When it comes to one-liners, Cowichan Valley winemaker Joe Busnardo must have studied at the school of quips. At least that's the impression visitors get when they drop by his Divino Estate Winery on southern Vancouver Island. "There are only two kinds of wine," he told the Georgia Straight during a stop there earlier this month. "The one you like and the one you don't like."

Vintners don't come much more down to earth than Busnardo, who established a reputation as a wine rebel back in the 1970s. Soon after arriving in Canada from his family home near Venice, Italy, the construction contractor began to plant Old World vinifera in his fledgling vineyard in Oliver.

In those bad old days of plonk, Canada was bound by an archaic international trade agreement that only allowed wines made from hybrid varietals to be sold. Although a few hybrids still persist today in B.C., such as Marechal Foch, for the most part they've long since been uprooted and replaced by the now-familiar merlot and pinot gris grapes.

Busnardo was one of the first growers to experiment with imported grape stock to see which ones might flourish in the Okanagan's dry climate. His efforts with chardonnays and pinot noirs were dismissed as pipe dreams by many observers. Tell that to imbibers of B.C. wines today and they would think you were talking about the dark ages. Given the burgeoning state of vinifera currently cultivated in the Okanagan, Cowichan, and Fraser Valleys, production has evolved at warp speed in the space of one generation. And since Divino opened in 1982 in Oliver, Busnardo has seen it all.

When Divino relocated to the Cowichan Valley in 1996, Busnardo again raised a few eyebrows. Even though southern Vancouver Island was home to B.C.'s first winery in 1921 (which used loganberries), the climate wasn't considered adequate for grape-growing. When quizzed about that, Busnardo just shook his head. "Cowichan has the warmest year-round temperature in the country," he said. "I'm happy to be out of the Okanagan, with its scorching summers and dreary winters. This place suits me much better."

With that, he pulled out a pocket knife and cut into an apple, another crop that fuels his passion for cultivation. Cox's Orange Pippins and Royal Galas are just two of a half-dozen or more apple varieties mounded up in bins beside his compact wine-tasting room.

Busnardo sources apple rootstock imported from Wales, the Netherlands, Germany, and New Zealand. Slicing and tasting as he spoke, it was clear that he relishes the panoply of apple flavours just as much as he does his trebbiano, castel, and all the other varietals that make up the grape content of his Cobble Hill estate product. "The way to learn about apples is to try them all, just like sex," he advised, with a wry smile.

That same advice could apply to the Cowichan Valley in general. While many readers will be familiar with the naturally water-repellent wool sweaters knitted by generations of Cowichan Coast Salish women, other lesser-known aspects of the valley, including seven wineries and a cidery, await discovery. A good place to begin is Duncan, the valley's commercial hub.

The Straight recently paused to visit the weekly Saturday farmers market, held year-round in the square beside Duncan's red-brick City Hall. At this time of year, stalls feature baked goods, preserves, locally raised lamb, knitwear, and handcrafted furniture, among other items. As the pulse of Christmas shopping picks up, expect to find the square packed with goodies much like a European Advent market. If your visit doesn't coincide with the market, allow several hours, minimum, to stroll the downtown streets. The more you ramble, the more you'll discover.

Duncan's historic town centre is spread out over a four-square-block radius. At every turn, you'll come upon toy stores, coffee shops, antique dealers, booksellers, restaurants, and art galleries, including the E.J. Hughes Gallery on Station Street. Hughes, who died in Duncan in early January, was a long-time valley resident. Two doors down is the Judy Hill Gallery, which represents more than a hundred First Nations artists. Stop in to admire the owner's collection of Northwest Coast woven-reed baskets, on display but not for sale.

Although another nearby town, Chemainus, is renowned for its collection of murals depicting historical local scenes, Duncan's century-old streets are dotted with ceremonial poles, including the world's largest (in diameter) totem, Cedarman Holding a Talking Stick, carved by Richard Hunt, a Kwakwaka'wakw artist. Set in front of the provincial law courts, whose round tower is reminiscent of Los Angeles's Decca Building, the pole is one of 26 installed in Duncan laneways and on street corners.

Simply follow the yellow footprints painted on the sidewalks for a self-guided tour. A particularly impressive group of four poles stands beside the 1912 train station, where the E&N Railway pauses twice daily on its run between Victoria and Courtenay.

Although you might think nothing stops but time in railway towns like Duncan these days, the Cowichan Valley proves it's possible to combine both Old World and New World sensibilities. Now that's worth toasting.

Links: The Cowichan Valley lies approximately halfway between Nanaimo and Victoria. For a copy of the Tourism Cowichan Travel Planner, call 1-888-303-3337 or visit www .visit.cowichan.net/. A good place to source Cowichan sweaters is Hill's Native Arts store, 5209 Trans-Canada Highway, a short distance south of Duncan in Koksilah. Call 250-746-6731 or visit www.hillsnativeart.com/. Divino Estate Winery, 1500 Freeman Road, is open on Friday and Saturday afternoons, 1 to 4 p.m. For more information, call 250-743-2311.