If you’ve heard of BC wine, it’s likely thanks to the region that put the Canadian province on the map, the Okanagan Valley. It is to British Columbia what Napa Valley is to California, but it’s far from the only burgeoning wine region in BC. Today, we will explore the unique terroir and award-winning wines from top wineries on Vancouver Island.
A 90-minute ferry ride from the mainland or a 50-minute seaplane flight from Seattle, and you’ll find yourself on Vancouver Island. Known for outdoor adventure and whale-watching, the island offers more than meets the eye. We will begin our journey in the southern part of the island, near the province’s capital city of Victoria, and make our way north to the Comox Valley.
Church & State Wines
A 20-minute drive from downtown Victoria in Brentwood Bay, you’ll find Vancouver Island’s largest winery, Church & State Wines. They have two locations, one of which is—you guessed it—in the Okanagan Valley. Located in Oliver, it’s where they grow their red varietal grapes and make the majority of their wines.
When you enter the tasting room, a bright area with vaulted ceilings filled with skylights welcomes you. They built this space for tastings, events, and their on-site restaurant with a spacious patio overlooking the vast, picturesque vineyards.
They pour wines from the Vancouver Island estate and Okanagan estate vineyards in this tasting room. This sets them apart from other Vancouver Island wineries because you can sample bolder reds that you won’t find elsewhere on the island.
While they pour wines from both locations, the Vancouver Island one is strictly a sparkling house. Here, they produce traditional artisan sparkling wines from their estate vineyards. During my tour, I learned that they make their sparkling wines in the traditional method, and everything is done by hand. As you’ll see, this is a common theme with the wineries on the island.
Church & State Wines produces several award-winning wines and has been named producer of Canada’s Best Red Wine seven times since 2009.
Author’s Fave – Gris de Noirs Brut
Unsworth Vineyards
Heading an hour’s drive northwest, including a scenic ferry ride, we arrive at Unsworth Vineyards in Mill Bay. Barbara Banke and her daughter, Julia Jackson of Jackson Family Wines (JFW), purchased this family-built winery in 2020. It is a common misconception that Unsworth is owned by the JFW, but it is not. The purchase was outside the JFW portfolio, and the Turyk family continues to manage the business, including the vineyard, winery, and restaurant, under the Unsworth name.
Unsworth produces about 120,000 bottles annually, making it the largest winery in the area. The new vineyard is certified sustainable by the Sustainable Winegrowing BC (VQA) certification.
They were also the first winery in the province to join the Porto Protocol, an international organization focused on sustainability knowledge-sharing across various sectors. Sustainability is at the core of what they do.
Unsworth is also one of the few wineries on Vancouver Island with an on-site restaurant, so plan to stay and enjoy a meal. I had their seasonal feature pasta, pictured below, and it paired perfectly with a glass of their Pinot Noir.
Unlike Church & State, Unsworth focuses on still wines, particularly Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, due to the region’s cool climate. Pinot Gris may be the most planted grape on the island, but Chardonnay is their most popular wine. While it’s not a focus, they do have a small traditional method program for sparkling wines.
Unsworth Vineyards is one to watch. They are undergoing major renovations, and they are building a new tasting room to accommodate their growth. The opening is slated for May 2025.
Author’s Fave – Pinot Noir
Blue Grouse Estate Winery
©Kathryn Anderson
Practically neighbors, Blue Grouse Estate Winery, is a 15-minute drive from Unsworth, located in the charming city of Duncan. These two wineries on Vancouver Island are close in proximity, making it easy to visit both on the same day. Blue Grouse is owned by Jackson Family Wines and it is part of their portfolio of wineries.
This purchase further solidifies a commitment to cooler-climate winegrowing regions. Wine growing has been greatly affected by climate change. These new weather patterns are changing which varietals thrive in these new climates, forcing winemakers to plant different varieties of grapes.
©Kathryn Anderson
©Kathryn Anderson
Blue Grouse is another one to watch. They recently earned their Biosphere Sustainable Certification and hired a new winemaker, Stacy Hornemann, who is making significant changes. She relocated to Vancouver Island from Sonoma County, where she worked at Stonestreet under JFW.
Stacey’s passion for creating wines with new varietals was apparent as she led us through a tasting of Blue Grouse’s wines. She expressed excitement about four new varieties that will significantly contribute to their portfolio, both in sparkling and still offerings.
One such varietal is Ortega, which she affectionately calls the “sassy cousin of Sauvignon Blanc,” with the potential for barrel fermentation to enhance its characteristics. It is rare to see someone with such passion for what they do, but Stacey has it in spades, and I can’t wait to see what she accomplishes at Blue Grouse.
Author’s Fave – Charme De L’Île signature sparkling wine
Beaufort Vineyard and Estate Winery
The time has come to head north and enjoy a scenic 2.5-hour drive up Vancouver Island to the wineries in Comox Valley. Here, we find the first certified organic winery on Vancouver Island, Beaufort Vineyard, and Estate Winery. They transformed an old barn into a charming winery and tasting room. They produce 30,000 bottles annually.
This winery was previously owned by none other than the Academy Award-winning producer and director James Cameron. The current owners, Alexandre Guertin, Sylvie Senay, and Rolland Tanguay, purchased it from Cameron in 2021.
Alex was having Christmas with his family when he mentioned that it might be interesting to look at buying a winery. Later, his best friend told him he recently visited a winery in Comox that was for sale. Alex told us he “popped right over on the ferry, and then the week after made an offer.”
One thing I noticed upon arrival at Beaufort Winery was the blue netting covering the tops of many of the vines. The birds will eat their entire crops, so they must cover the vines. In true Canadian fashion, Alex tells me that they put their over nets up with hockey sticks. This process requires several people in different rows to push the nets on. All activities, including pruning, leaf clearing, and weeding, are done manually, with no mechanical harvesting.
Beaufort Winery aims to increase its sparkling wine production, particularly with Pinot Noir and Ortega grapes. Having never heard of Ortega before, I was keen to try it. I immediately fell in love with its delicate flavor of citrus and tropical fruits.
Author’s Fave – Ortega
40 Knots Winery
One of the largest wineries on Vancouver Island, 40 Knots Winery was initially owned by a Greek restaurateur and later by a tugboat captain who unsuccessfully tried farming before converting the land to vineyards in 2006. The current owners, Brenda and Layne, took over in July 2014 and expanded the vineyard to nearly 20 acres. With corporate backgrounds, you may wonder why they chose to purchase a winery and why this one in particular.
While the winery’s name is an ode to its marine history, it’s also the stall speed of a bush plane. Owner Layne is a pilot and was researching this topic when he happened upon the listing for this winery. The couple impulsively decided to buy the vineyard despite having no prior entrepreneurial or winery experience. They had been looking for a change of pace, and, not wanting to retire, they purchased 40 Knots Winery. Having just celebrated the winery’s 10th anniversary, they appear to be doing great.
With the success of their winery, they are expanding into hard cider. Using their on-site apple orchard, they will launch four hard ciders next year, and they’re very excited about it.
Author’s Fave – Sieg (and VinoSpa Moisture Creme)
VinoSpa, by 40 Knots Winery
As if they don’t have enough going on, 40 Knots also has a skincare brand called VinoSpa that harnesses their signature ingredient, the Pinot Noir noble grape. This red wine grape contains naturally occurring resveratrol and polyphenols and is known for its antioxidant properties.
VinoSpa products are organic, vegan, cruelty-free, and made with sustainable ingredients. Whether you’re looking for a new wine, cider, or skincare line, 40 Knots is the winery with it all on Vancouver Island.
The Wineries on Vancouver Island
British Columbia’s winemakers continue to craft exceptional wines that capture the unique terroir of Vancouver Island. You didn’t hear it from me, but they have applied for their own sub-Geographical designation (sub-GI). A sub-GI is akin to a sub-American Viticultural Area (sub-AVA). While the Okanagan Valley has 11 sub-GIs, Vancouver Island only has one for now, but that could soon change.
Regardless, it’s always a good time to support these dedicated artisans and savor the incredible wines they’ve produced.
Wine BC hosted this author’s visit.
You may also enjoy reading:
- Tide to Table: A Culinary Adventure in the Pacific Northwest
- Surrey: The Rising Star of Canada’s Vancouver Area
- Tri-Cities: The Heart of Washington Wine Country
