Savour Cowichan Festival kicks off September 26 on Vancouver Island
Summer may be officially over, but that means it's time for fall harvest festivals.
This Friday (September 26) is the start of Savour Cowichan, a 10-day celebration of local wine, cider, beer, and food in the Cowichan Valley through October 5. This fertile area is located on Vancouver Island between Victoria (to the south) and Nanaimo (to the north) and includes towns such as Chemainus, Duncan, and Ladysmith.
If you're feeling a little glum about this week's rainy weather in Vancouver, note that the Cowichan Valley has the warmest mean year-round temperatures in Canada, and the country's longest growing season—and the forecast for this Saturday in Mill Bay is a sunny 18 degrees Celsius.
The festival kicks off Friday evening with a tasting event on a barge at the Mill Bay Marina called Barge On In. The Sip, Savour & Support fundraising event for the Canucks Autism Network on the barge the following day (September 27) is already sold out, but there are plenty of other things going on.
For example, Merridale Estate Cidery, which isn't usually open to the public, is offering tours of its distillery. Cherry Point Vineyards is offering free paella and sangria to visitors on September 27 and 28. Also on September 27, there's a winemaker's dinner featuring Rocky Creek and Zanatta wineries happening at the Stone Soup Inn. On September 28, there's an Averill Creek winemaker's dinner at the Quamichan Inn.
The following weekend on Saturday (October 4), you can head to Rocky Creek Winery and help harvest this year's grapes—and stomp on them, too. That day there's also a mushroom foraging workshop with Bill Jones, a community kitchen culinary festival, and a brunch and bubbly event at Hudson’s On First.
That's just a taste of the over 50 events on offer; see the Savour Cowichan Festival website for more. Find touirst info and places to stay at Tourism Cowichan and HelloBC.com.
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