It's Island time.
We don't feature wines from Vancouver Island nearly enough in this column.
So, this week, we're going to rectify that by profiling the current vintages from renowned Blue Grouse Winery outside of Duncan in the Cowichan Valley.
Blue Grouse is a true Vancouver Island wine pioneering story.
It partially resulted from 'The Duncan Project' -- a BC Ministry of Agricultural trial to see what wine grapes would thrive on Vancouver Island's east coast.
Blue Grouse became the Island's second winery (after Zanatta) when founders Hans and Evangeline Kiltz launched in 1989.
The Kiltzes built up the winery and its reputation until 2012, which is when they sold to Paul and Cristina Brunner.
The Brunners further solidified Blue Grouse as an exceptional Vancouver Island brand.
In 2022, the Brunners sold to second and third generation members of the Jackson Family Wines clan of Sonoma, California.
Two years before, Jackson Family Wines chair Barbara Banke and her daughter, Julia Jackson, purchased another incredible Vancouver Island winery -- Unsworth.
The Jackson family is diversifying its business globally and has also bought other cool-climate properties in Oregon, Washington state, Italy, France, Chile, South Africa and Australia.
Vancouver Island is definitely a cool-climate region.
Although it has milder winters, it receives less sun and heat than the Okanagan in the summer and also gets more rain.
As such, Vancouver Island is suited to producing whites, light reds and early-pick grapes for sparkling wines.
And that is exactly what Blue Grouse spotlights in its portfolio of wines.
- Charme de L'ile Sparkling White ($30)
Named for the 'charm' of Vancouver Island, this is a casual and uncomplicated Prosecco-style bubbly that undergoes its second fermentation in freshness-retaining stainless steel tanks.
A blend of aromatic white varietals Ortega, Schonburger, Pinot Gris and Bacchus.
- Charme de L'ile Sparkling Rose ($30)
Same concept, but pink from a blend of Pinot Noir, Gamay Noir and Pinot Gris.
- 2024 Rose ($30)
Similar to the great roses from the South of France, which shares a comparable maritime Mediterranean climate with Vancouver Island.
Aromas and flavours of strawberry and pink grapefruit with nice mouthfeel and texture achieved through a mix of fermentation and aging in big stainless-steel tanks, neutral French oak barrels and concrete tanks.
A blend of both red and white varietals -- Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Gamay Noir and Chardonnay.
- 2024 Chardonnay ($33)
Chardonnay is a chameleon.
It can be grown and made in either a cool or warm climate, resulting in different styles.
Blue Grouse has definitely capitalized on the cool-climate style, fresh and light with a crisp apple-and-pear profile and just a bit of toasty oak from a minimum of fermentation and aging in new French oak barrels.
- 2024 Pinot Gris ($29)
Gris made interesting with fermentation and aging in a combination of concrete tanks and neutral French oak barrels for nuance and complexity in a wine with aromas and flavours of pear, lime, minerality and salinity.
- 2023 Pinot Noir ($40)
All the hallmarks of an ideal light-bodied Pinot -- a cherry-raspberry-toasty oak profile and bright acidity.
The red rooster returns
Moving on from Blue Grouse, we keep a bird-theme with a visit to Red Rooster Winery on the Naramata Bench.
In 2023, the male chicken disappeared from the labels in favour of abstract close up graphics of farm equipment and vineyard soils as part of a rebrand.
With the 2025 vintage, the crimson cockerel has returned to Red Rooster labels.
It's being called a refresh that brings the iconic rooster back, honouring more than 25 years of winemaking and its status as one of the most recognizable symbols on the Naramata Bench.
The rooster is an homage to an actual bird the founders of the winery had on the property when it launched in 1997.
The new 2025 vintage arrivals sporting the reimagined rooster labels include Rose ($26), Pinot Gris ($24), Pinot 3 ($22), Chardonnay ($26) and Sauvignon Blanc ($23).
Red Rooster had a Summer Kickoff Festival last weekend to debut the new labels and new wines.
You can book or drop in for a tasting (reserve at https://redroosterwinery.
Red Rooster is part of Andrew Peller Ltd., which also includes Okanagan wineries Black Hills, Peller Estates, Wayne Gretzky, Gray Monk, Sandhill, Tinhorn Creek and Good Natured.
Steve MacNaull is a NowMedia Group reporter, Okanagan wine lover and Canadian Wine Scholar. Reach him at [email protected]. His wine column appears every Friday afternoon in this space.
