Check out the great wine at Cherry Point!

We headed up to Cowichan Valley recently, and booked in at Cherry Point Estate Wines. It is located along the Vancouver Island Wine Route, 50km from Victoria, British Columbia. It is a lovely, rustic setting with a well arranged tasting room and sprawling deck to enjoy the food from their bistro. This post shares our wine tasting experience at Cherry Point Estate Wines.

Background of Cherry Point

From their own website: “The vineyard at Cherry Point was established in 1990 when the founders purchased 34 acres on a former mink ranch a few miles south of Cowichan Bay.  Grape growing was new on Vancouver Island.  The vineyard was planted with grape varieties suited to the island’s soil and climate and soon Cherry Point Estate Wines became one of the first licensed wineries on Vancouver Island.”

The vineyard is one of the largest on Vancouver Island. The white varieties include Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Ortega, Siegerrebe, and Epicure. Red varieties are Pinot Noir, Zweigelt, Cabernet Libre, Agria, and Castel. 

Location

The estate is well positioned. Beautiful open fields and vines and a patio for lovely lunches at the bistro.

Situated in the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island, BC, Canada, this region experiences a unique, cool-climate, Mediterranean-like wine-growing.

Warm, dry summers and mild, moist winters are typical, creating ideal conditions for cool-climate grape varieties. The valley’s location, nestled between the ocean and rolling hills, contributes to its moderate climate, unlike the more continental conditions of the BC interior. 

The nearby ocean moderates the temperatures.  This prevents extreme highs and lows and affords the region a unique microclimate. There are diverse soil types throughout the region.  Gravel, sandy loam, clay and volcanic soils all contribute to significant minerality in the wines.

Grape Varietals

Typical grape varietals in Cowichan Valley include Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Ortega and Pinot Noir. You will also see Pinot Blanc, Siegerebe, Sauvignon Blanc, Marechal Foch, Castel, and Zweigelt. Sparkling wines are also prevalent, made from Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meunier.

Cherry Point Wine Tasting

The wine tasting was $10 per person. It was very laid-back and informative. We lucked out and received the tasting from the owner of the vineyard, Maria Bonilla. The winery produces twenty-two wines! We were given a selection of these for our tasting.

2023 Spritzy Rose

This is a blend of three varietals, with some slight effervescence. Fresh, ripe strawberry aromas along with citrus. On the palate, great acidity, dry, with a fruity strawberry, cranberry tartness and minerality. A great sipper with a medium plus finish.

2022 Pinot Gris

Aromas of green apple, lemon and spice. On the palate, dry, lovely apple, pineapple, and orange. Dry, balanced acidity with some honey notes. Again, a great sipper for a warm day with a medium plus finish. Very refined.

2022 Pinot Blanc

Pronounced citrus aromas – grapefruit, lemon – along with green apple. On the palate, crisply dry and refreshing acidity. I’ve not had a pinot blanc before that I found noteworthy – this is an exception – lovely and a great wine to enjoy on its own or with a lovely salad or shell fish – very good.

2022 Gitano

Made from Pinot Noir grapes on the clay section of the farm. Aromas of pronounced blackberry and dark cherry. On the palate, add some strong currant/raisin flavours along with oak and pepper. All balanced out with some smooth tannins and acidity. Very good red wine.

2019 Bette Noir

This wine is a blend of Agria and Zweigelt. Fresh fruit aromas of plum and spice. On the palate the same. This red wine was balanced but lacked some of the fruit flavour strength I had anticipated from the aromas.

2019 Cabello Viejo

A very interesting tasting! I think it likely you either like this wine or you are not sure. Aromas of very ripe earth, cranberry and dried flowers. On the palate, the same, with more cranberry and earth tastes. Would pair extremely well with game and red meats as it can stand up to those flavours.

Cowichan Blackberry Dessert Wine – Cherry Point Estate Wines

A rich fortified wine produced from wild blackberries. A great dessert wine to enjoy on ice cream!

2004 Solera Blackberry

This wine is produced by taking the Blackberry Dessert Wine. It undergoes the solera aging process. The pronounced aromas of blackberries have honey and wood notes added through this process. On the palate, rich blackberry, honey, and cedar notes. It is believed that the solera in use at Cherry Point for this dessert wine is the oldest in Canada. Very good.

Summary of Cherry Point Estate Wines

We are so happy that we decided to make our way to Cherry Point! The wine tasting with Maria was very interesting. We also enjoyed a very tasty lunch from the bistro on the patio, and purchased a few bottles for later!

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