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Island Good Cidery and Winery Tour

Article From the Fall 2022 Island Farm and Garden Magazine

Island Good Cidery and Winery Tour

Early Fall is a great time to visit Vancouver Island cideries and wineries. Enjoy a cider or wine overlooking the picturesque valleys and fields of our local wineries and cideries while admiring the colours of autumn.

Support Island Good cideries and wineries this fall while enjoying some fantastic beverages!

Take in the views at Sea Cider Farm & Ciderhouse on the Saanich Peninsula.
2487 Mt St Michael Rd, Saanichton

Their ten-acre farm is home to over 1,300 apple trees and over 60 varieties of heritage apples. Sea Cider opened its farm gate for business in 2007 when owner Kristen Needham purchased the property with a vision of creating an organic farm and orchard and producing traditionally fermented artisan ciders.

Since then, they have grown to an annual cider production of over 7,000+ cases. They continue to pride themselves on crafting traditionally fermented ciders from organically grown apples. Their award-winning cider is available throughout B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Washington State, Illinois, and Oregon.

Travel through charming countryside roads to reach the hidden gem of Unsworth Vineyards, at 2915 Cameron Taggart Road, Mill Bay.

 

Unsworth Vineyards was founded in 2009 by the Turyk family and is a Cowichan Valley gem specializing in sparkling wines, crisp whites, rosé and light-bodied Pinot Noir.

Complimenting the 10.5 acres of the estate vineyard, Unsworth also works with several Vancouver Island grape growers to discover the regional diversity of their relatively young wine-growing destination.

Unsworth also has a restaurant which is a culinary celebration of all-things Vancouver Island. From a seasonally inspired menu showcasing fresh, local, sustainable ingredients to exceptional service and award-winning wines, we give bold, new meaning to farm-to-table cuisine.

Unsworth has Three tasting options Signature Tasting, Collector Tasting & a Guided Tour and Tasting. The Signature Tasting includes enjoying vineyard views from their Tasting Room & Terrace while you sip, savour, and get acquainted with Unsworth and a selection of five classic wines. The Collector Tasting includes a sample of a curated flight of five premium, limited production Unsworth wines, complete with a guided education on our region, history, and wines. (Please allow 30 minutes for this experience.) The Guided Tour and Tasting is an opportunity to experience Unsworth on foot while sampling five wines and touring their grounds with one of their knowledgeable wine ambassadors. Learn about their history, growing practices, unique terroir, and winemaking methods. (Guided Tours available Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays: 11:30 am & 2:30 pm)

For more information on tastings and tours, be sure to visit Unsworth Vineyard’s website www.unsworthvineyards.com.

Be awed as the autumn colours at Zanatta Winery, 5039 Marshall Road, Duncan, create a scenic autumn landscape.

Zanatta Winery began in the 1950s when family patriarch, Dionisio (Dennis) Zanatta and his wife Claudia, purchased a small dairy farm and farmhouse in the Cowichan Valley. Recognizing the similarities in the climate from his original homeland of Treviso, Italy, Dennis decided to plant his own vines and make wine.

His passion for growing grapes and making wine led to the Zanatta Farm working with the provincial government in the 1980s as a testing site, known as the Duncan Project, to determine the best grapes suited for growing on Vancouver Island.

While many grape varieties were unsuited for the cooler climate of the Cowichan Valley, many varieties, including Ortega, Auxerrois and Cayuga, thrived. Today, these have become signature grapes of Zanatta Winery, with some of the oldest vines in Canada.

Growing up with her father’s love of winemaking, Loretta decided to take the family’s homemade wines to the next level and become a winemaker. While completing her degree at the University of British Columbia, Loretta was heavily involved in the Duncan project. She continued her education in Italy, where she earned her credentials from the University of Piacenza in Enology.

Returning to the Island, Loretta married her husband, Jim Moody, whom she had met while at the University of British Columbia. Jim’s love of horticulture turned to the art of growing grapes and making wine. In 1992, the Zanatta family officially opened the doors for Vancouver Island’s first commercial winery and released the Island’s first sparkling wine, made in the traditional champagne method, Glenora Fantasia Brut.

Celebrating three decades of winemaking, Zanatta winery has come a long way. Today, Zanatta is recognized as one of British Columbia’s premium sparkling wine producers with numerous awards and accolades. Their unique white blend wine, Damasco, is one of the best-selling wines in the Cowichan Valley, and their Pinot Noir is recognized as one of the best from Vancouver Island!

Visit their website zanatta.ca for more details

Stroll through the interpretive trail at 40 Knots Winery in the Comox Valley, 2400 Anderton Rd, Comox.

 

40 Knots Winery is a 24-acre estate vineyard and winery proud to have evolved into a hub for the Comox Valley and beyond.

At 40 Knots, clean, ethical wines are a promise; this guides them in every step they take in farming, cellar management, crush pad operation, their store, their delivery to the customer, and their promise to protect the environment.

Their goal is to grow ultra-premium grapes on Vancouver Island. Some of the most outstanding vineyards in the world are grown near oceans with the salt air embedding the Burgundy oak. Great wines are not made in the tank and the barrel. Instead, great wines come from the vineyard.

40 Knots looks to host people for a variety of weekly events ranging from book clubs to evenings of live music. Their glass terrace allows them to welcome visitors year-round, as they can throw on the heater during cooler periods.

40 Knots believes in a minimal intervention winemaking process to ensure that their wines contain the least amount of additives possible.

They farm sustainably and use the best practices to create a product that is organic, biodynamic, and plant-based. The hard work they put into the vineyard is shown in their wines, as they are shaped by the salinity of the ocean breeze and a sun-soaked climate. Their wines are truly an experience like none other!

Learn more at www.40knotswinery.com.

We hope you enjoy visiting these Island Good cideries and wineries!

Island Good is all about promoting local products so that it is easy to find what you are looking for. You’ll see shelf markers in participating stores showing you which products are Island Good. You’ll see retail signs that say ‘Island Good is Here’ and producer signs that say ‘We’re Island Good.’ Island Good labels, shelf markers, and signs are your guides for buying local products. Also follow @islandgoodbrand on your favourite social media platform.

We love where we live. We’re proud of Vancouver Island. And we think Island Good is good for the economy, good for jobs, good for the environment, and good for us!

It’s all good, Island Good!