Take a weekend or two and explore B.C.’s growing wine country. Our hotels are ideal home bases for wine touring and tasting, in town or out.

Set up camp in Victoria and explore the growing array of wineries in nearby Saanich. You’ll find even more of the same in the Cowichan Valley, an easy jaunt from either Victoria or Nanaimo. See www.wineislands.ca. Keep in mind that Farmers’ Markets, antique shops, fab restaurants and pubs—serious winetasters always finish the day with a beer—abound.

If Vancouver calls, our hotels are ideal hopping off points for touring the Fraser Valley Wine Route (www.winebc.com/winetour3.php). Tip: time it so that your lunch stop is at Domaine de Chaberton’s Bacchus Bistro, hands down the best dining in the area. Vista D’oro Farms is worth a visit. It’s a cooking school, artisan food shop, and budding walnut wine producer. 

If you’d rather check in and have a relaxing weekend, you can still pack in a lot of wine tasting. In Vancouver, take the Aquabus to Granville Island and visit Liberty Wine shop for tastes of fine B.C. wines and some of the best the world has to offer. Nearby is Artisan SakeMaker, home to Canada’s only fresh premium Junmai sake (that’s the good stuff). Taylorwood Wines in Yaletown (1185 Mainland) is all B.C. wines while Marquis Wine Cellars (1034 Davie Street) has corralled super B.C. bottles and Old World ones too. Free tastings happen most afternoons.

In Victoria, the Wine Barrel at 644 Broughton stocks a vast selection of BC bottles. Ditto Mark Anthony Wine Cellars (1007 Government Street). Cook Street Village Wines (230 Cook Street) and BC Wineguys (2759 Cadboro Bay Road) serves up plenty of sass along with generous tastings of B.C. wines.