Cowichan Valley wine producers celebrating industry's success with festival

At Cherry Point Estate Wines in Mill Bay, owner Xavier Bonilla is feeling optimistic.

“I think business is good,” said Bonilla. “We don’t really complain.”

Last year, the winery produced 30,000 bottles of wine from grapes grown on the Bonilla family's 23-acre vineyard.

“(We bottled) whites and reds and also our desert wines,” said the owner.

Due to Cowichan Valley’s unique climate, the wines produced in the valley are being recognized on the world stage and beginning to stand out in a crowd.

“The wines from each region tend to have their own character and the wine from the Cowichan Valley is beginning to develop that special Cowichan character,” said Bonilla.

Just down the road at Enrico Winery, general manager Lorin Ingris isn’t complaining either.

“We are definitely on an upward step, which is exactly what we want to see,” said Ingris.

The winery produced 55,000 bottles last year, and Ingris said the pandemic is partly responsible for the business' recent growth.

“It created a bit of a captive audience for us,” said the general manager. “By having that captive audience, it brought everybody’s wine in the Cowichan Valley to a lot more people's lips than it typically would have.”

It's estimated that the Cowichan Valley’s wine industry has an economic spin-off in the tens of millions of dollars. That is why this month the industry will be celebrating its successes, beginning with a summer tasting party on Thursday night at Brentwood College.

“(It's) an evening party where all 12 wineries are involved,” said Jill Nessel, Cowichan Valley Wine Festival Summer Tasting Party event manager.

The event will serve wine paired with good food, kicking off a month of Cowichan Valley wine awareness.

“There will be different events taking place at each one of the individual wineries,” said Ingris.

The event will be spread out through the entire month of August, showing off the wines and the wineries where they were produced.

“It’s for the community to come and experience our wines, paired with beautiful food,” said Bonilla.

Tickets for the festival are $100. The tasting party runs from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday.