The Cowichan Valley cider renaissance is in full swing. Long, slow growing seasons allow us to cultivate bitter-sharp and bittersweet cider apples. Heirloom and proper cider apples are returning to orchards; what was once lost is being rediscovered.
The Wineries of Cowichan Valley are magnificent; the micro climate here is known for producing very special grapes. Cowichan Valley is Canada’s only “cool” maritime Mediterranean climate. We welcome you to our Valley to experience all it has to offer.
When you visit our wineries and Cideries you can sit on the patios, have a picnic, purchase to go, take photos on the grounds, and enjoy superb food paired with our award winning wines and ciders. Each venue has its own process so please check out the links provided to book your tour or shop online. You will find a number of the venues below offer links to tour operators, and are happy to answer all your questions. Many are family owned and as small businesses they are quite interactive. The tours you will enjoy will be some of your best memories.
Blue Grouse Is a family-owned and operated vineyard and winery established as one of the founding Estate wineries of Vancouver Island. Our Estate wines come entirely from our own vineyards where we have the most control over the quality of our grapes. Some of these are the original vines that the Kiltz family discovered after buying the Blue Grouse property in the late 1980’s, some are plantings from the 1990’s, when Hans Kiltz transplanted French vines, and as our newest vineyards mature, those grapes will find their way into our Estate wines too. www.bluegrouse.ca
Enrico Winery Nestled in the beautiful Cowichan Valley, you’ll find this picturesque 50 acre Estate Winery. The amazing micro climate allows us to grow 7 different varietals, ranging from fruity whites, to full bodied reds that are unique to Vancouver Island. Enrico wines are winning medals across Canada and the United States including the first prestigious Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Excellence in B.C. Wines awarded on Vancouver Island. www.enricowinery.com
Averill Creek Vineyard Our collection of hand-crafted fine wines, including perennial sell-out Pinot Grigio, Prosecco style wine Charme De L’ile, and limited edition reserve wines, have helped raise the profile of Vancouver Island terroir and winemaking in Canada and internationally. www.averillcreekvineyard.ca
Rocky Creek Winery Taste our hand-crafted artisan island grown wines from sustainably-managed grapes made from Cowichan’s most awarded winemaker. We do not oak our white wines and embrace the acidity. Our whites are on the drier profile with the white blend having slight sweetness.The Pinot Noir is in French oak and the Tempranillo red blend is in American oak. www.rockycreekwinery.ca
Alderlea Vineyards Is one of Vancouver Island’s oldest and most respected vineyards. The estate-grown grapes produce a mix of dry white wines including Bacchus, Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc. Red wines comprise Pinot Noir, Clarinet made from old vine Marechal Foch, Merlot, and a Cabernet Foch blend known as Matrix. www.alderlea.ca
Emandare Vineyard Sits on a unique south sloping hillside in the rain shadow of Mount Prevost overlooking Somenos Lake. These elements combined with our passion for stewarding this piece of land alongside nature gives us the ability to naturally craft terroir-driven wines with old world, low intervention techniques. www.emandarevinyards.com
Vigneti Zanatta We create wines that embody the true flavours of the Cowichan Valley. Artisanal and accessible, we fuse traditional practices with innovative methods to produce wine that is made to be enjoyed often. With an emphasis on Champagne-style wine, we make wines to please any palate. www.zanatta.ca
Venturi Schultz Vineyards We established our vineyard in 1988 with an initial five acres on a gentle south slope planted to meticulously tended vinifera grape varieties, including Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Pinot Auxerrois, Madeleine Sylvaner, Siegerrebe, Schönburger, Ortega and Kerner. All our vines are on their own roots. Our philosophy has always been based on natural viticulture (no chemical pesticides or herbicides and no irrigation). www.venturischultz.com
Unsworth Vineyards Traditional meets artisanal winemaking at Unsworth Vineyards. A family owned and operated winery committed to handcrafting wines of distinction in Vancouver Island’s Cowichan Valley. www.unsworthvineyards.com
Glenterra Vineyards Since the 2010 vintage our winemaking has emphasized a minimalist & natural approach, no enzymes used at crush, indigenous yeast fermentation, no animal based fining products. (vegan friendly) and minimal use of sulphites. These protocols produce wines with vibrant character that are expressive of their terroir. www.glenterravinyards.com
Cherry Point Estate Wines Award-winning wines are made following traditional European wine making processes, where the earth makes the wine, honoring the spiritual connection between the earth, rain and sun that nourish the vineyard. The whites are crisp and clean, brimming with varietal fruit; reds, fruit forward and full bodied. Both whites and reds have character and weight, reflecting the elegance of the Estate. Today the vineyard is one of the largest on Vancouver Island. White varieties include Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Ortega, Siegerrebe, and Epicure. Red varieties are Pinot Noir, Zweigelt, Cabernet Libre, Agria, and Castel. www.cherrypointestatewines.com
Divino Estate Winery Chardonnay, Trebbiano, Castel, Pinot Noir and Pinot Grigio form the core of the mix of varietals on the Busnardo Vineyard. Other niche varieties fill the wide range of plantings and offer wonderful blending accents or at times may be bottled as single varietal wines when the conditions result in exceptional harvests. www.divinowine.ca
Deol Estate Winery We have been growing vines since 1984, first in the Okanagan Valley and now in North Cowichan. We brought our experience and passion for grapes to the Cowichan Valley in 1999, when our family purchased an old 32 acre dairy farm. With much hard work and dedication, we were able to establish our 18 acre vineyard. We have 8 varieties of grapes; the main varieties ranging from Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Marechal Foch and Gamay Noir. www.deolestatewinery.com
Damali Winery Lose yourself in the heart of Cowichan wine country at this haven of relaxation and inspiration. Whether it’s a stroll through the lavender fields, the gardens, the labyrinth or the vineyard, or a browse in the gift shop, a wine tasting or glass of wine in the picnic area there is something for everyone to enjoy. For an afternoon, experience the ‘beautiful vision’ that is Damali. Our vineyard contains varietals such as Cabernet Libre, Castel, Siegerrebe, and Pinot Noir. In the orchard we are growing blackberries, raspberries, rhubarb and black currants for the purpose of wine making. www.damali.ca
Garry Oaks Estate Winery Located on a terraced ten-acre vineyard carved out of the south-facing gravel slopes overlooking the Burgoyne Valley on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia our wines are Estate grown and bottled, meaning we grow our grapes sustainably and only bottle what we grow. We offer only locally sourced food and beverage choices for our guests including Certified Organic. We responsibly monitor our progress to leave as little carbon footprint as possible and continually strive to reduce more in every aspect of our winery and vineyard as we grow. www.garryoakswinery.com
Salt Spring Vineyards & Tasting Room Our goal is to create great wines that can be enjoyed with friends and family and provide a welcoming environment that is a destination unto itself. Whether you come in for a quick tasting or decide to relax on the grounds and enjoy a picnic – we strive to create an experience you will want to repeat and share with your friends. Our island wines tend to be dry and crisp. We produce a selection of tastes ranging from traditional champenoise-style sparkling, whites, reds, pinks and dessert wines. www.saltspringvineyards.com
Merridale Cidery & Distillery Our 20-acre orchard in Cobble Hill, Cowichan, on Vancouver Island has the perfect terroir for growing cider apples. The unique microclimate in Cowichan means that we can take full advantage of a long, slow growing season that allows us to cultivate bitter-sharp and bittersweet cider apples. Most people think of cider when they think of Merridale, but we have been quietly distilling for over a decade. Check out our Spirits page to watch a video detailing our passion and expertise for this craft.
Merridale Ciderworks obtained one of the first estate winery licenses on Vancouver Island in 1990. Merridale at the farm is now home to an al fresco eatery, tasting bar, store, brick oven bakery, cidery, distillery, and vinegar shack. Further landscaping of the property also allowed for the addition of a pond, gazebo and two well-appointed yurts, creating a new reason to visit Merridale: weddings!
Call us at 250-743-4293 or toll free 1-800-998-9908
1230 Merridale Rd, Cobble Hill, BC V0R 1L0, Canada
Valley Cider Company
Our 27 acre farm includes fertile pastures, lush forests of maple, fir and cedar, converging hills filled with wonderful botanicals and berries, and wetlands of spring water flowing into creeks that run north and south simultaneously. Magical. Our region has historically been a prodigious agricultural community, including a long tradition of growing apples. You can see where I’m going with this…. It would be criminal not to make cider here. The opportunity wasn’t only to realize the terroir of this land through an orchard of heritage fruit but also the privilege to marry everything on it that speaks to cider. A fruit that’s never been restricted to a single use, pairing or enjoyment. Indeed, consider the apple: pure, versatile and replete with character… then crank it up a notch. Ah, yes, now *that’s* a nice cider.
7661 Mays Road
DUNCAN, BC V9L 6A8, CA
+1 250-510-1018
bruce@valleycider.com
