Cowichan Wine FEstival

July 15th, 2023- Cowichan Valley Wine Fest & Chef Kristian Eligh/ Marilena, Victoria

hello

Cowichan Valley Wine Fest & Chef Kristian Eligh/Marilena, Victoria

THE SHOW

It’s Festival Season. In the Cowichan Valley. Wine, Music, Blues and Roots, Food, Fishing, Camping.

Cowichan | 10 reasons to visit the Cowichan Valley

The annual Cowichan Valley Wine Festival returns to its Month of August setting.

Its kicks off July 27  with Sunset Soirée from 6-9 PM on the gorgeous Campbell Commons at  Brentwood College School in Mill Bay.

13 wineries will be pouring some of their favourites plus some chosen especially for this event. Attending and tasting allow you to actually meet the maker of the wines. There’s nothing better than getting the real story of the wine. Expect high-end, new releases and a few surprises being poured.

This year the food program will be created by  Mensch Catering, so you know it will be very interesting.

Wineries pouring on the night will be Alderlea, Avril Creek,  Blue Grouse, Cherry Point, Damali, Devino, Deol,  Emandare, Enrico, Rocky Creek, Unsworth, Venturi Schultze and  Zanatta!

August in the Cowichan Valley  Aug 1 – 31.    Twelve wineries.

Wine Passport.  

Your map and tasting glass are your ticket to all 12 participating Cowichan Valley Wineries.

Everyone who purchases a ticket is automatically entered into draws. 

(Accommodations, wine, tours,  transportation and gift baskets.)

Details at www.cowichanwineries.com

 

Our guests are:

Alderlea – Julie Powell co-owner/co-winemaker

Blue Grouse – Bailey Williamson  Head Winemaker

Enrico Winery – Lorin Inglis  General Manager and Pres Cowichan Wineries Society.

Bailey Williamson (Blue Grouse)

(Jim Moody from Zanatta had tech issues and we will do a follow up)

www.cowichanwineries.com

www.alderlea.ca

www.bluegrouse.ca

www.enricowinery.com

@zanattawinery

 

Chef Kristian Eligh – Marilena Café and Raw Bar.  Victoria

Chef Kristian Eligh

It felt like the longest opening of a new restaurant I’ve seen in many years.

3-4 years ago I knew that Kristian and his family were moving back to Victoria with a plan to create a singular restaurant.

Then came years of COVID and post Covid.

Finally the day has arrived and Marilena Café and Raw Bar  was just launched.

Kristian is a chefs chef.

New Vancouver Island restaurant Marilena to open in Victoria, BC on June 28 | Eat North

Kristian is a chef’s chef.

From Thomas Keller’s The French Laundry, to culinary director of Hawksworth Restaurant and now

Top Table Group Executive Chef.

The Top Table Group includes Blue Water Café, Eliza, Cin Cin, Araxi, Il Caminetto, Bar Oso.  Quite a line up and it doesn’t include their two New York City restaurants.

Marilena is two rooms in one. They’ve been described as “pockets of ambience”.

The Raw Bar, led by Chef Clark Park. The Café is the turf of one of the best managers Aaron Matsuzaki.

New Vancouver Island restaurant Marilena to open in Victoria, BC on June 28 | Eat North

The wine directory is large. It’s overseen by the brilliant Shane Taylor.

This is a destination, my friends…

Go to www.marilenacafe.com and check out the dazzling menu and wine list.

The café is a blend of Japanese-inspired small plates, Italian salads and large sharing plates of whole fish, lobster and  48 hr Beef Shortrib.

Cocktails on tap and a list of variables called lively, adventurous and sophisticated.

Pouring select Vancouver Island Wines. One from Basque Country and Aquilini   Cab/Merlot Family Blend from Red Mountain.

 

Marilena is now open. It was well worth the wait.

 

www.marilenacafe.com

 

STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON

Fort Berens 

John Schreiner  Good Grog

The Sipster 2

Painted Rock

Meyer/Mayhem

Hester Creek

Etna/Pietradolce

 

 

June 26th, 2021 –  4th Annual Cowichan Valley Wine Festival!

hello

Cowichan Wine Festival Aug 1-31.   12 wineries – 31 days – 36 wines to be discovered.

THE SHOW

2021 –  4th Annual Cowichan Valley Wine Festival

Sunday, Aug 1 High Noon –  Tuesday, Aug 31, 5 PM.

 

It is so nice to be able to share this week’s Tasting Room Radio with our friends from the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island. The good news they bring is that The Cow is open for business.

They will be adhering to covid guidelines and practices.

In all,  12 wineries will be open and welcoming. (reservations are highly recommended)

You’ll want to make plans early because last year was a complete sell-out.

Tickets are $35.00.

Your handsome glass is the ticket that allows you to get into all 12 participating wineries.

Visit as many wineries as you like and collect stamps in your passport. If you collect all of them you can enter a draw for a Grand Prize.

For more info www.tourismcowichan.com

For all the dark news of 2021 it’s nice to be able to share this week’s Tasting Room Radio with our friends from the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island. The good news they bring is that The Cow is open for business. They will be adhering to covid guidelines and practices.

In all,  12 wineries will be open and welcoming. (for some,  reservations are highly recommended)

You’ll want to make plans early because last year was a complete sell-out.

 

Tickets are $35.00. Your gorgeous glass (and passport) is your ticket. That allows you to get into all 12 participating wineries.

Visit as many wineries as you like and collect stamps in your passport. If you collect all of them you can enter a draw for a Grand Prize.

Historic Faces of Cowichan

For more info www.tourismcowichan.com

unsworth wines

Unsworth Winery

 

The stories and the pours from 6 valley wineries. Our guest list includes:

 Jim Moody – Owner and Winemaker at Zanatta Vineyards (Duncan)

Bailey Williamson – Winemaker at Blue Grouse (Duncan)

Bailey Williamson Blue Grouse

Lorin Inglis – Manager of Enrico Winery (Mill Bay)

Brent Rowland – Winemaker Averill Creek and Joue (Duncan)

Brent Rowland Winemaker Averill Creek

Michelle Schulze –  Management  Venturi-Schulze (Cobble Hill)

Dan Wright – Winemaker Unsworth (Mill Bay)

www.tourismcowichan.com 

bluegrouse.ca

enricowinery.com

zanatta.ca

AverillCreek.ca

venturischulze.com

unsworthvineyards.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON:

Spring Releases from:

2House

Gold Hill

Cedar Creek

Home Block Restaurant

Little Engine Virtual Tasting

Breaking Ground at Unsworth

 

July 25th, 2020 -The 2020 Cowichan Valley Wine Festival  Aug 1-31  

hello

 

The 2020 Cowichan Valley Wine Festival  Aug 1-31

In a normal year, just about now,  I’d get in the car and drive south on Vancouver Island to Cobble Hill and meet the Cowichan Winemakers on a Crush Pad.

As we all know 2020 is not a normal year. A historic pandemic has a way of shutting everything down and threatening everyone’s health and life.

How then to organize and pull off a wine festival?

With the assistance and guidance of Tourism Cowichan, the 13 wineries of the Cowichan Valley invite you to Discover Cowichan Wine.

This year the wine festival is taking place for the entire month of August.

Due to Covid19, there will be no opening party however participants can purchase a ticket for $20 which gives them a festival glass to bring to each winery. Tasting fees are waived and if you get a stamp at each tasting on your passport you then qualify for a draw at the end of August for a case of Cowichan Wine.


The wineries have been preparing to receive guests in a safe and healthy environment. Physical distancing, sanitized tastings plus safety for the guests and employees.

There is so much to celebrate in The Cowichan.  A new Sub GI designation. Cowichan now can appear on all wine labels made with Valley fruit.

And the recent purchase of Unsworth by Barbara Banke and Julia Jackson (Napa/Sonoma).

 

This is our first Zoom interview with the Cowichan Wineries. The audio and zoom video can be streamed on our website.

I asked our winemaking guests to highlight two wines they’re pouring…

Jill Nessel – Tourism Cowichan.GM

Mike Nierychlo – Emandare Vineyard  (Rose and Pinot Noir)

Brent Rowland – Averill Creek/Joue  (Joue White and Red)

Paul Bruner – Blue Grouse.  The owner (Estate Pinot Gris and Quill Rose)

Blue Grouse

Dan Wright – Unsworth Vineyards (Allegro and Rose)

Paul Busnardo – Divino (Trebbiano and Everything red blend)

Lorin Inglis – Enrico.GM  (Charme De Lile Sparkling and Tempest Ortega)

Xavier Bonilla – Cherry Point (Pinot Noir and Siegerrebe)

Chef and Author  Bill Jones – Deerholme Farm in The Cowichan.

 

A Question.  What goes best with Cowichan Wine?  Cowichan Food!

And who better to add a food component to this special than Chef Bill Jones at Deerholme Farm.

You know Bill from his dozen or so books..The Deerholme Foraging Book. The Deerholme Mushroom Book.

Bill Jones is a passionate supporter of local food communities, a founding member of FarmFolk/CityFolk, SlowFood Vancouver Island, and was a key organizer of the BC Canadian Chefs Congress.

If you’re heading to the festival, check out Bills  Thursday small dinners and special dinner Aug 15th (Mediterranean) & 22nd (Korean BBQ)

Or sign up for the always sold out foraging classes in The Fall.

 

www.deerholme.com

Cowichan Visitor Information

[email protected]

[email protected]

 

Tasting Room Radio Cowichan Wine Guests –

www.emandarevineyard.com

www.averillcreek.ca/

www.bluegrouse.ca

www.unsworthvineyards.com

www.DivinoWine.ca

www.enricowinery.com

www.cherrypointestatewines.com

 

 STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON:

Kathy Malone – New releases from Hillside

Hester Creek checks in

The BC Wine Lover’s Cookbook – Jenn Schell

Chef Ned Bell – Naramata Inn

Food Day Canada.

Noble Ridge – a revisit

Sandra Oldfield – What’s on her mind?

Birch Block Take Two

Maenam (The Book)  – Angus An