have a restaurant available which serves wood-fire oven cooked pizzas — the Chaos Bistro. The wine tasting does cost money($ 5 i believe) but the wines are worth it. The wines are delicious, not overly sweet but are all complex. By far, my favorites have been their Riesling and Pinot Noir. I also believe if you buy a bottle, the tasting is free. All the wines start at $ 20 but it’s well worth it. The reds are ageable as well. The Chaos bistro serves pizzas that are plate sized — perfect for sharing. Sitting out on their platform, you can’t go wrong spending an evening here. The place just screams italian/french vineyard and is an amazing way to spend a romantic evening with that special someone. We got their margherita and their chorizo pizzas. The margherita was good(not the best) but the chorizo pizza was a delight. With goat cheese, chorizo, onions, arugula as your toppings and drizzled in a balsamic glaze, this pizza surprised me. Really the best thing about Ex Nihilo is the atmosphere. The staff is very nice and chatty, and will tell you the full story about all their wines. If you can make it for a tasting, come here.
Rachel H.
Place rating: 4 San Rafael, CA
This is a bookmark for a longer review, but let me just quickly say that Ex Nihilo was one of our favorite stops in Okanagan. The reds are good here, tasty, and one wine they were tasting, Night, really was a big red that was enjoyable and bold. This is a small spot in Lake Country, out very close to Gray Monk. I wasn’t as big a fan of their Rolling Stones Ice Wine, which we paid $ 10 to taste, but not having had an ice wine on the visit, we were good sports about giving it a go. While I understand there is an exacting process to pick grapes in winter, for $ 150 a bottle for ice wine(which to me is similar to a dessert wine or port) well, I’m not sure I get it. I don’t know, but suspect those willing to grab a $ 150 bottle of ice wine may more be Stones fans, and the wine in the bottle is just a bonus. There was a bit of a smooze in the tasting room, but good for them for being hospitable & promoting their business. For us, though, the wine spoke for itself. No regrets though about tasting any of the wines here, particularly the reds, and buying a few bottles of red wine. I recommend stopping in here to see if this spot is up your alley.
Maggie B.
Place rating: 4 Vancouver, Canada
I was the designated driver so must accept my friends’ assessment that the wines were very good. Love the space, designed by the original(and current) owner. Love the concept of an art collection as part of the winery experience. Love the fact that it was the only winery we visited where clean glasses were used for every taste. A bit disappointed with the woman doing the tasting — her stories were too rehearsed and too complex — the story of the winery and its inspiration could be covered in a written piece and be more interesting.
Janine R.
Place rating: 5 Calgary, Canada
5 stars from me! This place has fantastic Red wines and very different whites. They are a little bit on the pricier side, but they are delicious. The staff were extremely helpful and very forgiving in their tasting samples, in fact she even let me try a red twice! I love the way this place is built. Very quaint and it definitely has a clean minimalist feel to it. I love it. The story behind Ex Nihilo is a classic love story that ended up in a couple getting married and buying a winery. I loved hearing the story while I tasted my wine and the lady was very easy to chit chat. The décor of the bottles are amazing. So simple, yet riveting. This is definitely one of the bottles I will keep. Check this place out, you won’t be disappointed!
Crystal E.
Place rating: 4 Toronto, Canada
Our last winery stop on the way out of Kelowna… Oh how I miss the wineries already! Ex Nihilo is a quaint winery with a great spot on the hill and a new building that is very well done inside. The inside felt cozy and un-pretentious, offering a nice sized tasting room and plenty of beautiful art displayed on the walls. We were greeted right away and helped with our tasting by a polite young lady. There was also a guy working there who was helping another group who seemed a bit more passionate about the wines, but both staff members were very helpful. I tried the Riesling and the Pinot Gris for whites and the Merlot and Night for the reds. The Riesling was nice and light, a flavourful white wine, while I quite enjoyed the Night probably due to the blend of red grapes. This is a great little stop on your way in or out of Kelowna and if you have a few extra dollars in your pocket($ 125) you might want to grab a bottle of the Rolling Stones Icewine… comes in a great wooden box, if you like those kinds of collectors items.