Category: Cowichan Valley

I finally had a chance on a recent trip to Victoria to make a side trip to the Cowichan Valley to visit Unsworth Vineyards and Blue Grouse Estate Winery.  Unsworth is a bit closer to Victoria, so it was the first stop on my wine tasting day.  The winery grounds look beautiful with a modern-designed tasting room with lots of…

Pinot Noir Abides in Vancouver Island’s Cowichan Valley by Brent Gushowaty Sitting in the Southeast corner of Vancouver Island, the Cowichan Valley lies not far from the Salish Sea and is centered at one degree of latitude South of the Canada/U.S. border.  The climate is classified as maritime Mediterranean. It sits in the rain shadow of the Vancouver Island Range, one…

What do you know about BC Pinot Noir?  Do you have a favourite winery or wine region in BC for Pinot Noir?  In today’s seminar, the Possibilities of Pinot, we were brought up to date on the state of Pinot Noir in BC.  Our Moderator for this seminar was Barb Philip MW.  Our panellists were either owners or winemakers from…

The 2022 harvest is the first after COVID restrictions have been lifted.  I am sure that lifting COVID restrictions was appreciated by BC wineries.  We had a cool start to the growing season, followed by mere mm of rain between July and mid-October so I’d guess the weather has had an impact on harvest and fermentation, but we shall see…

Canadian Thanksgiving is going to be very different this year for many of us who are accustomed to getting together with our parents, brothers and sister, and maybe aunts and uncles for dinner.  It will be smaller, and may be just you, but you can still enjoy your turkey, ham, or vegan Thanksgiving meal with a glass or two of…

British Columbia wineries continue to define distinct grape-growing regions, known as a sub-geographical indication (sub-GI).  This week we received this announcement that our next sub-GI has been successfully accepted by the BC government.  It is on Vancouver Island; the Cowichan Valley.  Read about this new sub-GI and Blue Grouse Estate Winery that worked on getting this designation. Congratulations! ~~~ [DUNCAN,…