There’s been a lot of recent talk about Canadian provinces putting US alcohol back on the shelves. It’s been one of the side-effects of the trade war between the US and Canada. In government controlled liquor stores in British Columbia and many other Canadian provinces, US produced alcohol was removed from the shelves. A nuisance for many large distributors, but for smaller producers who used to sell directly to Canada the consequences may be severe.
Even if liquor distribution boards in Canada decide to bring US products back onto the market, will consumers buy it? The choice ultimately lies with people who decide what to spend their money on, despite on what may be available, or not. Freedom is about having the option, and making a choice whether to use it or not.
People aren’t just looking to buy wine, but also for a reason to slow down. We can order almost anything online, without ever leaving home. Visiting a winery should offer something a delivery truck cannot: the small experience of being somewhere else on purpose.
My Great Canadian Wine Tour
I’m not avoiding the United States, in liquor stores or otherwise1. While I’m currently on a longer US motorcycle trip, my choice earlier this summer was to stay local explore some local Canadian wineries instead of buying from liquor stores altogether.
Starting from Vancouver, there’s a lot of options to pick from within a reasonable riding distance. For this ride, I gave myself a simple challenge: visit seven wineries in one day while covering roughly 250 kilometres through Langley, Abbotsford and Chilliwack.
Just to be clear: I didn’t taste any wine along the way. My “wine tour” consisted of buying bottles to bring back home. Riding motorcycles and drinking wine are two things I enjoy, but they have no business being combined. So I bought two bottles from each winery: one to taste later, and another one to save for a future occasion.
Canadian Drops of God
Also, I wasn’t trying to rank vintages or pretend I could identify all the flavour profiles like they do in Drops of God2. Some people can write the label after tasting a sip. My skill is mostly reading the label before tasting the wine. But before tasting any wine at all, I wanted to know which wineries felt worth visiting, and maybe return to in future without my motorcycle waiting in the parking lot.
Wine is like music. It connects you to your emotions. It repairs wounds. ~Drops of God
My route included 1st R.O.W. Estate Winery, Chaberton Estate Winery, Township 7 Vineyards & Winery, Backyard Vineyards, Glass House Estate Winery, Ripples Winery and Whispering Horse Winery.
Seven stops in one day sounds ambitious when I looked at the route the night before. The wineries are close enough together that the route felt manageable with about 250km total. I could always decide to cut it short if the day somehow got too long. In the end, the entire ride was enjoyable. Scenery was mixed with a series of short breaks mixed in throughout the day.
1. First R.O.W. Estate Winery
This was my first stop of the day and the only one I probably wouldn’t rush back to. The wines are made using grapes sourced from several regions, and the property felt more like a production facility than a winery. In essence, there’s nothing wrong with that.
On this particular ride I was looking for places that offered more of an experience: somewhere attractive to sit, wander or imagine spending an afternoon. First R.O.W. wasn’t that kind of stop for me. I have yet to try their wines so can’t comment on the two bottles Léon Millot (a red blend) I bought.
2. Chaberton Estate Winery
Chaberton offered one of the broader selections of wine on my route. There’s a good chance you will find something you like. The prices are somewhat reasonable, and generally it feels like a good spot to start exploring British Columbia wine. The staff were extremely friendly and helpful, but the whole setup felt more like a retail store than a winery.
That said, despite the large wine selection, it may not have been the most surprising stop of the day. Regardless, “reliability” (in case that’s a criteria when visiting a winery) has its own value; not every place needs to reinvent the grape. My suggestion is to make this a quick stop, skip the bistro and picnic area, and buy whatever is on sale. For me, it was two bottles of 2024 Riesling. The taste for me was dryer than expected (a plus), and overall good value for a local wine.
3. Township 7 Vineyards & Winery
Township 7 gives you the feeling of arriving on a local farm. I parked my bike beside a shed (away from the cars), almost like I belonged there. It felt like I did as nobody cared my motorcycle wasn’t following parking regulations - not surprisingly that became the cover image for this post.
Meanwhile, the outdoor space looks like somewhere you could easily spend an hour with a charcuterie board and a bottle of wine or two. Only issue was that I didn’t bring a designated driver along for the ride. I left with the recommended two bottles of 2025 Rose to bring home, which I have yet to enjoy.
Some wineries make you feel as though you should know more about wine before walking through the door. Someone once told me “wine is about rotten grapes, so there’s no need for attitude”. For me, Township 7 had exactly that no-attitude vibe.
4. Backyard Vineyards
Backyard remains one of my favourite wineries in the Vancouver area because it delivers exactly the experience the name suggests. The backyard seating and lawn games invite you stick around for a while. I found the atmosphere to be friendly, and the wines offer good value.
Backyard may sound almost too simple for a winery. In my opinion, this is exactly what makes this a place worth returning to. Low-key, good value, and an unpretentious approach to wine. It’s the kind of place you’d imagine spending a lazy afternoon. Although I’m limited to a balcony now, it reminded me of my early days in Canada where I’d have a much larger backyard with lots of great wine shared with friends and neighbours.
5. Glass House Estate Winery
It’s hard to pick a favourite out of this list, but Glass House comes close. The gardens are beautiful, the newer patio is bright and inviting, and the whole property has the feeling of sticking around for a while. The wines are priced a little higher than at some of the other stops, but the setting helps justify it. My favourite are the two bottles of Rose de Pinot I bought, but I’d certainly be back for more.
The Dutch owners may also explain some of the gezelligheid, a Dutch word that roughly describes warmth, comfort and conviviality, although translations never quite capture the feeling. Their “‘Zellig” wine cans attempt to capture it. While convenient for the beach, I prefer the quality in their bottles over canned wine. Either way, with “gezelligheid” you know it when you encounter it, and Glass House delivers.
6. Ripples Winery
Ripples may have been the biggest surprise of the day. I’d been there before on a charity ride, but never had the time to explore or buy wine. The grounds have a farm-like vibe, and the setting feels welcoming and encourages you to explore the different spaces.
I bought a couple of bottles of their 2023 Bacchus, which was supposed to be their dryest. At 12.5% alcohol they were dry-ish for a white, but reminded me of pineapple wine I brought home from Manila many years ago. Based on the property alone, though, I’d happily return.
7. Whispering Horse Winery
Whispering Horse was perfect for a final stop of my tour. By the time I arrived, the day already included a long stretch of riding, and an increasingly ambitious collection of bottles to transport home on the back of a motorcycle. Despite the luggage rack and relatively large travel bag, there’s a limit to what I can carry on a bike. I was starting to feel the weight and worried about how much more I could take without exceeding restrictions on my bag and luggage carrier.
Arriving here felt worth it though. After a long day, the quiet setting felt like a a different world, and a natural place to pause before beginning the return trip home.
Mentally, it felt like I had travelled further from the city than I had distance-wise. This is my approach to travel: sometimes you don’t need to go far. Whispering Horse felt like a mini-vacation off the beaten path, with some decent rose options. I started my trek home after adding two bottles of their 2025 Pinot Gris to my already heavy bag.
The Final Judgment
The final count was difficult to complain about: 250 kilometres on my motorcycle, with 7 wineries visited and 14 bottles brought home. The whole day felt like a mini-vacation to the South of France while staying in Canada. Travel doesn’t always mean you need to go far from home.
While I definitely have my favourites, I’ll leave the final judgement to you. Please comment below and share this post. My recommendation is to choose three or four wineries from this route rather than trying to visit all seven. Build in enough time to sit down, explore the grounds and enjoy the places rather than treating them like checkpoints. Designate a driver, arrange transportation or bring the bottles home unopened, like I did.
Further reading
It’s a shame two great countries are pitched against each other in an ongoing trade war.
Drops of God is a French-American-Japanese television series, based on the original manga series. The series tells the story of a competition for the inheritance of a huge wine collection between an heiress and a star student of a well-known oenologist who died.