Our end of August west coast wine travels took us back to Vancouver Island. The idyllic island of Vancouver Island, British Columbia is just perfect for a Spaswinefood adventure. I have visited a number of times to explore the island's wine scene. The number of wineries has grown significantly over the years. This time we explored Vancouver Island wineries near Victoria. The city of Victoria, a major tourist attraction, draws visitors from around the world to Vancouver Island. Our first wine stop was Church and State Wines, on the Saanich Peninsula. Little did I know the wine surprises that I would enjoy over lunch.
Church & State Wines, Vancouver Island © Spaswinefood
While the Okanagan Valley, which I have visited often, is well known for its wine, Vancouver Island is less so. During my last island visit, about ten years ago, my overall expectation for wines was not high. I had anticipated maybe discovering a few wines that I liked. I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised. What I discovered, was that Vancouver Island wineries were working with international grape varieties that did well in this region. Perhaps this was not such a great surprise. However, some of the wineries were making wines from grape varieties I had not tasted before. Needless to say, I was happy to return to Vancouver Island last summer.
Welcome to Church and State Wines
When we arrived at Church and State Wines 1445 Benvenuto Avenue, Brentwood Bay, Vancouver Island’s largest winery, we were in for the most delightful experience. It is a must for visitors to the region. This winery pours award-winning wines from both its Vancouver Island and Okanagan Estate vineyards. Indeed Church and State offers a unique experience to guests, just 15 minutes from Downtown Victoria.
Church & State Winery, Vancouver Island © Spaswinefood
Church and State Wines has two distinctly different vineyard properties. One is located on Vancouver Island and the other in the South Okanagan Valley. Both properties utilize meticulous wine-making processes, which is driven by a passion to make wines capturing a sense of place. That sense of place draws from the terroir of each to showcase character, depth and elegance.
Church & State Winery, Okanagan Valley © Spaswinefood
August Vineyard, Church & State Wines, Vancouver Island © Spaswinefood
Tasting Church and State Wines over Lunch
We arrived at the winery just in time for lunch. The good news is this winery has a bistro. Shortly after arrival, we began our lunch with a wine tasting.
Wine Tasting, Church & State Winery © Spaswinefood
Wine Time, Church & State Winery © Spaswinefood
Exploring Wines, Church & State Winery © Spaswinefood
Amongst the wine choices we had were to order wine by the glass or wine flights. We opted for wine flights.
Making Tasting Decisions, Church & State Winery © Spaswinefood
We decided on tasting the sparkling, white and red flights.
Wine Flights, Church & State Winery © Spaswinefood
Given there was plenty of wines for tasting, we were excited to order lunch, and continued to explore the wines. The lunch options we selected included the following:
Bouillabaisse, Church & State Winery © Spaswinefood
Pizza, Church & State Winery © Spaswinefood
Salad, Church & State Winery © Spaswinefood
Our lunch choices were so delightful! We enjoyed the wines, with each of us having a favorite. Church and State winery has been named producer of Canada’s Best Red Wine seven times since 2009. It has received countless Gold medals, Best in Class awards and National trophies for both its red and white wines. When we left the winery that August day I stopped to take a closer look at the vineyard.
Church & State Winery Vineyard © Spaswinefood
1. Church and State Winery has a perfect setting for tasting their award winning wines. We discovered this in 2013 and was very happy to return.
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| Church & State Winery, 2013 © Spaswinefood |
Church and State Wines was the perfect summer's end wine outing. During our summer's end wine adventures we visited two areas on Vancouver Island, namely the Saanich Peninsula and the Comox Valley. While most Vancouver Island wineries can be found in the Cowichan Valley during my last visit I focused on the Sannich Peninsula and Comox Valley.
Church & State Winery, 2025 © Spaswinefood
You will be treated well at Church and State Wines, one of the premier wineries on the Saanich Peninsula.
If you are looking for a winery with excellent wines then Church and State Wines is a must. I invite you to join me in my wine travels on Vancouver Island (see also Wine of Canada’s list of Vancouver Island Wineries) and elsewhere in the sharing of these adventures at Wine Travels with Dr. Sharon and at Spaswinefood on Bluesky and Facebook.
Sharon
August 2025
Brentwood Bay, Vancouver Island
British Columbia
© Spaswinefood
Wine Tasting, Church and State Wines © Spaswinefood
Church & State Wines © Spaswinefood
Church & State Wines © SpaswinefoodNotes from earlier visit
During a 2013 visit to the Saanich Peninsula we explored the following wineries:
1. Church & State Winery, 1445 Benvenuto Avenue, Brentwood Bay has a perfect setting for tasting their award winning wines. This winery has a bistro.
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| Church & State Winery © Spaswinefood |
2. De Vine Vineyards, 6181 Old West Saanich Road, Saanichton has an excellent view on a clear day. We took advantage of the view for a picnic lunch during our visit. The young winery is already producing good wines. The winery has an organic certificate in progress. They are totally organic on the estate.
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| De Vine Vineyards Roussanne 2011 © Spaswinefood |
3. Muse Winery, 1195 Chalet Road, North Saanich uses estate grown grapes and grapes from Vancouver Island, Gulf Islands and the Okanagan Valley. Sulphites are kept to a minimum during their wine making process. This winery has a bistro, which uses fresh, local and organic ingredients.
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| Muse Winery © Spaswinefood |
The Vancouver Island wineries that I visited were all very welcoming. A few of the wineries had bistros and they all usually had a picnic area.
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| View from De Vine Vineyards, 2013 © Spaswinefood |
You may wonder where Vancouver Island wineries fit within Canada’s viticultural picture. In this case Canada has two appellations, namely Ontario and British Columbia. British Columbia's appellation has four "designated viticultural areas" (DVA's). These DVA's include Okanagan Valley, Fraser Valley, Vancouver Island and Similkameen Valley. Both provinces participate in a Vitners Quality Allicance (VQA), an appellation of origin that is modeled after the European system. In this case a Vancouver Island VQA would certify a wine is from this region and meets the quality standards. I invite you to join me in my travels in British Columbia and elsewhere in search of the best in Spaswinefood.
Sharon
September 2013
Vancouver Island, British Columbia
© Spaswinefood
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