British Columbia is known for its wine country. But a great wine tour and tasting often means a road trip of sorts for those in the Metro-Vancouver area. Don’t get us wrong, a great glass of wine and some drop-dead beautiful scenery is always worth the gas money, but sometimes you want a local experience. Supporting those working and producing incredible products right in your own backyard is always a fulfilling feeling. And now your wine habit can ALSO support a local winery.
Vinoscenti Vineyards, formerly Rivers Bend Winery, officially opened their doors to their convenient Newton location in 2017, but this opening had been a year in the making. Many Metro-Vancouver wineries make their wines from imported grapes, but not Vinoscenti. The land is peppered with grapevines that are pored-over and expertly tended to, harvesting their grapes in the Fall to crush and ferment on-site. With a variety of reds, whites, and even a rosé aged to perfection, there’s a wine to suit any palette.
If you’re a try-before-you-buy kind of person, you’re in luck! Vinoscenti boasts not only wine-making facilities but wine tastings and winery tours! With both group and private options available, you can explore the vineyards of Vinoscenti all the way into the winery, and wrap up by tasting the (literal) fruits of the winemaker’s labour. Choose from their menu of charcuterie boards, flatbreads, and small plates to accompany your tasting.
Cavallo Winery opened in 2019 with an uncompromising dedication to the art of wine-making. Unlike many British Columbia wineries, Cavallo imports their fruit from select vineyards in California, including some located in the much-coveted Napa Valley. Their idea was to choose fruit from microclimates best suited to each particular varietal and style of wine, in turn creating wines with flavour profiles that are full-bodied, ripe fruit, lush tannins and very approachable … and drinkable. And the international influences don’t stop there. The grape press is German, the bottling line is Italian, the tanks were built in British Columbia, and their barrels hail from France.
Book a tour with Cavallo’s knowledgeable staff and learn all about the process, from grape to glass. And for those that fall in love with their wine, you can join Club Cavallo and enjoy special wines created solely for club members.
Surrey’s newest winery, Storehouse Winery, prides itself on sourcing grapes from the most prolific wine-growing regions in the world including BC, Washington, Chile and Italy. The grapes are processed, aged and bottled locally and the results are rich, bold and fruit-forward which translates into highly drinkable wines like their Smooth Red, Reisling and Reserve Barrel 84 a blend of Chilean Malbec and Carmenere grapes. and
Storehouse is located in Surrey’s Fleetwood neighbourhood, and welcome you to stop by, or pre-book, and enjoy a wine tasting and discover what this fledgling winery has to offer.
1st Row Estate Winery in South Surrey is producing award-winning wine with hand-selected grapes from the Okanagan Valley. By blending old-world techniques with new-world technologies 1st Row wines display delicate balance, finesse, and structure. Visit their tasting room to sample and be sure to book a private, behind-the-scenes tour of the winery. Tours also include a tasting of six seasonal wines led by the wineries sommelier, cheese, crackers and other accompaniments that complement the wine and a 10% discount on wines purchased in the tasting room.