Wines and Islands
Sample Itinerary
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1: Board at Nanaimo. Welcome aboard toast and tasting. Under way, transiting scenic passageways in northern Gulf Islands. Introduction to BC wines, terroir and history, what makes the region noteworthy. Late afternoon shore walk in marine park. Tasting dinner that provides an overflight of the wines and what we’ll explore in the coming days.
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2: Gulf Islands area wines feature. Morning shore trip on DeCourcy Island and afternoon visits with winemakers producing exciting work on Salt Spring and Saturna Islands.
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3: Okanagan & Similkameen wines feature. Morning shore walk in Gulf Islands rainforest, and optional kayaking. Cruising Boundary Pass and Boiling reef featuring rich marine upwelling. Explore historic farmstead at Tumbo in the outer Gulf Islands. Scenic walk to spectacular vista for picnic. Okanagan and Similkameen tasting dinner.
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4: Vancouver Island area wine focus, including visits with leaders in North Saanich and Cowichan Valley winemaking, discussion, tastings, tasting meals, vineyard walks. Vancouver Island wine last night dinner.
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5: Morning optional kayak at Burgoyne Bay. Wrap up, cruising, looking for wildlife en route to Sidney. Final toast.
You can find information about each day, by clicking on a number
Note that as with all expedition cruises, the itinerary may change based on weather, wildlife activity, and interests of the guests. This itinerary is to give you a general idea of the trip.
Departures (prices listed in Canadian dollars)
| Date | Price CAD* | # of Nights | Start Port | End Port | Ship |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | |||||
| Date: Oct 24 - 28 | Price CAD: $5650, $6750, $7490 | # of Nights: 4 nights, 5 days | Start Port: Nanaimo | End Port: Sidney | Ship: Cascadia |
| 2022 | |||||
| Date: Oct 24 - 28 | Price CAD: $5650, $7490, $7650 | # of Nights: 4 nights, 5 days | Start Port: Nanaimo | End Port: Sidney | Ship: Cascadia |
Description
Explore the breadth of BC wine, its people and place through this special tasting, culinary and nature adventure. Guided by our on-board experts, as well as other wine industry leaders and pioneers, each day you’ll learn about and taste the best wines from BC’s distinct wine regions.
This exclusive trip, with a very limited number of guests aboard a spacious catamaran yacht, island hops between Vancouver Island and the natural coves and harbours of remote Gulf Islands.
From geology and philosophy, to aroma, construction and the pairing meals our chef creates, this is a deep journey into what shapes our wine. Augmenting the wine exploration, we’ll also take in the region’s spectacular nature with naturalist guides, as we island-hop the Vancouver Island and Gulf Islands region, anchoring in remote locations inaccessible by any other means.
The entire trip is designed to give you special experiences not available to the general public. The ethic is the same approach as our Craft Beer Cruise (going on its 14th season), but wholly customized to BC’s wine regions and winemaking ethic.
Our wine guide is Tania Tomaszewska. A banking lawyer turned wine explorer, Tania is a wine professional specializing in “wine journey design”. Tania creates and leads small group, private wine tasting adventures (be it in corporate boardrooms, private dining rooms or patios, local wine bars or out in BC wine country). After having lived and worked in Australia for many years, Tania returned to her native British Columbia four years ago and re-immersed herself in our local terroirs.
She’s passionate about where wine can take us and is thrilled to be coming back on board for our second annual Wines & Islands adventure, and to sip us through the Salish Sea. Tania is WSET Certified (Level 3 Wines and Spirits) and has completed the Wine Executive Program at University of California, Davis. (She likes school and also holds a B.A. (English Literature), law degree (LL.B) and MPhil in International Relations). Most importantly, Tania also loves Pinot Noir.
Gallery
What People Say
F. Shirley Ontario, CanFrom our first inquiries to the final docking, our trip has been first class all the way.
Chuck Cole Washington, USAAn unbelievable experience with the most dedicated and involved crew I’ve ever experienced. Every day was ‘magical’. The bar for my next adventure
Jane Robinson Vancouver, BCWhat a magical and awe-inspiring adventure!
