Unsworth Winery

Did you know Vancouver Island has some amazing wineries? Growing up in Victoria I never appreciated some of the amazing wines that were locally made. During Covid I started to explore the Island more and fell in love with some of the local places. Our climate on the Island is good mainly for white wines. Personally I was blown away by some of the sparkling wines produced locally.

Unsworth winery has a few white and rosé sparkling wine offerings which are all delicious. My favourite wine from them is the rosé Charme De L’île. Charme De L’île describes sparkling wines made by Vancouver Island wineries using the Charmat method. To achieve bubbles via the Charmat method the carbonation process captures bubbles in the wine in large pressure-resistant stainless-steel vats. In contrast the Champagne method is a bottle fermentation process. Unsworth wineries was one of the first wineries on the island to start this method.

Unsworth has a lovely tasting room with a few indoor seats and a large outdoor patio. Adjacent to the tasting room patio is a small lake with seating where you can take bottles or glasses of wine to enjoy.

One of the highlights of Unsworth is their restaurant. The restaurant food is always innovative, fresh and delicious. If you are planning a wine day in Cowichan Valley I suggest ending at Unsworth for a delicious dinner. Until September Unsworth winery along with Blue Grouse winery are featuring a “Sparkling Day in Cowichan.” This menu pairs sparkling wines from the wineries with seafood dishes Mae by Blue Grouse. If you love sparkling wine I definitely recommend trying this.

If you visit Vancouver Island I definitely recommend a trip to Cowichan Valley to explore their wineries!

xx Sam