News & Recipes

October 5, 2020 By Katie Phelan in tasting room events, things to do in courtenay, winery news, wine education Comments Off

Private Virtual Tastings in December 2020

We are very excited to offer virtual wine tastings in December 2020. Enjoy a private guided tasting in the comfort of your own home over Zoom or Google Meet. Virtual tastings are possible in all provinces that allow direct to consumer wine shipments from BC. We can also host a tasting for multiple households simultaneously; if you are unable to get together with your friends and family in real life this holiday season, we can help… all for the love of Vancouver Island wine!

Here’s how it works:

Head to our online store to preorder your wine selection for delivery (6 bottles minimum). If you have friends and family in other houses/provinces who want in on the action, let them know what bottles to order and we’ll ship tout suite. Live locally? You can also pick up from our store on our open days in December.
Once you’ve purchased your bottles, contact Katie (katie@beaufortwines.ca) to secure your preferred date and time for your virtual tasting. Katie will then send you a Zoom or Google Meet invite.
On the day of your tasting, the choice of what to open is yours! A winery representative will host your tasting, guiding you through 1-5 wines (again, the choice of how many bottles to open is entirely up to you). Assemble your family (or your friend bubble) in the comfort of your own home with bottles, glassware, and your favourite wine snacks. At the elected time, we’ll call in and guide you merrily through your chosen tasting bottles.

While our wine store WILL be open on three weekends in December, we will NOT be hosting tastings on-site. Virtual tastings will last a maximum of 1 hour (depending on the number of wines tasted). Please ensure you have downloaded (and tested!) the appropriate meeting app. A good internet connection, that is capable of supporting video, is essential. Virtual tastings are FREE – all wine orders placed between October 15th & December 20th (6 bottle minimum shipment) can opt to add-on a virtual tasting. Virtual tasting appointments are limited. T&Cs apply.

July 17, 2020 By Katie Phelan in tasting room events, things to do in courtenay Comments Off

The Farmer’s Kitchen Food Truck

The Farmer’s Kitchen Food Truck will be at the winery on August 1st and 2nd. This is a first foray into food truckery at Beaufort and we are so lucky to have Chef James and his team showcase the very best local produce from farms and market gardens in the Comox Valley. With a focus on fresh and vibrant vegetable-based dishes, The Farmer’s Kitchen Food Truck is just that––a celebratory seasonal kitchen that seeks to support small scale growers, makers and farmers in our region. Hurrah!

The Food truck will be on site from noon until 8pm on Saturday August 1st; and from noon until 5pm on Sunday August 2nd. If you have a tasting booked for either day, we invite you to stay a little longer in the picnic area after your tasting, grab a bite from the truck and purchase a bottle from our store to enjoy on the lawn. If you don’t have a tasting booked, you are welcome to visit nonetheless! The picnic area is available for you too!

This is a rain or shine event so come prepared for all weather. Bring a picnic blanket or your own favourite camping chair. We will be carefully watching our capacity limits to ensure all physical distancing rules are met––it may be necessary to limit numbers in our picnic area.

WHAT: The Farmer’s Kitchen Food Truck
WHEN: Saturday August 1st, from noon until 8pm (YES! A late night opening for this special event!)
AND
Sunday August 2nd, from noon until 5pm

SOME NOTES: Whether you have a tasting booked or not, The Farmer’s Kitchen Food Truck is open to serve you some fresh and tasty dishes in take-out format. Tuck in on the lawn at Beaufort, or take some goodies home with you. Either way, we’ll have chilled bottles for you to purchase from our winery store. No outside alcohol is permitted.

COVID PRECAUTIONS
We are still physically distancing. We have lots of room at Beaufort so please keep 2m from staff and other guests. We will have a greeter onsite both days to ensure staff and guest safety. This is an outdoor event, but we will be keeping an eye on capacity numbers to ensure adherence to the provincial health order governing gatherings. You can view our full COVID safety plan on our here.

June 11, 2020 By Katie Phelan in tasting room events, things to do in courtenay Comments Off

Getting our groove back

We know you have missed being able to enjoy a picnic at Beaufort, so we are delighted to tell you that our picnic area will be open again from Friday June 12th. We are so grateful to our guests for helping us navigate recent challenges; with your help we have swiftly and safely adjusted to a tasting by appointment model. Thank you!

Our guests are once again welcome to bring a picnic to enjoy on the lawn after a tasting. We can sell wine by the bottle, and provide all glasses and an ice bucket (if necessary). Feel free to bring a picnic blanket and/or your own camping chair as we may not always have enough garden furniture, especially during busier times. Please note that our picnic area is entirely en plein air––there is no covered area in the event of rain (or very hot sun!).

May 8, 2020 By Katie Phelan in tasting room events, things to do in courtenay, winery news Comments Off

NEW VINTAGE RELEASE

Our new vintage wines! It’s a pretty good looking line up don’t you think?

We’re having to do things a little differently this year. But we are still going to make it fun! Pre-order your selection for pick up during our DRIVE-THRU VINTAGE RELEASE. You can access a pre-order form here.

Our brand new vintage (and brand new labels!) will be released on Saturday May 16th 2020. Pre-order and prepay for your selection, then swing by the winery between noon and 5pm on May 16th for pick up. No need to leave your vehicle! Delivery is also possible. See order form for details.

We know that you love having a wee taste on vintage release day, but that isn’t possible right now. Tasting rooms, as with bars and restaurants in BC, remain closed due to COVID-19. We truly cannot wait to see you at the bar again soon—we will let you know as soon as we are able to pour.

May 4, 2020 By Katie Phelan in things to do in courtenay, offers, vineyard news, winery news Comments Off

Adjusting course

It’s May 4th. In any other year, our tasting room would be open by now. We’d be relishing the long and leisurely visits our guests similarly enjoy in spring and early summer. There’s always so much to catch up on, and so much to discuss as the vines burst into life.

This year is a lot different however, and we’ve had to adjust the course of our usual tasting room season. As with all restaurants and bars in BC, tasting rooms are unable to operate. It’s a tough time for many.

We really hope to see you soon, even if it’s from afar. Our ‘Drive-Thru’ vintage release is happening on Saturday May 16th. If you would like to pre-order a case for pick up, you can find out how in our most recent newsletter. Free/discounted shipping continues across BC and select Canadian provinces too.

Otherwise, our wine store will be open from Friday May 22nd. We will be open Fri-Sun from noon until 5pm for wine purchases only. Call ahead and we can prepare your order so you don’t have to leave your car, or simply pop in to select your own bottles. To ensure 2m physical distancing, we will be limiting the number of people in the store at one time.

We cannot offer tastings during this time and our picnic area will remain closed. Thank you for your understanding and we will look forward to hosting you all shoulder to shoulder at the bar when it is safe to do so.

March 24, 2020 By Katie Phelan in winery news Comments Off

A note from the team at beaufort…

We are heeding the advice of the government and our health care professionals. As things stand, the tasting room will not open for the 2020 season on April 3rd as we’d planned. Similarly, we are suspending all private tastings. We will keep you up-to-date on this, as well as our new vintage release, across our platforms. A hopeful reminder that our vines continue to grow, and that we continue to tend them.

In the meantime, let us help you keep a healthy home cellar! We are offering FREE DELIVERY on case orders on Vancouver Island, between Campbell River and Victoria. Otherwise, we are offering a 50% DISCOUNT on shipping (1 case minimum) to the rest of BC and select Canadian provinces.

See here for more details on shipping and delivery options. You are also welcome to pay over the phone for pick up – we will shuttle bottles to your vehicle at a time that suits you. As always, mixed cases are possible for all our Wine Club members.

Thank you very much for supporting Vancouver Island producers now, and always.

Mark, Freya, Katie, Cohen, Jacinda, Dav & Linda

March 13, 2020 By Katie Phelan in Uncategorized Comments Off

SALE UPDATE (Friday 13th March 12.20pm)

Given the current situation regarding COVID-19, we are going to take extra steps to protect the health of our wine club members, tasting room guests, and staff at Beaufort.

Tomorrow’s sale WILL GO AHEAD. We are all well at the winery and will be onsite to serve you between 10am and 5pm tomorrow, Saturday March 14th for our end-of-vintage sale.

However, if you would like to call ahead and pay for a wine order over the phone, we will prepare it and shuttle it to your vehicle tomorrow. Alternatively, we are offering FREE DELIVERY in the Comox Valley & Campbell River areas on 1 case minimum orders placed today and tomorrow (March 13th and 14th). All major credit cards can be used to process payment over the phone. Call us at 250-338-1357.

For those still planning to visit the tasting room tomorrow, we request that you follow WHO guidelines for frequent and thorough hand-washing. We have installed anti-bacterial soap and single use towels in our washrooms, as well as hand sanitizer by the tasting room entrance. A reminder that our tasting glasses go through an industrial, high temperature sanitizer between tastings.

We respectfully ask anyone with flu-like symptoms, no matter how mild, NOT to attend tomorrow’s sale.

Be well everyone,

The Beaufort Team.

February 18, 2020 By Katie Phelan in tasting room events, things to do in courtenay, offers, winery news Comments Off

end of vintage sale!

Hear ye! Hear ye! We need room, and you love wine, so we’re having a good ole fashioned end-of-vintage SALE!

WHEN: Saturday 14th March, 10am to 5pm

WHERE: At the winery

WHAT: ONE DAY ONLY & WHILE STOCKS LAST. Discounts offered on tasting room sales only. No holds! Feel free to send an ‘of age’ pal for pick up on the day. Usual Wine Club discounts apply on all non-sale wines. No further discounts on sale wines. There’ll be up to 25% off select 2017 whites & 20% off select 2018 whites, PLUS some extra special discounts on the day. Stock up and save! No minimum purchase for these fantastic discounts but stocks are limited. See you soon!

January 23, 2020 By Katie Phelan in Uncategorized Comments Off

A harvest vignette

Our pals Alex and Liam of Lobby Studio in Vancouver shot this short vignette for us during harvest 2019. Take a peek…

December 2, 2019 By Katie Phelan in tasting room events, things to do in courtenay, offers, winery news Comments Off

Tasting Room dates in December

The tasting room will be open three weekends in December! Pick up your reserved winemaker’s case (see photo for details), or just a few bottles for the festive season. Either way, be sure to try our brand new Vermouth!

We’ll be in the tasting room on the following dates in December 2019: 14th & 15th; 21st & 22nd; 28th & 29th (noon until 5pm all dates).

Looking forward to seeing you!