Food Vancouver - Vancouver Island: Vino and Cuisine at its best

Vancouver Island has numerous wine and food choices, the following are just a sample:

Famous fruit wines in a laidback farm setting is what Marley Farm Winery is all about. Try their small lot “Ewe Hoo” Pinot Noir, which features rich cherry flavours and an excellent vanilla finish. And their delicious “Rastaberry” is a blend of raspberries, tayberries and blackberries inspired by the owners’ Jamaican roots.

A visit to Winchester Cellars is simply not complete without trying their Ortega/Bacchus, Vancouver Island’s only certified organic wine. While Winchester specializes in small lots of handcrafted wines, their heirloom tomatoes are also outstanding.

Take a stroll through the orchards at Merridale Estate Cidery and then stop in at their bistro, “La Pommeraie”, for great cuisine that uses fresh local ingredients. Merridale is Vancouver Island’s first cidery and offers a full spectrum of cider taste, from sweet to bittersweet to sharp. And don’t forget they’ve just opened a bakery and a distillery as well.

Beautiful Cowichan Bay is home to Hilary's Cheese Company . Red Dawn, one of their most popular cheeses, is a cow's milk variety aged in blackberry dessert wine from Cherry Point Vineyards just down the road. Beyond the several handcrafted varieties of cheese produced at their nearby farm, Hilary’s also carries over 100 specialty cheeses.

True Grain Bread is an old-world bakery where you get bread in its purest form – simply grain, sea salt, water, and leavening. They proudly feature the use of organic Red Fife wheat, a rare heirloom variety they get direct from farmers and mill right on site. Try their excellent pretzels and scones as well.

According to the Lonely Planet, The Udder Guy’s Old-fashioned Ice Cream is “the best ice cream on the West Coast.” Their Roast Coconut is delicious: they husk, shred, and roast their own coconut. For something more traditional, try the Strawberry Extreme, made with local island berries. All flavours are made with only fresh ingredients and contain no artificial additives or artificial preservatives.

Zanatta Winery pride themselves on their Champagne-style wines, but their still varieties are also stellar. Zanatta uses only the fruit grown in their own vineyards to make their wines. For simple country cuisine, stop in at their quaint “Vinoteca” wine bar and restaurant. The oven-roasted Cornish hen is superb.

The real standout wine at Blue Grouse Estate Winery is their exclusive Black Muscat. It is a unique and distinctive red that pairs extremely well with rich cheeses and decadent chocolate desserts. One of the founding wineries on the Island, Blue Grouse Estate produces excellent wines that are 100% estate grown, produced, and bottled.

Vancouver Island’s wines match perfectly with the fresh local produce. Take a tour and taste for yourself.

For complete listings of wineries and touring tips and ideas in BC visit HelloBC.com/winetouring

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Vancouver Island: Vino and Cuisine at its best