Photo: Blue Grouse winery in the Cowichan Valley
With 13 wineries, the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island has emerged as a serious viticultural area and a destination for wine tourism.
It is hardly an overnight success. I recounted the history in my 2011 book,
John Schreiner’s BC Coastal Wine Tour Guide, long since out of print. A serious grape-growing trial known as The Duncan Project was launched in 1983 on a farm south of Duncan owned by Dennis Zanatta, an immigrant from Italy who had planted a few vines to support personal winemaking.
To quote from the book: “Dennis had some plants around a swimming pool at the house. He was quite interested in finding out himself whether it was suitable or not, and so he offered to make his property available for a test site. That was the beginning of what is known as The Duncan Project. Thirty-one varieties of grapes were planted in 1983—vinifera such as Ortega, Chardonnay and Auxerrois; hybrids such as Castel and Okanagan Riesling; and numbered hybrids from the Summerland research station’s breeding program. After considerable frost damage during the cold 1985–86 winter, 17 varieties were removed, among them Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc and even Vidal. Some 22 additional varieties were planted in 1987 while more were pulled out in 1989. The [BC government] ministry decided to stop supporting the grape trials. By then, however, Dennis Zanatta had plunged ahead independently and his decision to grow grapes for a winery soon inspired others.”
“Eventually, Dennis extended the vineyard to a full 30 acres. That was the largest vineyard on Vancouver Island. Since Dennis’s death in 2008, ownership has been consolidated by his daughter Loretta, who he sent to wine school in Italy in the late 1980s, and his son-in-law Jim Moody. Vigneti Zanatta, the first new commercial winery on Vancouver Island in 65 years, opened in 1992.”
Zanatta Estate Winery, as it now calls itself, was among the Cowichan Valley producers that, for the second year running, hosted three recent tastings – in Victoria, Nanaimo and Comox. I ran out of time at the tasting, missing both Zanatta and Enrico Winery; but I was pleased with the wines I tasted at all the other tables.
The Zanatta vineyard no longer is the largest in the Cowichan Valley. The two largest producers now are Blue Grouse Estate Winery and Unsworth Vineyards, both owned by the Jackson family from California. Unsworth is completing a major expansion which will it the capacity to produce 10,000 cases a year. The winery, which already had a 10-acre vineyard, has a new 40—acre vineyard west of Duncan where the vines will be in their third leaf this year.
Blue Grouse was opened in 1992 by Hans Kiltz, who initially made wine in the ground floor of the family home with grapes from eight acres of vineyard. The Kiltz family sold the winery in 2012; it changed owners again in 2022. During that time, the vineyard acreage has expanded substantially. Both Unsworth and Blue Grouse have elegant tasting rooms and excellent wines.
A Cowichan Valley wine tour now can fill three satisfying days of touring and tasting.
Here are notes on some of the wines I recently tasted.
Alderlea Vineyards opened in 1998 and is now operated by Zachary Brown and Julie Powell. They bought it and its 7 ½-acre vineyard in 2017. They have since contracted a nearby vineyard to support a production now of 4,000 cases a year.
Alderlea Pinot Gris 2023 ($23). The grapes, after being crushed, spent 24 hours on the skins, giving the wine a golden blush and good texture. There are flavours of rhubarb and strawberry. The finish is crisp. 91.
Alderlea Bacchus 2023 ($23). The aromatic wine is crisp and fresh, with citrus flavours mingled with herbal notes. 90.
Alderlea Sauvignon Blanc 2023 ($24). This is believed the only Sauvignon Blanc on Vancouver Island. It shows the classic aromas and flavours of lime and lemon with a touch of herbs. 91.
Alderlea Pinot Noir Rosé 2024 ($24). The wine presents with an assertive rose petal hue, with aromas and flavours of wild strawberry. 91.
Alderlea Pinot Noir 2022 ($30). Aromas and flavours cherry lead to hints of forest floor on the finish. The wine has a silky texture. 90.
Alderlea Pinot Noir Reserve 2022 ($39). There is a little more of everything here: dark cherry fruit, concentrated texture, more forest floor, and structure to support aging. 92.
Alderlea Clarinet 2022 ($24). Made with Maréchal Foch, this dark, full-bodied wine is generous on the palate with flavours range from blackberry to plum and fig. 91.
Alderlea Matrix 2022 ($25). This is a blend of 70% Cabernet Foch, 20% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Libre. The wine begins with slightly stemmy aromas of black currant and black olives, echoed on the palate. 89.
Averill Creek Vineyard is based on a 30-acre vineyard first planted in 2002 by owner Andy Johnston, a former doctor with an affection for Pinot Noir. The winery’s first vintage was 2005. This year’s tasting also included the winery’s new Joue brand, wines crafted for restaurants.
Joue White 2024 ($27). This is a field blend of Gewürztraminer and Pinot Gris. The wine is crisp and fresh, with flavours of citrus and pear. 89.
Joue Rose 2022 ($27). This dark-hued rosé is a blend Maréchal Foch and Gamay with a touch of Gewürztraminer and Pinot Gris. There are aromas and flavours of cherry and watermelon. 89.
Joue Red 2022 ($19 on a case sale). This is a blend of Gamay and Maréchal Foch fermented on Pinot Noir pomace. The wine is bold, with aromas and flavours of spice and plum. 90.
Averill Creek Pinot Gris 2023 ($30). The grapes were crushed by foot and given six to 12 hours of skin contact before being fermented with natural yeast. The wine was aged 11 months in older French oak and concrete vats. There is good minerality in this textural wine, with aromas and flavours of pear and citrus. 90.
Averill Creek Pinot Noir Estate 2023 ($34). This firm-textured wine with aromas and flavours of cherry mingled with forest floor will benefit from a few more years of cellar-aging. 90.
Blue Grouse Estate Winery, which opened in 1992, has become a destination Cowichan Valley winery with its elegant tasting room. The wines are now made by California-trained Stacy Hornemann, who joined Blue Grouse in 2024 subsequent to the winery being purchased two years earlier by members of California’s Jackson family.
Blue Grouse Charme De L’île White ($29.99). The island wineries all have settled on Charme de L’île to designate Charmat-method sparkling wines. The principal varietal in this wine is Schönburger which brings an aromatic note to this crisp, refreshing wine. 90.
Blue Grouse Charme De L’île Rosé ($29.99). This is made with Gamay Noir. The wine presents in the glass with an intense pink hue, leading to aromas and flavours of cherry. The finish is crisp. 90.
Blue Grouse Pinot Gris 2023 ($29.99). This wine was aged 80% in concrete, 20% in neutral French oak. It has aromas and flavours of melon, apple and pear, with a crisp finish. 90.
Blue Grouse Ortega 2023 ($21). The winery has a block of Ortega grapes that were planted in 1990. That is reflected in the full texture of the wine with its intense flavours of gooseberry and pear. 90.
Blue Grouse Chardonnay 2023 ($32.99). The fruit for this wine was fermented and aged 11 months in French oak. Aromas and flavours of citrus and apple mingle with a hint of oak. 90.
Blue Grouse Rosé 2023 ($27.99). This wine is 85% Pinot Noir, 15% Gamay Noir. The vibrant colour leads to aromas and flavours of strawberry and watermelon. The finish is crisp. 89.
Blue Grouse Pinot Noir 2022 ($39.99). This wine was barrel-aged for 20 months. Aromas and flavours of cherry and spice mingle with notes of wood and forest floor. 90.
Blue Grouse Quill Q Red 2022 ($32.99). This robust blend is 43% Merlot, 32.7% Cabernet Franc, 15.5% Maréchal Foch and 8.5% Syrah. The wine has a fleshy texture with aromas and flavours of dark fruits mingled with spice. 90.
Cherry Point Estate Winery opened in 1994 and has been owned since 2009 by Xavier and Maria Bonilla. He is a Colombian-born agricultural economist who, with his trademark black beret, looks like a French or Spanish vigneron. Some of his inspiration comes from the wines of Rioja.
Cherry Point Pinot Blanc 2022 ($32). The winery has just four rows of this varietal. The wine is crisp, with aromas and flavours of green apple and lemon. 90.
Cherry Point Spritzy Rosé 2023 ($33.50). There are three varietals in this wine (not identified on the website). The colour is appealing. There are aromas and flavours of wild strawberry and cherry. 88.
Cherry Point Ortega Old Vines 2022 ($33.50). This varietal is sometimes called the island’s signature varietal. This wine has herbal notes on the nose, leading to a medley from fruit flavours (apple, apricot) on a full palate. 88.
Cherry Point Gitano Old Vines 2022 ($33.50). Gitano means gypsy, suggesting the personality of this zesty Pinot Noir-based red wine. It has aromas and flavours of cherry and raspberry. 89.
Cherry Point Bête Noir Gran Riserva Old Vines 2019 ($35.50). The wine is inspired by the wines of Rioja. A blend of Agria and Zweigelt, it is a bold red with aromas of dark fruits and flavours of plum, spice and a touch of oak on the finish. 91.
Cherry Point Late Harvest Pinot Blanc 2023 ($44). This is a botrytis-affected wine with honeyed aromas and flavours of peach. 90.
Cobble Hill Winery is the culmination of Steve and Tricia Huebner’s dream to combine regenerative farming with the art of winemaking. Together with winemaker Dylan Sheldon, they are converting the former Damali Winery and lavender farm into one of Cowichan Valley’s rising stars.
Cobble Hill Muscat 2024 ($30 for 41 cases). This wine has the varietal’s classic aromas of lychee mingled with ginger. This is echoed in the flavours. The finish is crisp and dry. 90.
Cobble Hill Pinot Gris 2022 ($28 for 123 cases). This wine presents with a slight blush and aromas of citrus. On the palate, it has flavours of pear and apple, with a tart finish. 88.
Cobble Hill Pinot Gris 2023 ($30 for 105 cases). The deep colour happened because the press broke in 2023 while Pinot Gris grapes were still in it. The Huebners like the result so well that, in 2024, they deliberately gave the fruit extended skin contact. The skin-fermented wine packs a lot of flavour, including strawberry and plum. 90
Cobble Hill Zweigelt 2023 ($35 for 64 cases). The fruit is from the Cherry Point vineyard, a rare example of this Austrian varietal on Vancouver Island. The wine is bright and juicy, with aromas and flavours of cherry and pomegranate. 91.
Cobble Hill Merlot 2023 ($35 for 64 cases). The fruit came from the Zanatta vineyard south of Duncan. The wine has aromas and flavours of plum and black cherry. 90.
Cobble Hill Castel 2023 ($30 for 110 cases). Made from a hybrid red varietal, this is a full-bodied wine with aromas and flavours of dark fruits and dark chocolate. 91.
Divino Estate Winery was founded in the Okanagan in 1982 by Joe Busnardo, an immigrant from Italy. He moved the winery in 1996 to Cobble Hill in the Cowichan Valley, where he planted a vineyard half the size of the former Okanagan property (now Hester Creek Estate Winery). He celebrated his 91 first birthday in April and, according to daughter Carla, he is still pruning the vines.
Divino Trebbiano NV ($N/A). This is the fine Italian white varietal that Joe Busnardo planted first in the Okanagan and subsequently in his Cobble Hill vineyard. It produces a crisp, fresh wine with aromas and flavours of spice mingled with green apples. 88.
Divino Chardonnay NV ($N/A). The aromas and flavours are somewhat unripe. 86.
Divino Pinot Noir 2018 ($N/A). The aromas and flavours of cherry are supported by generous oak notes. 88.
Divino Merlot Cabernet 2018 ($N/A). Soft and juicy in texture, this wine has aromas and flavours of dark cherry and blueberry. 90.
Emandare Vineyard made its first vintage in 2015 after Mike and Robin Nierychlo had resuscitated a 20-year-old vineyard and built a winery. The wines are estate-grown from an organically dry-farmed vineyard. The winery also sources grapes from the old vines at the former Chateau Wolff Vineyard in Nanaimo.
Emandare Traditional Method Blanc de Blancs 2022 ($50 for 60 cases). Made with Chardonnay with a touch of Gewürztraminer to enhance the aroma, this wine spent 16 months on the lees before being disgorged. There is a touch of brioche in the aroma and on the crisp palate, along with notes of citrus and green apple. 91.
Emandare Wolff Vineyard Chardonnay 2023 ($45 for 25 cases). This wine was fermented and aged in neutral French oak. It has aromas and flavours of apple and Asian pear wrapped around a spine of minerality. 90.
Emandare Rosé 2023 ($30 for 150 cases). This is an unusual field blend of 65% Siegerrebe, 13% Maréchal Foch, 12% Tempranillo and 10% Dornfelder. The assemblage makes for an assertive hue and juicy flavours of cherry and strawberry. 90.
Emandare Estate Maréchal Foch 2023 ($38 for 175 cases). This robust wine was fermented and aged in neutral French oak. It has aromas and flavours of black currant, plum and fig with a hint of pepper. 91.
Emandare Estate Pinot Noir 2023 ($85 for 90 cases). This wine was fermented and aged in neutral French oak. Generous in texture, the wine has aromas and flavours of cherry and plum, with a note of forest floor on the finish. 91.
Emandare Wolff Vineyard Pinot Noir 2023 ($50 for 75 cases). This wine was fermented and aged in neutral French oak. There are aromas and flavours of cherry and cranberry wrapped around a note of slate minerality. 89.
Unsworth Vineyards opened in 2011 and was originally owned by Tim and Colleen Turyk and their son, Chris. In 2020, they sold the winery to Barbara Banke and Julia Jackson, members of the Jackson Family of California. The new owners, who are developing more vineyards, have raised the production to 10,000 cases a year and have begun to build a new winery with the capacity to produce more. Winemaker Dan Wright has his hands full.
Unsworth Charme de L’île ($32.50). This sparkling wine, Charmat-fermented and aged in stainless steel, is made primarily with Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir, is crisp and fresh, with notes of citrus and apple. 90.
Unsworth Allegro 2023 ($26.90). This fruity wine is a blend of white Blattner hybrid varietals. It is a medley of orchard fruits on the palate. 90.
Unsworth Pinot Gris 2024 ($N/A). This is a crisp, fresh wine with aromas and flavours of pear and citrus. 90.
Unsworth Rosé 2023 ($28.90). Made with Pinot Noir, the pale hue belies the satisfying fruit flavours (strawberry and cherry). 90.
Unsworth Pinot Noir 2022 ($40.90). This wine was aged 15 months in French oak (5% new). It has aromas of strawberry and spice, with cherry on the firm palate. 90.
Here are the two I missed after running out of time.
Enrico Winery opened in 2010 not far from Mill Bay. Today, the winery is run by the family of the founder, the late Harry Smith. Enrico is supported by a 50-acre vineyard planted with eight different varietals.
Zanatta Estate Winery, which was licensed in 1990, is the oldest winery on Vancouver Island. The winery’s 30-acre vineyard grows 40 different varieties, including British Columbia’s only commercial planting of Cayuga, a New York hybrid.
