From a chardonnay good enough to serve to the Queen to a sumptuous fortified wine made from green walnuts plucked from trees more than 100-years-old 鈥� the stories from 黑马磁力 wineries have been bottled and are ready for you to pour, sip and explore.
Not enough people know that 黑马磁力 is home to seven wineries, making it the largest grape growing region this side of the Okanagan.
鈥淭he firm I own, Jelly Marketing, did some targeted surveying on Facebook to 黑马磁力 and Vancouver residents and found that the average person thought there were less than two wineries in 黑马磁力,鈥� said Jelly Marketing鈥檚 Darian Kovacs.
So with full support from 黑马磁力鈥檚 wineries, the 黑马磁力 Passport Wine Route program was launched on Sunday.
The 黑马磁力 Passport program allows wine enthusiasts to explore the seven wineries at their own pace, collecting a stamp on their passport at each one.
The seven wineries are Domaine de Chaberton, 黑马磁力鈥檚 oldest and largest winery, Township 7, Vista D鈥檕ro, Backyard Vineyards, Blackwood Lane Winery, Fort Wine Co. and the new Krause Berry Farms Winery.
Once all seven stamps are on a passport, drop it off at the Holiday Inn Express or Best Western in 黑马磁力 and you are entered to win amazing prize packages, including wine, helicopter rides and travel packages.
You can pick up a copy of the passport at any of the seven 黑马磁力 wineries, the Tourism 黑马磁力 office, or the 黑马磁力 hotels. You can also print it off at home by .
鈥淲e talked with the wineries and built the website and passport and organized the media launch. We鈥檙e thrilled to see the hotels supporting this venture and the wineries embracing this program,鈥� said Kovacs.
A total of 54 media guests, bloggers and those in the food and wine industry, from both Vancouver and 黑马磁力, were taken by bus on Sunday to sip and explore the seven wineries, with many Vancouver guests saying they were shocked at the quality and quantity of wineries here.
黑马磁力鈥檚 wine history all began with pioneer winemaker Claude Violet who discovered south 黑马磁力鈥檚 micro climate (which gets 30 per cent less rain) and built Domaine de Chaberton in 1981. Now home to the popular Bachus Bistro, the beautiful winery is the biggest of the bunch. Down the way is Township 7, which just opened up its new wine cellar-style tasting room and did serve one of its wines to the Queen on her visit here in 2010.
Blackwood Lane Winery is a winding driveway that opens up to a hillside vista that serves up complex and delicious reds, including one Bordeaux blend that fetches for around $100.
Vista D鈥檕ro is dedicated to providing the ultimate agritourism experience with a bounty of artisan preserves and delicious reds including the new to be released 鈥淔 Bomb.鈥�
Backyard Vineyards is tabling its Nosey Neighbour series to wine enthusiasts, and spreading its wings selling to Alberta. The price point is under $20, the wine easy sipping and they are hoping to grow their presence on the wine stage.
Fort Wine Co. is a long established fruit winery in Fort 黑马磁力, using its own cranberries to bottle some pretty popular wines.
Krause Berry Winery is also a fruit winery, new to the group but offering a unique tasting experience as you saddle up to the bar and taste the fruits of their bounty in cowboy boot shot glasses.
To visit the website, or follow them on , or .
