Robert Bell's

Wines of Canada

Since 1992

Church & State

Brentwood Bay ~ Vancouver Island

Opened May 2003 , as Victoria Estates located in the Saanich Peninsula on Vancouver Island. Described by noted author John Schreiner as One of the five best-designed wineries in British Columbia. It is well suited for hosting those special events.

The winery has 25 acres with views of the valley and ocean; 11 acres are planted with Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris. There is a second located in the Okanagan. The wineries are now owned by Sunocean Wineries. Arnaud Thierry is the head winemaker.

I arrived at the winery on one of these chilly wet Island morning. Here I was quickly greeted by General Manager David Kurka upon entering the winery. We did a tour of the facilities before setting in at the tasting bar.

Church & State Brentwwood Bay -Tasting bar

Church & State for weddings
A popular wedding venue

I was now time to taste the wines. We started with the Estate Sparking Pinot Gris. On the nose are notes of yellow fruit, pears and apples that are followed by orchard blossoms. The mouthfeel is balanced with a fine elegant bubble and met with crisp, orchard fruit notes. This sparkling wine has a long finish that ends with a zest.

photo by Robert A Bell

The second selection was the 2018 Sauvignon Blanc from the Okanagan. A nice light refreshing wine aromas of; lime, grapefruit,
white peach and tropical fruit. with good citrus flavours.

Next up was the Winemakers bled Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Viognier. The wine present some nice floral notes The acidity was a light high.

Church & State Reds phto by Robert A Bell
Church & State Reds

We now turned our attention to the red.

The 2017 Merlot was excellent. It starts with a very nice aroma featuring black fruits. Dark Blum and soft tannins make this a truly good Merlot

Even better was the Meritage 2017 . One of the best I have enjoyed this year. It begins with aromas of coco and black fruits. On the palate the wine is smooth and rich with notes of caramelized onions, sage, coffee and stewed dark cherries.

Next I have the pleasure of tasting the 2018 Syrah, Another excellent wine. It was lighter than expected but carried the flavours of Black Cheery from start to finish.

Well enjoying the wines I chatted with the staff, The young man had just and said he was really enjoying the experience. The two ladies were charming and quite efficient. One had been with the winery for 9 years the other for 6 years

Thank you Church and State for truly wonderful tasting experience.

Blue Grouse - Alderlea ~ Symphony

Island Wineries

Welcome to Robert Bell's Winesofcanada.com ! This is a personal website. We do not represent the wine industry or any aspect of the Canadian Government. We have been promoting Canada's wines and wineries since 1992. We do not sell or purchase any products. Please enjoy the website. Your comments are welcome.

“Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities."