Blue Grouse Estate Winery

About Winery and Wines

Blue Grouse believes in the team, not the individual. Each team member brings a unique combination of personality, skills and qualifications, which together will make us successful. Bailey, our winemaker, oversees the vines and massages the best out of our grapes to produce extraordinary wine. Jenny, our office manager, keeps the backroom humming, bills paid and customers well attended. Our tasting room team share their knowledge of our wines and the Cowichan Valley with all comers. Our vineyard manager, Paul Biffin, tend the vines and make everything we do possible. To orchestrate it all, the Brunners bring their passionate commitment to quality. Without this team, we would be any other winery!

You may have noticed that Spring, Fall and Winter are a little damp here. Cowichan Valley has a wet climate for grape growing, but sufficient warmth in the Summer months for earlier ripening varieties. Vineyards in the Cowichan Valley are in the temperate zone with a strong maritime influence. The number of degree growing days we record each year are acceptable for vinifera grapes, but border the boundaries for successful wines. This is why the variety and site selection are vital to the success of our wines and critical to how we manage our vineyard. Once the preferred habitat of Blue Grouse, the 45 acres of Blue Grouse Estate are tucked away on a sunny slope of Vancouver Island’s Cowichan Valley, which is believed to take its name from a First Nation's word meaning "the warm land". A fitting name, as the valley enjoys Canada’s warmest mean temperature. The terroir encompasses wind protection by evergreen trees, an all-Southern exposure, a combination of clay and gravelly soil, and the nurturing of pure air and spring water. Thanks to this exceptional site, the vines require little fertilization and irrigation, just a drop of passion, a splash of dedication and hard work, and a pinch of obsession make the difference!