Cowichan Valley wineries off to promising start for grape growing
Wineries in the Cowichan Valley say they’re off to a strong summer start for grape production – and are keen to grow their visitor base during an annual festival through the month of August.
“Although we were a little bit behind in June because of the cold temperatures, we had a lot of moisture. Once that ground warms up which is happening right now we’ve got the moisture still in the ground, it increases the vigour and the growth on the vines. So everything’s looking good,” says Enrico Winery’s general manager Lorin Inglis.
The Mill Bay winery team says the flowering has just ended on the grape clusters and it’ll soon start strategically pruning off some leaves to expose the fruit to the sun.
The region’s vineyards thrive off the hot, dry conditions.
“The warmer the season typically correlates with a better quality of grapes, not necessarily quantity but we do see an increase in quality of production,” says Blue Grouse Estate Winery general manager, Michael Abbott.
The Duncan-based business says its an exciting year for staff because it has new vineyards coming online which will lead to a bigger harvest off the estate.
“The season’s never done until the end. Until the grapes come off, we never really know what the entire season is going to look like, but we’re off to a great start,” says Abbott.
Depending on a white or red wine, Blue Grouse says the harvest is ready for store shelves in one to three years from the year the grapes are grown.
“The beautiful part of it is, the weather also encourages people to come and visit our 13 wineries,” says Duncan Cowichan Chamber of Commerce president, David Van Deventer.
The wineries hope to raise their profile, attracting new guests in the Cowichan Valley Wine Festival in August.
“The wine festival is a huge success,” says Van Deventer. “It brings so many people and so much economic boom into the valley. It’s fantastic.”
The month-long wine tasting event lets guests meet the producers and experts behind the wines they’re tasting.
“You don’t have to do it all at once, you can take your time,” says Abbott.
The $50 ticket comes with a souvenir glass and map for a self-guided tour.
“I think the Cowichan Valley is still developing but it’s come a long way in the last ten years,” says local, Enrico Winery customer, Gibson Pierce. “They’ve got nowhere to go but up.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.7008655.1724248755!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Two bodies retrieved from Mike Lynch's sunken yacht brought to land
Scuba divers scouring the wreck of British tech magnate Mike Lynch's family yacht, which sank off Sicily two days ago, have found two bodies inside it, a source close to rescue operations said on Wednesday.
There is a link between the meat you eat and a chronic disease, according to new research
Regularly eating red and processed meats in particular is associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, according to a new global study.
Ticket sold in northeastern Ont. wins $70 million Lotto Max jackpot
The winner of Tuesday night's $70 million Lotto Max jackpot bought their ticket in the Timiskaming-Cochrane area of northeastern Ontario, lottery officials say.
Police raid Andrew Tate's home in Romania as new allegations emerge involving minors
Masked police officers in Romania carried out fresh raids early Wednesday at the home of divisive internet influencer Andrew Tate, who is awaiting trial on charges of human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women.
Denmark and Sweden vow to hunt down gang leaders who hire minors to kill from abroad
The Danish and Swedish justice ministers vowed Wednesday to go after organized crime leaders abroad, whom they say have been hiring teenagers in Sweden to carry out deadly shootings in Denmark.
Back-to-school inflation: What costs more this year?
For a lot of families, late August means back-to-school shopping, which for the past few years has meant bracing for the painful price of everyday essentials.
Five Kenyan policemen arraigned over jail break of suspected serial killer
Five Kenyan police officers were arraigned on Wednesday, accused of helping a suspected serial killer and 12 others escape from a police station in the capital Nairobi, court documents showed.
Woman and child fall to their deaths from North Vancouver balcony, homicide team called in
Homicide investigators have been called in after two people fell to their deaths from an apartment building balcony in North Vancouver early Tuesday morning.
They all say they've got the Holy Grail. So who's right?
You enter a special chapel or museum, where the holiest of items resides. Behind a glass case stands the stuff of legend: the Holy Grail. Believers flock to see them and pray over them. But which is the real grail – and does it even exist?