Words Richard Hope
The Cowichan Valley is one of the smallest wine regions in Canada.
British Columbia has around 12,000 acres under vine, and the valley accounts for fewer than 300 of them. It sits in the rain shadow of the Olympics and the southern Island ranges, which gives it a surprisingly dry growing season for somewhere this green. In 2020 it became a sub-geographical indication, the first in the province outside the Okanagan. Unsworth, on farmland just outside Mill Bay, is now its best-known winery.
Tim and Colleen Turyk were a fishing family with no background in wine when they bought 32 acres on Cameron Taggart Road in 2009. They named the winery after Tim’s mother’s maiden name, planted the vineyard, learned as they went and turned the early-1900s farmhouse into a restaurant. In June 2020, after 18 months of talks, they sold to Barbara Banke and her daughter Julia Jackson of Jackson Family Wines in Sonoma, who bought it personally rather than through the company.
The investment is easy to see. A new production facility and tasting room opened last year, the farmhouse restaurant reopened this summer after its own renovation, and output now runs to around 130,000 bottles a year. The awards have followed. The 2023 Saison Pinot Noir and 2023 Chardonnay each took gold and 95 points at the International Wine Challenge in London this year, and the Chardonnay has won gold at the National Wine Awards of Canada in consecutive vintages. Tastings cost $20 to $35, and I took mine on the terrace.
Unsworth Vineyards – Charme de l’île Blanc
The name nods to both the Charmat method, where the second fermentation happens in a tank rather than a bottle, and to the Island. It isn’t really Unsworth’s own wine so much as a regional style, made by a number of Cowichan and Salt Spring producers from the cold-hardy white hybrids that do well here. Unsworth’s version is zesty and appley and made for a warm afternoon. The rosé, with its red apple and raspberry, is a tasty alternative.
Unsworth Vineyards Pinot Gris 2024
A silver medal winner at the National Wine Awards of Canada. White peach and lemon on the nose, then citrus and yellow apple on the palate. Medium bodied with a hit of acidity. It’s a great wine at a sensible price.
Unsworth Vineyards Gewürztraminer 2025
Grown on the Saison Vineyard, and a long way from Alsace. This wine has notes of roses and lychee on the nose, peach on the palate, and none of the oily weight that can be typical of this grape. It’s a delicate wine that is great just out of the fridge.
Unsworth Vineyards Chardonnay 2024
I have recommended Unsworth’s Chardonnay for years, and this vintage keeps me on side, though the style has changed. The winery has dialed back ripeness and alcohol, leaving pear and a light touch of vanilla. Great for easy drinking on the terrace, this is my go-to wine to showcase some of the best products from B.C.
Unsworth Vineyards Saison Pinot Noir 2019
Pinot Noir is a notoriously difficult grape to get right. Its thin skins and tightly-packed bunches leave it prone to rot and disease, so it needs a long, even season with no extremes, which is exactly what the valley provides. Unsworth has put most of its effort into the grape since the sale, and the Saison is the flagship, with notes of deep red cherry and blackberry on the palate.
In 2022, Blue Grouse down the road was acquired by other members of the Jackson family, meaning that the valley’s two most ambitious wineries now have the resources to produce world class wines. This flight proved that Unsworth is well on its way to producing truly world class wines.
If you go: 2915 Cameron Taggart Road, Mill Bay, about 45 minutes north of Victoria. The tasting room and restaurant open daily from 11 a.m. and are booked separately. Book ahead at weekends.
