Blue Grouse Estate Winery and Vineyard is located in Duncan on Vancouver Island. Situated in the heart of Cowinchan Valley, Blue Grouse is one of the founding estate wineries on the island. The winery is family owned by Paul Brunner. Since 2012, the winery has undergone sizeable upgrades and renovations (structural, systems, buildings) since Brunner took over from the Kiltz family.
During our Vancouver Island road trip, we had no idea that the Cowichan Valley was home to so many BC wineries. Every few kilometers pointed us to a different vineyard. The southern slopes of the vineyard provide ideal growing conditions for German style wines. It is enveloped by evergreen trees to protect the vineyard from the wind. This area enjoys Canada's warmest mean temperatures!
Cowichan: First Nation's word meaning "the warm land".
Blue Grouse Estate varietals includes Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Muller Thurgau, Ortega, Black Muscat, Siegerrebe and Bacchus. Approximately 2500 cases are sold each year. Their 2015 Pinot Gris and Quill Rose are already sold out!
Paul took Dave and I around facility and to the cellar. I love seeing the wine making process! Everything is like a science. It is very Walter White.
Both the barrel room and the sparkling wine room are temperature and humidity controlled.
Down the road from the Tasting Room is the Guest House. It has a gorgeous patio with a panoramic view of the vineyard. Trellis full of table grapes soon to be installed to provide shade to the ground floor. Ground floor suites now ready for private party and rentals.
Seriously, I can't wait to wake up to this view. Easy!
Dave and I tried a few different wines and our favorite was the Siegerrebe and Ortega.
The Siegerrebe is a clear and bright with aromas of ripe apple, grapefruite, spring blossom and pineapple. It is a light-medium bodied wine that is smooth with a refreshing mouthfeel with flavors of papaya, tangerine and floral aromas lingering on the finish.
The Ortega is a cross between Muller-Thurgau and Siegerrebe. The flavors are clear and bright with a bouquet of pear, green apple and elderberry. Again this light-medium bodied wine is balanced with refreshing acidity and flavors of dried apricots and grapefruit to round out the palate.
The Tasting Rooms gets busy usually between 1-4pm. For groups of six or more, reservation is highly encouraged. The cost for a group tasting is $5.00 per person and will not be refunded with purchase for parties of 10 or more.
This estate does not have a restaurant on site, so you will need to fuel up first!
I was invited by Blue Grouse Estate Winery and Town Hall Brands for menu tasting.
Blue Grouse Estate Winery
URL: http://www.bluegrouse.ca/Cuisine: Estate Winery
Hours:
Sunday 11am - 5 pm
Monday 11am - 5 pm
Tuesday 11am - 5 pm
Wednesday 11am - 5 pm
Thursday 11am - 5 pm
Friday 11am - 5 pm
Saturday 11am - 5 pm
2182 Lakeside Road, Duncan, BC V9L 6M3
(250) 743-3834
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