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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games Tuesday following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.