– by Hans Tammemagi –
Almost lost along a winding, back road of the Saanich Peninsula, is the driveway to de Vine Vineyards. Turning in, you follow it high up a hill where you are greeted by glorious vistas over rolling farmland and forest, the Salish Sea, and the distant snow-capped Mount Baker.
When you stop drinking in the view, it gets even better. A table with a white table cloth sits enticingly in the centre of an orchard of young apple trees in front of the attractive one-storey winery building. A large marquee tent like a giant white butterfly is nearby, filled with tables and decorated by rows of barrels. The site is breathtakingly beautiful and has become a go-to spot for weddings and functions. de Vine Vineyards can indeed claim bragging rights as Vancouver Island’s most romantic vineyard.
Catherine and John Windsor purchased the 25-acre property in 2006 and planted 6.5 acres of vines. They persuaded their son Ryan to join the enterprise and today the winery is a friendly, family operation.
“We make 2,000 cases of wine a year, and it’s all organic,” explained Catherine Windsor. “Our best sellers are Grüner Veltliner – a tasty Austrian white and the only one on Vancouver Island – Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, and a rosé.” Also popular is the Sigerrebe Ortega, which is delicate on the palate and whose grapes are perhaps the closest to being Vancouver Island’s signature varietals. “We obtain additional grapes, most locally from the peninsula, and also some from the Okanagan Valley particularly for the red wines,” said Windsor. “We will receive full organic-certification next year. We do not use any weed-killing sprays. Instead, we spend a lot of time with a tractor-mounted mechanical badger and crawling around on our hands and knees, pruning and managing the growth of the vines, and picking the grapes by hand.”
Exciting news! de Vine is expanding into spirits. Winemaker and master distiller, Ken Winchester, who apprenticed at Bruichladdich Distillery in Scotland and founded Victoria Gin, oversees Brunhilda, a 20-year-old, gleaming copper still purchased in Germany. Winchester is introducing innovation to the craft of distillation by incorporating the flavours of southern Vancouver Island. de Vine Kiss, a strawberry vodka, has recently been bottled, and coming soon will be: Glen Saanich, a single malt whisky; Vin Gin, a gin made from grapes and infused with more than a dozen herbs and botanicals; New Tom, a gin aged in bourbon barrels; and probably the most unusual, Honey Shine, a rum made from local honey. The gins, which are about to be bottled, are superb. New Tom is an aromatic gin with overtones of bourbon and could easily be sipped on its own rather than mixed with tonic.
The wine, the spirits, and the views. It’s all so deliciously intoxicating.
