On a sunny in May, nine club members got together to car-pool and head south to Victoria, making a pit stop at the Old Town Bakery in Ladysmith, to each consume one of their famous cinnamon buns.
Thanks again to Sharon Seibt, for recommending the Ainslie Restaurant in Downtown Duncan for lunch, where we experienced true Cowichan Valley cuisine made from scratch using local ingredients.
We then made the short-drive from Duncan to the Emandare Vineyard located in the Cowichan Valley overlooking Somenos Lake. Mike, the vineyard owner was very passionate and informative about how he and his wife Robin steward their piece of land alongside nature, giving them the ability to naturally craft terroir-driven wines with old world, low intervention techniques. This means hearty vines that do not need pesticides or irrigation to survive and flourish, just lots of hands-on TLC and pruning. Anthony Gismondi (one of N.A.’s most influential wine critics) recently recommended their unique Sauvignon Blanc, and the quality of the Cowichan Valley wine growing region. Hats off to Lynn Hannay (our March guest speaker) for this great recommendation.
