Vancouver Island's Wine Country

I can think of few better ways to spend one's holiday than touring wine country, especially if that country encompasses not only Vancouver Island but some of the Gulf Islands as well. First stop must be the Cowichan Valley. Here, once you turn off the main highway, you'll follow winding roads, pass country cottages and hobby farms and then come upon a winery. Unfortunately I don't have space to cover all the oenophile delights to be found in this beautiful area (for that you'll need to check outwww.wineislands.ca) but I'll share a few of my memorable sipping (and let's face it, eating moments too) at the island's wineries. Cherry Point Estate Winery's delightful garden bistro is the perfect place to sip the afternoon away indulging in some of the award winning wines, in particular the Coastal Red, a light easy drinking bottle. Cherry Point is where you'll also have the good gastronomic fortune to have the best cheesecake ever (in my opinion), a light, frothy cake, accompanied by their bursting with flavour blackberry dessert wine. The experience at Averill Creek Winery is slightly more rustic as here you have to BYOP (bring your own picnic). The booze, of course, is on site, and with a bottle of the winery's Averill Creek Prevost in hand and a picnic basket stuffed with local cheeses, bread, fruit and chocolate you can settle in for an afternoon even Dionysus would be proud of. A day spent on Salt Spring is never a waste especially if you go early Saturday morning to take in the market before visiting the island's two wineries; Garry Oaks Winery and Salt Spring Vineyards. But for something off the beaten path but still on the wine trail, hop on the ferries to Saturna Island. It takes a little longer to get there but it's the perfect combination of getting away from it all, but not so far you can't indulge in the delights of wine and good food, especially if you linger at Saturna Island Family Estate Vineyards.  Although the winery is accessbile by road, I suggest you make your visit a Gulf Island one through and through by kayaking to the winery's beach, before settling in for lunch and a glass of wine (the Pinot Noir Rose is a great way to  First stop must be the Cowichan Valley. Here, once you turn off the main highway, you'll follow winding roads, pass country cottages and hobby farms and then come upon a winery. Unfortunately I don't have space to cover all the oenophile delights to be found in this beautiful area (for that you'll need to check outwww.wineislands.ca) but I'll share a few of my memorable sipping (and let's face it, eating moments too) at the island's wineries. Cherry Point Estate Winery's delightful garden bistro is the perfect place to sip the afternoon away indulging in some of the award winning wines, in particular the Coastal Red, a light easy drinking bottle. Cherry Point is where you'll also have the good gastronomic fortune to have the best cheesecake ever (in my opinion), a light, frothy cake, accompanied by their bursting with flavour blackberry dessert wine. The experience at Averill Creek Winery is slightly more rustic as here you have to BYOP (bring your own picnic). The booze, of course, is on site, and with a bottle of the winery's Averill Creek Prevost in hand and a picnic basket stuffed with local cheeses, bread, fruit and chocolate you can settle in for an afternoon even Dionysus would be proud of. A day spent on Salt Spring is never a waste especially if you go early Saturday morning to take in the market before visiting the island's two wineries; Garry Oaks Winery and Salt Spring Vineyards. But for something off the beaten path but still on the wine trail, hop on the ferries to Saturna Island. It takes a little longer to get there but it's the perfect combination of getting away from it all, but not so far you can't indulge in the delights of wine and good food, especially if you linger at Saturna Island Family Estate Vineyards.  Although the winery is accessbile by road, I suggest you make your visit a Gulf Island one through and through by kayaking to the winery's beach, before settling in for lunch and a glass of wine (the Pinot Noir Rose is a great way to 

Gabriola Restaurant Sizzles all Year Round

Chef Jonah Hicks in the Silva Bay kitchen, 

preparing the Turf part of the Mexico-style 

Surf and Turf special. Derek Kilbourn photo

Do you like your seafood sustainable? Your sauces made from scratch? A menu that reflects the seasons? Then it’s time to head down to Silva Bay Pub & Restaurant and indulge in a dish prepared by the personable, and talented, young chef Jonah Hicks. The night we went was dark and stormy but when we walked through the doors we were enveloped by the cozy ambience – fireplace roaring, muted music playing and the chatter of conversation. Even though the million dollar view wasn’t visible, I realized Gabriolans Tanya and Tim Gambrill, who own and operate the restaurant at Silva Bay, had created a place where it’s easy to relax and unwind – no matter what’s happening outside. The menu has traditional pub fare (fish and chips, burgers, chicken wings) and the Gambrill’s have also put their creative talents to work partnering with their chef to create one-of-a-kind dishes like the Cashew Lentil Burger, Ravioli Puttanesca, and Miso-Planked Salmon. There are also nightly specials so even frequent visitors always have something new to try.Which is why I found myself indulging in a Mexican style Surf & Turf with scallops, steaks, frites and refried beans. It was supposed to come drizzled in mole (mo-lay) sauce but our server Joelle kindly brought the sauce to me on the side as I wasn’t sure I could handle the heat. Turns out I could because this mole sauce was homemade with the heat tempered by just the right amount of chocolate and cinnamon. My dinner companion went à la carte and his Island Stir Fry was chock-a-bloc with veggies, chicken and noodles, although we substituted them for rice to create a gluten-free version. Even though we were both stuffed, Joelle managed to convince us to try the Crème Brûlée topped with candied orange slices and filled with custard infused with lavender and Grand Marnier (Yes, we finished it all.).The best part? I learned that even though I love Silva Bay in the summer, cozying up in the winter with a great meal and a pint has its own unique charm.

Did you know…
…all the seafood on the menu has been approved by the Vancouver Aquarium’s Ocean Wise Sustainable Seafood Program?
…they serve breakfast on Sundays in the summer?
…the menus shift to reflect the seasons?

Yoga isn't bad for your body -- you are!

     The yoga world is in a twist this week after this New YorkTimes article suggested yoga can be harmful to your body. Of course like any headline making story it just focused on all the bad stuff listing a huge array of injuries people had suffered in the pursuit of yoga.

      Can yoga wreck your body? Nope. But you can wreck it doing yoga. That’s right – like everything it’s your responsibility to say “Um, I’m sorry, but I really, really can’t wrap my leg around my neck this morning and seriously, I have no desire to do that.” If your teacher insists you do it, leave the class and find a new teacher.

       Personally I think the crux of the problem is most of us are either too scared or too competitive to admit we can’t do something AND most of us (unlike dedicated yoginis) do not have the time to practice three hours a day and create a body capable of bending into knots, or doing full headstand for five minutes.

        So when we’re in class and our gorgeous yoga teacher (who does practice three hours a day) bends over backwards we think, “If I just push a little harder I can do that, too.” Of course, what we should be thinking is, “OMG, if I do that I’m gonna pop a disc.”

         If you want to keep enjoying yoga then find a teacher who truly means it when she says “listen to your body” (Nanaimoites can head to Steph's class at OmTown yoga). And when your body is screaming ‘dear god stop’ then, stop. 

Fun stuff to do during a Vancouver Island Christmas

Nothing beats an island Christmas, especially on Vancouver Island, when the sun is shining.

• Tromp through the ‘woods’ and get yourself a Christmas Tree at Gogo’s.
• Ride the Christmas Train at BC’s Forestry Discovery Centre in Duncan.
• Get wowed by the Christmas Lights at Milner Gardens and in Ladysmith town centre.
• Head to Frank Crane Arena for a Winter Wonderland Skate.
• Celebrate New Year’s with the family at the Nanaimo pool. 
• Go for a walk on the Harbourfront walkway or and warm yourself with something hot from Javawocky.
• Hike up Mount Benson (then stuff yourself silly at Smokin’ Georges BBQ – you’ll have earned it.) Or check out the plethora of other hiking opportunities in Nanaimo.
• Ski, snowboard, tube, snowshoe at Mount Washington and check out their Torchlight Parade and Fireworks on Boxing Day.
• Go surfing or storm watching on Long Beach, Tofino.
• Check out an old-fashioned Christmas at the Royal BC Museum in Victoria.
• Shiver your timbers in the Port Hardy Polar Bear Swim.

Shoes, Glorious Shoes

After reading that the US is “mulling” the idea of fencing the Canada-US borderto “help keep out terrorists and other criminals”, I thought, “Crikey, here’s a perfect editorial topic.” Then, I reconsidered. After all, why dwell on how badly Obama has let us down, when we could instead discuss something far more interesting and timely – shoes. Yes, shoes. They are a timely subject, for the seasons are a’ changing and when that happens, almost every woman in the northern hemisphere peers into her closet with one question in mind – how can I justify buying new shoes for the new season? I’ll admit many (though not all) men find the topic of shoes confusing, but there is a fundamental reason women everywhere love shoes: no matter what size or shape we are, all of us look fabulous in a great pair of shoes. Like a good friend, shoes support us, are there for life’s ups and downs, and help us celebrate every occasion. There’s the, “let’s party shoe”, the “I need to be comfortable shoe” and the “I’m a professional, take-me-seriously shoe”. There are even shoes for women who profess to not care about shoes (Birkenstocks anyone?). However, there is one problem with shoes I never thought I’d fall prey to – owning too many. Then a friend wanted to know how many pairs of shoes I had. I said no more than 10, and was quite shocked to discover the number was, ahem, slightly higher. As a result, I’m now on a shoe-buying moratorium, living vicariously through other people. Well, I was, until I looked at my favourite-shoe website, El Naturalista. And suddenly I’m thinking…one more pair can’t hurt, right? After all, I don’t yet own a “jumping across a completely unnecessary border-fence shoe”.

West Coast Summer Nostalgia

Looking at the long weekend weather from the vantage point of Friday morning, it looks like our worst-weather-on-the-west-coast summer might, finally, be shifting. I hope this proves to be true and you’re all reading this with a smile on your sun-kissed faces. If not then read on – this is your reminder of what our summers are usually like and why you don’t need to pack up and move to warmer climes. Because the reason we live where we do is there’s no better place on earth than the west coast during a proper summer. Where else can you…

…catch a Pacific salmon in the afternoon and barbecue it for dinner accompanied by locally brewed beer or a delightful BC vintage

…take a break from the summer heat wandering through rainforests

…buy, beg, borrow or steal a boat and cruise through sheltered waters accompanied by speckled seals, orcas, dolphins, eagles, cormorants etc

…sip a beverage of choice at an ocean side pub and watch the sunset over some of the most spectacular mountains in the world

…spend hours at the beach, discovering purple starfish, limpets, crabs, and tiny fish

…jump, dive, somersault off spectacular sandstone cliffs, or just go for a swim in ocean water warmed by sundrenched sand and rocks

…camp surrounded only by local wildlife

…spend lazy summer evenings at the beach with a picnic dinner.

I could go on but word count restricts me. But maybe, if the summer weather continues to fluctuate madly, we should start a Sounder column about our favourite west coast summer activities. At least that way we can remember why we actually live here…or is that just a painful reminder of what we’re missing out on?