I had the pleasure of visiting a few wineries near Victoria, BC. Church & State Wines, de Vine Wines and Spirits and Symphony Vineyard.
I was in Victoria celebrating my Mum’s 88th birthday and she wanted to go to Church & State for lunch and to sip some wines.
We
tasted the Pinot Gris Sparkling – our favourite – super crisp, nicely balanced and a lingering finish. The Trebella was a blend of Roussane, Marsanne and Viognier. An interesting combination of aromas, citrus, floral and herbal. The Rosé – strawberry on the nose with a light refreshing flavour. We also enjoyed the Syrah and Pinot Gris. We sampled both Syrah’s and enjoyed the less expensive one – that doesn’t happen very much! Church & State has been making award winning red wines for over 8 years, and this one is a winner! Lovely dark inky red, with blackberry on the nose. Balanced tannins and velvety smoothness. This one went home too and it will age nicely. We were served by the hospitable Tony and he really made us feel welcome and took great care of us. Church and State also has a location in the Okanagen Valley.
As we were hungry, we headed into lunch. We enjoyed a cheese plate including Monks Head cheese, roasted brussel sprouts, and salmon chowder.
When we left with the wrong bottle of Pinot Gris, they cheerfully made the swap the next day so we could enjoy the sparkling Pinot Gris version!
As de vine Wines and Spirits was close by we ventured there after lunch. They have a range of both wines and spirit tastings. They offer lots of creative tastings.
As I was the driver, Coleen poured a little taste of the Stawberry Eau de vie – deVine Kiss. This spirit is made from only one ton of just strawberries and is fermented twice.
It’s quite powerful straight up, and lovely when mixed with some sparkling lemonade as we took both bottles home for afternoon cocktails!
We stopped off at the Urban Bee, this cute store on the way home that was stocked with all things honey and things related to bees!
Before headed home, we made a stop at the Symphony Vineyard. 
Lovely area to picnic and you can pick up your lunch items here too. Tasted the Merechal Foch which is common to this area. What makes their Foch different is that the wine is kept for over a year in newer American oak barrels sur lie. Sur lie is when you keep the dead yeast cells in the barrel which results in a creamier richer wine. Also enjoyed the Ortega which is a It is a cross between Siegrebbe and Muller-Thurgau. Very aromatic, lime and citrus on the nose.
It was a great visit, and glad I got to enjoy these Victoria wineries. Let me know if you get there too!
