Salt Spring Island

Largest and most populated of the Canadian Gulf Islands, 17 miles long x 9 miles wide. Salt Spring lies in the sheltered waters off the east coast of Vancouver Island, midway between Victoria and Vancouver BC. Salt Spring is accessible by three ferry routes and three scheduled airlines from Vancouver. Ganges is the primary village on Salt Spring and the location of most shops, stores, galleries and services.

A Sunday in August 165 Hedger Road Salt Spring Island V8K 1C6

The winery is owned by winemaker Mike Shindle with help from his wife Sam Milbrath. Both were born in August! They began their adventure in 2017 We set out to make more sustainable and healthier wine—for us, our community, and our planet. We seek those who care about the health of our home and respect all living forms (microbes included). We choose to be aware of and take control of where our food comes from. Our grapes are from organic farms in British Columbia’s interior Okanagan and Similkameen Valley’s and on Vancouver Island’s coastal Saanich Peninsula. These are family-run small-scale vineyards that take pride in being stewards of the land. We farm, lease, and/or manage some of these farms and go to great lengths to work with nature. In 2021, we bought a 20-acre property on Salt Spring Island and, since then, planted +2 acres of organic grapevines and orchards to put our beliefs into practice on our own soil. We also built a winery facility where we made our 2023 vintage, bringing organic grapes in from our vineyards across BC.   Philosophy : guiding principles have been to support local and organic grape growers in BC to make small-batch & experimental naturally fermented wines.

Garry Oaks Winery 1880 Fulford-Ganges Road Salt Spring Island, BC V8K 2A5

One of the iconic views on Salt Spring Island is that of the hillside Garry Oaks vineyard under the distinctive peak of Mount Maxwell. The winery was originally founded in 1999 by Marcel Mercier and Elaine Kozak when they planted the vineyard. It was sold to Nalini Samuel in 2016. At Garry Oaks, steps have taken steps to reduce energy, water and waste on the vineyard. We have installed LED lights, improved recycling and composting systems, and installed faucet aerators and low flow toilets. We are committed to reducing the environmental impacts. In recognition of her winery’s namesake and the huge old Garry oaks growing behind the wine tasting room, Nalini has decided to contribute a dollar from every person who does a wine tasting at the winery to GOERT.  She calls it “Put a cork in it” and each person is given a cork after the wine tasting which she or he puts into a glass vase under a poster board that illustrates the attributes of Garry oak ecosystems and how GOERT is moving to protect them.  Once a month, she will add up the corks and donate to GOERT.  They use TCA free cork (the most earth friendly closures), recycled ecofriendly bottles, and recycled local paper and reusable natural jute bags to package our wine.

Salt Spring Vineyards 151 Lee Road at the 1700 block Fulford Ganges Rd Salt Spring Island, BC V8K 2A5

Set in the idyllic Fulford Valley, the coastal climate here allows for slow fruit ripening, ideal for crisp,delicious wines unique to the area. A well designed winery with beautiful vineyards and gardens located on the hillside over looking the Valley. The winery opened in 2002 . The current owners are Joanne and Devlin McIntyre.  They started as hobby farmers near Abbotsford and were the founders of the Fraser Valley Wine Growers association. In 2008 they learned that  Salt Spring Island Vineyards was for sale. The winery obtains 90% of their grapes from the Islands and produces around 2,500 cases The wines produced are: Pinot Gris, Aromata(a coastal white blend),Pinot Noirs,Millotage(Coastal red blend),Merlot, a traditionally-made champenoise Sparkler(Karma)and 2 dessert wines-Apple Pie and Blackberry Port. The most popular sellers are the BB Port and our award-winning Pn Reserve. Winemaker Paul troop is responsible for introducing the Blattner vines to the Islands. Philosophy: I'd say that each place in the world that ‘can' grow grapes has some limits of viticulture potential. If the grape grower is honest and works to the best of that potential –leaving their ego behind  (not pursuing the varieties that will NOT work there) and putting ALL into growing the best they can, then the winemaker has the opportunity to work with some incredible fruit. From there it is a matter of assessing the potential in a given year and working towards the best balance that can be had. In our region we are often faced with low Brix, high acid, low pH grapes. This means learning how to manage acids while retaining incredible fruit potential. Interesting stuff.

Kutatás Wines 164  Norton Road Salt Spring Island B.C.   V8K 2P5
Former Mistaken Identity. Mira Tusz and Daniel Dragert, are behind the magic at Kutatás Wines.    Philosophy :

Vivezza Vineyards 1625 North End Road, Salt Spring Island V8K 1C6

The newest of the Island Wineries. a family owned and operated Salt Spring Island boutique winery and vineyard. They grow Cortese. A centuries-old white-wine grape originating in the province of Alessandria in the Piedmont region of Italy. Cortese wines tend to be medium bodied with notes of limes and greengage. In vintages that are particularly cool, the wines can be aggressively acidic and lean, but winemaking techniques such as malolactic fermentation and oak barrel fermentation can temper that. Another grape grown here is Epicure a grape variety that originates from British Columbia, Canada. While it’s not as widely known as some other grape varieties, it has its own unique characteristics. Let’s explore more about Epicure grapes: They also grow Petite Milo, Ortega and Chardonnay along with Pinot Noir; Philosophy :

Thetis Island

The smallest and least populated of the Gulf Islands only 4 square acres and 350 residents.

Quadra Island

SouthEnd Farm Vineyards 319 Sutil Road, Quadra Island

A small family winery located on the south end of the Island. The winery opened in 2009 after seven years of planning and work. Owned by Ben McGuffie and Jill Ogasawara 2011 was their first estate harvest from their own vineyard. They plan on staying small making handcrafted wine from primarily Quadra Island grapes with a few thrown in from the Comox Valley.  They want to make the best wines from grapes specific to our climate They make a dessert wine from Agra. Signature wines: Ortega, Black Crow ( Blend of Dornfelder, Agria and Pinot Noir grapes) and the Jimmy K (90% Pinot Gris and 10% Ortega) They grow Virga  a rare red grape variety from the hills of Piedmont in northwestern Italy. It goes by several other names, including Carola, Cari, Fra Germano, and Taddone. Let’s explore more about this intriguing grape: In addition to the winery they run a small pastured meat chicken farm Winemaker: Ben McGuffie and Jill Ogasawara Philosophy: A little intervention as possible, the best wines are made in the vineyards.

Hornby Island

The Island has about 1000 residents. Hornby Island also has more parks than any other Gulf Island including Helliwell Provincial Park, Big Tribune Provincial Park, Mount Geoffrey Regional Park and Fords Cove Marina.

Hornby Island Winery 7000 Anderson Drive Hornby Island BC V0R 1Z0
Owned and operated by John Grayson who fulfilled a dream and a passion by starting his own winery The farm which he bought in 1999 has 19 acres on the south side of the island. There is very little rain here which makes it  an almost desert-like climate. Currently the winery is producing only fruit wines, future plans call for Pinot Gris and Leon Millot Winemaker: Ron Taylor

Little Tribune farm & winery 6160 Central Road Hornby Island, BC V0R1Z0

Closed In 2003 ,Larry Pierce and Margit, his partner, bought a farm near Hornby Island’s Little Tribune Bay. They planted about a hectare of blueberries and such vegetables as corn and potatoes. In 2008, they added 1.2 hectares (three acres) of organic grapes (Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer and Sauvignon Blanc) and began developing this winery. Larry wants to make the winery as eye appealing as possible to the Islands tourists. The new building is now open. The winery has a one thousand square foot wine cellar, full of German made stainless steel tanks and special cooling equipment. The wine making method is the same practiced at the leading wineries in Germany. A cold fermentation process guarantees that all the flavour in the grapes will stay in the wine The winery, has the capacity to make about 1,200 cases a year. Winemaker: Larry Pierce Philosophy: Our focus is on high quality, crisp, white wines, organically grown grapes and blueberries. It is a simple truth that products grown in healthy soil taste better

Isla de Lerena Vineyards 1885 Central Road Hornby Island, BC V0R1Z0

Hornby Island was first explored by the Spanish in 1791, who called it Isla de Lerena. The owners of Isla de Lerena Vineyard are drawn to Hornby Island by the people and serenity of this unique spiritual place. Owner is Phil Davie.+ They have 4 acres planted in 2003 Winemaker: Amy Baugh Philosophy: Our focus is on high quality, crisp, white wines, organically grown grapes and blueberries. It is a simple truth that products grown in healthy soil taste better . Small quantities better wine.

Pender Island

Pender Island is one of the Southern Gulf Islands located in the Gulf of Georgia, British Columbia, Canada. Pender Island is approximately 34 km² in area and is home to about 2,500 permanent residents, as well as a large seasonal population

Sea Star Estate Farm and Vineyard 6621 Harbour Hill Drive Pender Island

The property has been sold   This amazing property is one of the most beautiful vineyards in British Columbia with 26 acres terracing up to Mount Menzies and cascading down to the ocean. It was owned by David Goudge. Today Sea Star Vineyards expanded to two amazingly beautiful Gulf Islands The name Sea Star represents the beach, that it is a gulf island winery and surrounded by the ocean, and a  "star" is what we aim our winery to become !   Signature wines: Aromatic white wines including Ortega, Siegerrebe, Gewürztraminer and Stella Maris – a blended Estate white wine aspires to live up to the name “Star of the Sea”. Estate grown Gewürztraminer, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Ortega and Schönberger blended perfectly together. Poetry – Estate red dessert wine is a blend of Maréchal Foch and Island blackberries. This wine lends support to the expression that wine is “Poetry in a bottle”. Sea Star Vineyards is a developing farm, the Babydoll Southdown sheep are a popular attraction – the friendliest, best looking and most environmentally conscientious “lawn mowers” you’ll ever met. They are small stature sheep and well-suited to vineyard and orchard grass and weed control. You can’t get much more organic and sustainable than this ! Hudson is our “Platinum Retriever“ who will welcome you when you arrive. He takes his responsibility as official “Greeter” very seriously. His new companion is Hope, a Golden rescued by the SPCA and now enjoying the farm life. In addition to grapes, the farm also grow a variety of fruit: kiwis, figs, honeyberries, blackberries, and raspberries.  Fruit trees include: sweet and tart cherries, apples, peaches, plums, apricots, nectarines. When the California poppies are in bloom the hillsides are awash in orange blossoms. Philosophy: Sea Star’s goal is to produce exquisite wines that express the terroir of our Gulf Island home.

Gabriola Island

Ravenskill Orchards 1240 Coats Drive Gabriola, BC V0R 1X4

The Gabriola Cider is owned by Keith and Marti MacKenzie. They began building their dream – an orchard of heritage apples on 27 acres in 2002. The brand name is Gabbie Cider. They started with uncultivated scrub brush. They tilled the land and created their own locally sourced compost to feed the soil. They built a nursery and trellised rows for our unique stock of heavy fruiting dwarf trees. Finally they built a cider barn and roadside stand to sell our crop and ciders. The orchard has over 1,000 trees across two acres, with 25 different varieties of apples… They will release their first cider summer 2015. Jonas Greig cider maker has produced two style of cider one Dry with the RS of 14g/l and a  Dry Dry cider of only 4g/l RS. They make a sweet apple cider caramels Cider-maker: Jonas Greig Philosophy:

Lasqueti Island lies in the Georgia Strait, north of French Creek (on Vancouver Island), and southwest of Texada Island. It is approximately 8 km wide and 22 km long, with an area of 73.56 km2. About 425 permanent residents call Lasqueti home (2011 census). It is accessible by foot passenger ferry service only, or by private boat or plane.

Old Douglas Farm Winery Lasqueti Island
The Old Douglas Farm, one of the original settlements on Lasqueti, is farmed by Mike Mundy and Cindy Craven. The Old Douglas Farm house on Lasqueti Island, near Parksville. This is the oldest inhabited building on the Island, with an 80 -100 year old wisteria plant that has grown over the house and tool shed to the right." Winemaker: Philosophy:

Saturna Island

The second largest of the Gulf Islands with the least population. There is a vineyard on the island owned by Sea Star Estate Farm and Vineyards ~ Pender Island There are sixty acres of vines under cultivation in four designated vineyards

Sage Hayward Vineyards 32 Trueworth Road Saturna Island

Sage Hayward Vineyards is located on Saturna in the Southern Gulf Islands, between Vancouver and Vancouver Island.  The estate is planted across the Island’s south flank on seventy-six of British Columbia’s most beautiful acres.  Behind the winery is a steep expanse of ridges and cliffs descends from the peak of Mt. Warburton Pike. The winery looks out on Plumper Sound, a little finger of the Pacific Ocean that runs between Saturna and Pender Island.  Nestled between sheer cliffs and ocean currents,The vines enjoy unique climatic conditions tailored to their special growing requirements. The first vines where planed on Saturna Island in 1995, making it one of the oldest vineyards in the Coastal region. They are rooted in dense soil, a complex of sand and loam resting on clay permeated with ancient marine sediment.  These rich compounds infuse our terroir with a hint of the Salish Sea.    To the north is Brown’s Ridge, a near-vertical exposure of massive sandstone.  Its steep bluffs create a heat trap that benefits the fields below, radiating additional warmth down onto the ripening grapes.  The soil remains saturated through the winter months and then gradually dries out through the rest of the year until the rains begin again in late fall.  Fir, arbutus and juniper trees are abundant; lavender, rosemary, yarrow and sage grow around the vineyard perimeter alongside blackberries and wild roses.  August 12 2020 the Hayward family purchased the property. With help of Family friends and wine consultant Micheal Bartier they reestablished the vineyard and winery. They also opened a Bristo.