It’s Time to Drink Up the Best of the Cowichan Valley

The wine industry in Cowichan Valley has been buzzing since the Jackson family, globally renowned viticulturists from California, arrived in 2020 with the purchase of Unsworth Vineyards. The Kendall-Jackson proprietors then added nearby Blue Grouse Estate Winery and Vineyard to their collection of more than 40 brands across seven countries.

The next big moves came this spring with the addition of Stacy Hornemann to Blue Grouse as head winemaker. Hornemann arrived in May after years with the Jackson family, including most recently as winemaker at their flagship boutique brand, Stonestreet. A chardonnay expert, Hornemann says the Cowichan Valley was largely unknown to her but the Jacksons’ interest in the region is an endorsement of its rising reputation.

“When the Jacksons make the kind of investments that they have in the area then that’s validation. You know there have to be quality wine-growing conditions here for them to come in,” she said, echoing what many British Columbians have realized. Vancouver Island is a tiny wine industry compared to the Okanagan Valley but its stature is steadily building. Climate change is making red wine grapes more amenable and the temperate rainforest of the island’s Pacific coast benefits the production of white wine and pinot noir.

Michael Abbott, general manager of Blue Grouse, said the winery will focus almost exclusively on its cultivation of chardonnay and pinot noir as Hornemann joins the team. Along with Unsworth, Blue Grouse is also organizing Cowichan Valley’s Sparkling Summer Festival, which launches on June 14 and runs through July. Wineries and restaurants will celebrate the valley’s signature variety, Charme de L’ile, a Prosecco-style sparkling wine made in the traditional charmat method. Blue Grouse will introduce its first Charme de L’ile to coincide with the festival. It’s a bold red, fruity thirst-quencher, made with gamay noir, that will blossom on the patio.

The festival gives the valley another reason to tout its attractiveness to travellers. A land area of 3,475 square kilometres (1,342 square miles), the Cowichan Valley is about the same size as Rhode Island and nearly twice the size of Ontario’s famed growing region, the Niagara Peninsula. Located north of the provincial capital of Victoria, the valley has a population of approximately 85,000 people and is noted for its laid-back seaside atmosphere and culture tied to the land and nature, which includes its Indigenous history. According to Tourism Cowichan, the region’s name originates from the Hul’q’umi’num people’s word “shquw’utsun,” which directly translated means “to warm one’s back in the sun” — a reference to the heat zone and microclimate that defines the valley’s unique growing conditions.

Before its wine industry gained broad acclaim, the region was known for its culinary scene, earning status as Canada’s first Cittaslow (slow food) destination in 2009. That pedigree has influenced farmers, winemakers, artisans, and craft brewers and distillers.

Among the newest enterprises in the community are two distinct and exceptional spirit makers. In Mill Bay, a short drive from Blue Grouse and Unsworth, is the Holocene Distilling Project, an idealistic operation run by two young entrepreneurs determined to build a carbon-zero business that demonstrates sustainability and high quality can be achieved in their industry.

Co-founders Dorian Redden, a mechanical engineer, and Aisling Goodman, a mixologist with a background in botanical medicine, launched Holocene Distilling Project in November inside a converted home in a residential neighbourhood. The duo from Victoria combined their talents after Redden, then a university student, used his engineering knowledge and thirst for inexpensive drinking to create his own alcohol. Goodman’s bartending craftsmanship and industry understanding blended with Redden’s inventiveness to create Holocene, where they have the shared vision to show that “humans and nature living and working together to their mutual benefit” is a harmonious possibility.

Redden notes that the business is scalable because it is designed with concern for the environment from the start, which avoids the pitfalls existing businesses face when they need to retrofit their operations to achieve goals that are in line with what consumers and regulators demand.

“It was our intention to give sustainability the attention it deserves from the outset. That makes it much easier to accomplish what we’re doing here,” Redden says. “We have the foundation to do this over and over, and to expand on what we’ve started.”

A tasting bar inside the distillery opened in May, giving patrons the opportunity to see how Redden has manufactured a setup that uses cross heating to maximize energy savings, among other initiatives. The products include a variety of gins and vodkas with novel flavours, and some of the most interesting liqueurs I’ve tasted.

About 30 minutes north in Duncan is Stillhead Distillery, where co-founder Brennan Colebank turned his passion for fine scotch and whisky into a connoisseur-approved brand. Stillhead won national honours for Best Cask Strength Whisky and Best Single Barrel Release (both for its PX Cask Finish Rye Whisky), as well as other accolades at the 2024 Canadian Whisky Awards.

“I think rye is underappreciated and wanted to give it the spotlight it deserves,” he says.

He’s succeeded. Stillhead’s products have been added to scotch and whisky clubs around the world. Its remarkable whisky cream was recently recognized at the 2024 B.C. Distilled conference, a showcase of the province’s artisanal spirits makers. To produce the cream, Colebank, the master distiller, has to send his whisky to Ontario, where a speciality milk producer adds it to homogenized cream and sends it back to Stillhead for further fermenting and bottling. An arduous process that results in a highly sought after product. After searching the Vancouver area for a bottle, I was pleased that Stillhead had just received the delivery of their newest whisky cream release on the day of my visit.

The distillery, located in a strip mall just off of the Trans-Canada Highway, opened a cozy tasting bar in May. Travellers should drop in for a sample of Colebank’s products and take home a bottle or six.

Another gratifying stop can be experienced in the charming town of Ladysmith, where a pair of long-time high-school teachers have turned their passion for food and drink into the Bayview Brewing Company. Like the best craft breweries in British Columbia, Bayview has become a local favourite for more than just what gushes out of its taps.

“People come for the food and stay for the beer,” said Rod Alsop, a former music teacher who debuted Bayview in 2022 with his colleague, Jonny Ludtke, a specialist in culinary arts.

One taste of the bao buns and you’ll understand why there’s buzz. The steamed buns are housemade and served with Sriracha aioli, hoisin sauce, sesame seeds, and slaw. They’re delicious and well suited for Bayview’s range of easy-drinking brews, including the top-selling Ladysmith Blonde. Bayview joins the off-the-charts marvellous Old Town Bakery — where the pastries feel like they’ve been transported instantly from Vienna — as reasons for foodies to stop into town.

Gourmands will also enjoy The Lakehouse at Shawnigan, a gorgeous fine-dining restaurant with water views and a menu that spotlights some of the best flavours of the Pacific Northwest, including Haida Gwaii halibut, served with asparagus and lentils.

The Cook and Butcher has a remarkable view, too. Its windows overlook Cowichan Bay and Salt Spring Island. Sample local options on its wine list, like Unsworth’s Allegro, a white blend, and enjoy the novel strawberry shortcake, served in a tall parfait chalice — just another fine taste of Cowichan for you to savour in your glass.

MORE ABOUT VISITING THE COWICHAN VALLEY

Getting There: From downtown Victoria, it takes just 30 minutes to reach Mill Bay, the southernmost municipality in the Cowichan Valley. Ladysmith, the northernmost point of the region, is about 30 minutes south of Nanaimo. Travellers coming from the Greater Vancouver Area on the British Columbia mainland can take ferries from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay (Victoria) or Duke Point (Nanaimo), or depart from Horseshoe Bay to Duke Point or Departure Bay (Nanaimo). For schedules and fares, visit the BC Ferries website.

 

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Cowichan Sparkling Summer Festival: Visit the websites for Blue Grouse and Unsworth to find events specifically created for the festival — including the June 14 launch party.