Most of us, when we think of BC wine, think of the Okanagan, but a short ferry ride to Victoria, and a drive up the Malahat, will bring you to some south Island wineries. In one visit, I first went to Unsworth Vineyards to sample their wines, then drove a little further north, near Duncan, to the Blue Grouse Estate Winery. I had not been to either winery, and I should have, but rarely get a chance to go to the Island. I sampled over 20 wines all together between the two wineries. I will post my tasting notes for these two wineries in separate articles. For this article, I thought I would share a few photos and talk a bit about my experience at each winery.
Unsworth Vineyards
They have an extensive variety of aromatic white wines, some Charme de L’ile bubbles, and excellent Pinot Noir wines. The tasting room and outdoor patio has the vineyard surrounding it. There is also a restaurant and a garden where the chefs grow many of the vegetables that get served in their dishes. I did not have a chance to eat there as I was on a tight timeline, but the dishes on the menu looked tempting. The climate for the area is cooler, but with the sun on this September day, it felt quite warm and strong. I don’t think any grapes were harvested yet, but harvest would soon be underway.
Blue Grouse Estate Winery
Driving about 30 minutes north of Unsworth Vineyards, I arrived at Blue Grouse Estate Winery. The heat from the sun seemed much more intense, which could be as they are a little more inland and higher elevation. When I arrived that day, harvest of Bacchus had just begun. I sat on the patio, tasting through several of their wines, while Pinot Noir grapes hung on the vine just a few steps away. They do not have a restaurant, but do offer charcuterie to go along with wines you can purchase by the glass and enjoy on the patio.
The staff at both wineries were very knowledgeable about the wines that they were pouring. The round trip from Victoria to both wineries and back took about 7 hrs. I spent about 2 hrs at Unsworth and 1 hr at Blue Grouse plus a 45 minute lunch break. So when you are in Victoria and would like a day trip, consider driving up the Malahat to these two wineries.
Thank you to both wineries for their hospitality.
Stay tuned for my wine tasting notes for both wineries coming out next week.
