The view from the tasting room is sublime. Lush, green pastures and rolling, cedar-capped hills give way to a wide expanse of blue, foam-flecked sea. The vintner and I swirl a glass of aromatic white wine — a sweet, German varietal, Siegerrebe, which does exceptionally well here — in the quaint, countrified setting. We chat, we laugh, we sip, we spit, and we stroll outside among the vines. It’s been a good day: three sweet little wineries, a cheese shop, a beautiful bakery by the sea and 18 holes of picture-perfect golf. They had me at “Hello.” 

Located just 45 minutes from Victoria, BC — over the soaring Malahat Highway — the Cowichan Valley is a pastoral region full of surprises. Its dozen wineries are punctuated by intimate tasting rooms where wines are often poured by the owners themselves. And connoisseurs, take note: some of these little-known labels, especially the whites, can hold their own against anything, anywhere.

The best thing is, nowadays you can focus on grapes and golf. In many ways, the characteristics of these two thoroughly enjoyable pastimes take on a similar flavour in the valley. Both are distinctly rural and refreshingly unpretentious. The golf courses here — The Duncan Meadows Golf & Country Club, Cowichan Golf & Country Club and Arbutus Ridge Golf & Country Club — are friendly, fun-to-play courses that resonate with my own personal preference for the game. In 2008, a new course, The Cliffs Over Maple Bay (a dramatic Greg Norman concoction) opens its doors, boosting the already strong collection. My advice: swing, swirl and be smitten.     www.wineislands.ca www.duncanmeadows.com www.golfbc.com www.cliffsovermaplebay.com www.cowichangolfclub.ca