Reviews of Unsworth Vineyards (Winery)

Darshan Stevens

Great Wine and friendly service!

Mike Dodgson

We had a fantastic evening at their top notch restaurant. Stellar wines and first class food. Great service and the grounds of the vineyard are gorgeous. Can't wait to come back.

Linda Goodwin

Spectacular wine

Leigh-Anne Cooke

Had a wonderful lunch today in the restaurant. Excellent service, food and the views over the vineyard were lovely. We enjoyed trying a couple of different wines with our lunch, and one of the servers kindly brought a taste of a particular white wine I was interested in trying which was much appreciated. The three of us in our party decided we all wanted to purchase a few bottle of wine each and as it was a Sunday, with the Cowichan Valley Wine tasting festival going on, we asked our servers if we would have to wait in the line as when we came in for our lunch in the building across from the tasting room and wine store there were alot of people waiting for the tasting. We were told we could simply go into the wine store to purchase our wine and not be in the wine tasting line, there were a few there who we made sure to ask if they were there for the tasting, and they were so we stood away from them on the other side.. There was a sign saying to wait for the host. As there was only 3 people in the wine shop (the sign said max 4) one of our group went in and asked the person behind the counter if she could simply purchase wine, not the wine tasting. My friend was rudely told to wait outside there's a wine list on the door. We then observed a couple walking past us where we were standing and without hesitation went in and purchased a couple of bottles of wine. I then thought, hmmm, as they had passed us and no one was in the line for purchases now other than them - since they had already walked past us, I went inside to ask if we could purchase wine. I was told rudely to wait outside, then the couple who had breezed by us to purchase their wine walked out. We waited a little while then decided we would not purchase the wine with such an angry, dismissive attitude of the server/host. As we were walking to our car, he called out to us and said we could come in now, we said no thank you and he sarcastically said, well thank you for your patience to which we muttered to ourselves, well thank you for your rudeness. We all know there is strict protocol with regards to covid, but perhaps there should be better signage at the door of the wine store or better communication to your staff with regards to policies for wine purchase when guests have come in for lunch, and in our case, had a lovely dining experience. We were certainly put off by that dismissive attitude when everyone else we had come across in the restaurant had been so welcoming and helpful with guiding us with wines and subsequent purchases in the wine store. The three of us have had many years in the hospitality industry in our flying careers and were enjoying a nice reunion together. We certainly can appreciate the difficulties staff are put in with the strict regulations these days they/we all must adhere to, but perhaps a different approach might have been better all round. Disappointing end to a lovely dining experience and surroundings and for the three of us, our first visit.

Matt Good

Great fresh food fantastic service and very relaxing safe place. Wine was very good. Brilliant place.

Kelly Benning

Visit the restaurant the food is amazing. We had the butternut squash risotto and the polenta fries.

Pravii ee

Very impressive and professional wine tasting experience - Brennan and the team did an excellent job of presenting and explaining each wine. The beautiful landscape always makes this an amazing place to enjoy in every season.

Erika Colebank

The food and ambiance were wonderful. The gnocchi, beet salad and duck were fantastic. Very highly recommended. The prices were very good except that to buy a bottle of unsworth wine was $50 in the restaurant and $25 in the tasting room across the parking lot. It makes you feel a little ripped off

Katherine Crosbie

The wine is excellent, the out door dinning experience great.

Debby Baker

Lovely vineyard setting

Meghan Campbell

Great wines!

Jessica Samuels

The food is tasteful sizes. me and my friend ordered 3 small dishes and a desert. Very nicely done. Amazing food ! Amazing rose wine. Had a knowledgable server, he was amazing. Nice cute little place. I reccomend.

Mike ter Kuile

Friendly informative and excellent wine

Marjan Farahbod

Fabulous foods, terrific wines and unparalleled ambiance ! Great staff make it delightful!!

Shannon Kowalko

Very nice atmosphere and delicious wines! food well made and tasty. Beautiful presentation!

Brenda Quinn

The chowder is amazing. As is the wine, the service and the views.

Morgan Wray

What a great experience. Was really quiet when we went there today. Gorgeous grounds. When we were in the viewing gallery, the owner came out to talk to us about the vineyard. Super nice man. Then we went over to the wine tasting area, which is beautiful. The woman who served us was super friendly. $5 to wine taste, but if you buy a bottle (which we did) it's free. Would not pass this place up. Truly a gem, and loved it!!!!!

Abbey Frank

Fun place! Nice restaurant, fun wine tasting room, superb personalities - Jessica and Scott were top notch!!! Delicious wine, good chocolate.

Dave Troughton

The food at the restaurant is amazing with good wine pairings.

Luke Moilliet

Beautiful spot for wine tasting out on the patio, over looking a water feature. The wine itself was only average; not as full-bodied to our liking. Nonetheless, the staff were incredibly kind and helpful; they alloted the perfect amount of time for a tasting prior to our lunch reservation at the resturant. We had lunch in the restaurant's lovely upper patio. Some staff not quite as pleasant as they appeared stressed with the rush of people. Food was tasty with filling portion sizes. Highly recommend the pizzas!

Jason V.

I have now been to Unsworth Vineyard a few times with different people and it never dissapoints. I am not a red wine lover and I love every one of their wines including the sparkly varieties. Their restaurant is phenomenal and never dissapoints.

Jenn Marx

My sister introduced me to this fabulous winery today. My first dining out experience since this Covid business started in mid-March. What a treat it was. Excellent wine, food, service (thank you Mark) and company (thank you Rosita). A terrific top off to a day of shopping.

Gabriele Milione

The owner Chris took care of our group of 11 and not only was he amazing but the wine/experience was the best the day for me hands down! Highly recommended!

Mark Esterhuizen

Wonderful experience at this winery.

Owen Taylor

The food in their restaurant is so delicious. One of my favorite farm-to-table places ever.

Challis Eacott

Amongst 6 wineries we visited, this was the best overall experience; wines with potential including a Chardonnay (first vintage) great sparkling and Provence-style rosé, friendly, smiling and knowledgeable staff, and a beautiful setting that makes you want to stay longer (not to say forever). Since then, I’ve seen their wines in the best restaurants of the island. That’s a sign of quality!

Philipp Kundert

Excellent staff for the wine tasting. Very conscious of the social distance policy. Worth your time to vist

Hayley Shakti

Delicious food and even better wine

harveen bhatti

Lovely service here, and Scott was extremely kind. Our wine tasting was excellent and bought their 2018 Rose. Had an early dinner at the restaurant. The steak frites was amazing, and the cherry cheesecake. Everyone was so friendly, welcoming and overall fantastic atmosphere. They care about their guests' experience and will definitely be back, as well as recommend.

Lucas Burnett

Small boutique winery, friendly staff.

Stuart Rolland

Absolutely love Unsworth Winery, great location with stunning views throughout the property. Not to mention the amazing staff, even though Unsworth is a very busy place, the staff always goes above and beyond to accommodate everyone. This is the only winery my boyfriend enjoys, therefore we make sure to visit on our anniversary.

Stuart Rolland

Lovely patio with great service. Pizza was very well cooked and my wife really liked her beetroot falafels. The wines were a bit hit and miss

Paul Ekberg

We had a wine tasting followed by dinner in the restaurant and the whole experience was fantastic. The food was amazing and our server, Mark, was very knowledgeable and friendly. We will be happy to return again soon.

Janine Carney

I hear their Pizza is the best, however they were sold out. They had run out of dough...

Rolanne Taylor

The grounds are very pretty and the staff friendly. Most importantly, the wine is excellent. We enjoyed a bottle of their 2017 Pinot noir that was really excellent.

Mark Williams

Always excellent food and today was no different. Will be looking into a.membership asap!

Jill R

Always great service, atmosphere, wine and food!!

Don C Miller

Absolutely amazing hidden gem!!! Excellent food (wood fire pizza's and handmade pastas), top notch service and the view is spectacular.

Doug Lewis

Great food very friendly staff.

Cassandra Finch

Our first lunch there today but certainly not our last. The food is great and unique (the chowder an experiance onto itself). The team of servers were attentive, cheerful and on point. The surroundings were boat dock comfortable with amazing vistas. Well done. We'll see you soon.

Jacquelynne McDonald

Staff friendly throughout the whole place. The food was really good and cooked perfectly. I would definitely recommend to anyone.

C Schoofs

Coming so often is because of the fabulous reception we receive from the best host SCOTT !! Thanks so much for always making our experience awesome !!!!

Bre Wilkerson

Favourite winery on the island. Great wines, super nice staff. Nice patio to sit by the pond and waterfall. Attached restaurant is also worth checking out. Only downside is the smell from the farm across the street can some days be very pungent!

Tristan Dressler

The atmosphere, food quality/portion size, and service was excellent. Definitely worth the drive.

Jay Ruzesky

Quaint little vineyard tucked in the idyllic Cowichan Valley. Gorgeous place to stop and enjoy a tasting. Didn't have a chance to dine but great tasting, particularly enjoyed the sparkling rosé.

debbie hoogendyk

Lady in the tasting room was so unfriendly, bordering on rude

Andrew Johnson

Excellent place to enjoy their great wine and have a picnic!

Bart Ludwig

Food and service is always great!

Steven Joe

Great ribeye, fantastic wine, mellow ambiance. Date night perfection

Marie Leclerc

The restaurant at Unsworth Vineyards is where we go to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, and special occasions. Actually, we don't need an occasion--when we go out, this is where we go. The food, service, and wine are the best in the Cowichan Valley. The restaurant itself is beautiful and elegant and the property is gorgeous. If you can, time things so that you can do a tasting in the wine shop first. Unsworth is taking precautions during COVID 19 including separate serving tables and face shields. It is a place where I feel safe going out. The number of tables is reduced to keep patrons physically distant so you should probably make a reservation.

Allan Lloyd

We had a fantastic evening at their top notch restaurant. Stellar wines and first class food. Great service and the grounds of the vineyard are gorgeous. Can't wait to come back.

Grant Jumaga

Unsworth is one of the best restaurants I have ever eaten at. The combination of flavors for the pea ravioli was mystifying, delicate, intricate, and exquisite! Our servers have been wonderful every time. Make reservations, and come ready to enjoy the subtle and unique dishes this chef has to offer! Some people have told us they can't afford to eat here, I say you can't afford not to eat here. Worth every penny and then some.

Gillian Harvey

A really nice little winery up island with a friendly tasting room and patio.

Dennis Kornbluh

Everything about Unsworth is great. The staff, building, yard, food, prices; all very good! I'd recommend the burger. You must try this spot.

Sean Fitzgerald

Waited an hour and a half for decent food

Joe Williams

Fantastic, prompt and friendly service. Food is amazingly tasty and beautifully presented. Love the polenta fries. Vineyard with tasting room; their wines and prosecco are fabulous! Deck and outside lawn seating, as well, overlooking vineyard. Quiet country setting with pond by the tasting room and chickens in the vineyard. At times, the executive chef will make an appearance to each table to introduce himself and make sure all is well. Thank you, Unsworth! ????

Lisa Keir

Pinot Noir, Symphony, and the restaurant were amazing. Vegetarian Pasta, made to order, packed with chantrelle mushrooms #wortheverydollar.

Annie Taal

Excellent food. Great flavours, balanced portion size, and beautiful presentation. Fair prices. Expect to pay $15-25/entree. Gorgeous views all around in the sun room. Call ahead to reserve. Seems to get busy pretty quick.

Peter MacLeod

The food is excellent. Always love their menus. It changes seasonally. Great service. But best of all is their wines. Awesome!

mark shepard

Amazing lunch location! Great good!

shawn reid

The seasonal pizza was the tastiest pizza I have ever had. Atmosphere and view on the patio was amazing. Will come back with the kids as they have bocce and croquet set up in the yard. Thoroughly enjoyed the Riesling and the ice cream sandwich exceeded expectations!

Marlena Cross

very pleasent wine and experience

Vanessa Santos Fata

Knowledgeable staff when it comes to gluten free - order with confidence! Have. The. Chowder!

Roger Chadwick

Friendly staff and delicious wine. Try their restaurant while sampling the wine.

Randy Norman

Very helpful staff, wine tasting was excellent. Their Port-syle wine is amazing

Gee

Lovely patio with great service. Pizza was very well cooked and my wife really liked her beetroot falafels. The wines were a bit hit and miss

Alan Bowles

Beautiful area, great food.

Richard Singh

The food was absolutely amazing, the cocktails are delicious and the view was unbeatable. The service was also top notch, I will be back again soon!

Shannon Davey

Nice tasting room with well-informed staff. Limited red selection but a great Cab Merlot available only at the restaurant. A little pricey

Shannon Davey

Always excellent food and today was no different. Will be looking into a.membership asap!

Lora Lonesberry

What a nature beauty. The ambience calms down the nerves before the wine do. I love their sparling rose, symphony and 5* to the dessert one. Island farms close by for a sneak peek tour. To the costs, all wines are between 20-27. Tasting costs 5bugs per person. Totally worth it.

mygamertag2010X

Beautiful location, property and store located in the heart of the Cowichan Valley. Did a sampling and tried 5 various wines. Very nice tastes. Sit outside in the sun, on their patio overlooking a large pond with waterfalls.

Cindy Tang

Lovely winery, about 1 hour drive from Victoria. Very friendly staff. Looking forward to the burger. Will increase to 5 star if good. Update: increasing to 5 stars. The burger was great. Would be 5+ if the bacon on the berger was more crispy.

kendal alston

Went to try the pizza patio last weekend. Pizza was decent, though limited options. The service was okay. Try the ice cream sandwich if they still have it - it’s enough for two and delicious! After lunch we headed over to wine tasting (apparently you can go there and just have the pizza brought over). Agree with other reviewer who noted the service at the tasting bar could be better and more genuine.

BL C

Top drawer every time!!

Greg Underwood

Friendly down to earth staff, good wine, beautifully presented and crafted dishes! We definitely enjoyed our afternoon here with the beautiful setting. The tasting was very nicely curated and gave a nice range of their offerings. Will be back for sure!

Rick Woo

Great fresh food fantastic service and very relaxing safe place. Wine was very good. Brilliant place.

Rick Woo

Beautiful scenery, friendly charming staff, generous wine tasting servings, and delicious wine. Also I appreciated the care they took to respect Dr.B.Henry's Covid19 recommendations.

Ruth Phelan

Great patio for tastings. Ended up buying a couple of bottles to take home. All tastings are served at once which was nice because some other patios serve them one at a time resulting in delays - busy during wine fest.

Alexandra Dunnison

I am not one to complain via Google reviews or in general. I have the utmost respect for those in the hospitality industry, especially through the last 16 months and certainly now as we break through into what is potentially our new normal. That said, my friend and I who represented a group of people on a wine tour through the Cowichan Valley last weekend were shocked at the complete disrespect we were shown by a woman who confirmed she was the manager of the Tasting Room. Shocked to the point that my friend was visibly shaken. She tried her best to reason with the manager in a very calm way, but to no avail. To clarify, we arrived early in the day as we were told by email in advance that this would be best for them to accommodate our larger group. It was apparent immediately that we were not welcome, although only my friend and I connected directly with the staff. We were made to feel we were getting in the way of their prep for the day's opening. We were told our numbers were too high and that they couldn't accommodate us. We recognized this as a group of 13 (1 over their full group tasting limit) so suggested that of course we respected all COVID protocols and would split into groups at convenient times. We would do whatever worked for them! The manager put her hand in the air ... as to say ... talk to my hand ... and walked away after telling us to come back at noon and maybe they could help then. My point here is we came early at their request so we wouldn't inconvenience their flow of the busier time of day. To suggest we come back made no sense and was honestly humiliating. Further to that when we asked about speaking to ownership after 10 minutes of jaw dropping treatment, the reply was 'we could get that info on the website, but clearly we didn't know how to read it'. My direct experience this weekend has sadly lead me to a place that I will spend my wine time and money elsewhere. Unsworth is a beautiful spot. I have been before and loved it. I truly enjoy the Rose and Charme de l'île Rose. But their customer service in the Tasting Room was horrible. I go out of my way to support local. I always have. But I cannot endorse Unsworth today as a result of this customer service failure.

Gabriella Vallillee

Always fabulous food, great scenery and superb staff

Sylvia Heiler

Always above par!! Favorite in the Cowichan Valley

Jana Friskin

We had an enjoyable and reasonable wine tasting first and then a great meal at the restaurant. The spot prawn ceviche was delicious.

Amber Peppler

Amazing restaurant on the property, had an amazing lunch and shipped a case split between their Pinot and Sauvignette back to Alberta. Super friendly, laid back service here.

Bob Larabie

WE had lunch Sunday. As before it was great. Our server Amanda was above what is usually expected Thank You Amanda and Unsworth for a pleasant day

Ann

Beautiful wine and location.

Shea McKenzie

GREAT service! Extremely accommodating in regards to shipment of their wine cases for our wedding. Tasting was affordable, knowledgeable, and fun! The famous Pinot Noir was our tip pick. Try the restaurant, it will not disappoint!

John Mustoe

Excellent food at the restaurant. Pretty patio for tastings.

Tanis Waher

Beautiful patio and delicious food and wine. We especially loved the halibut and clams. The staff were very friendly and responsive in regards to making and changing our reservation times and in giving wine pairing recommendations while we dined.

Devon Windsor

My wife and I had a very pleasant wine tasting in the tasting room followed by a delicious lunch in the restaurant. The Pinot Noir is made in a very Burgundian, Cote de Beaune style, which is what I seek, so this 2017 is possibly my favourite Vancouver Island red. I'd also recommend the 2018 Pinot Gris, which I think will be fabulous with a year's aging. Very crisp and clean. Finally, service in the restaurant was excellent, and the meals tasty. We will return!

linda petrovic

Always lovely :)

kls

We had such a fun evening in this place, and it was mostly due to their amazing staff, decent food and yup, really nice wine! We went for dinner as their tasting time didn't fit our schedule for the day ... we asked for wine suggestions from the waiter, were not disappointed and ended up getting a bottle of the one that we liked the most to take home ...

Sonia Holland

We are surprised find this hidden vineyards that’s just 2 min drive from our Shawnigan Lake Airbnb stay. We called in last minute for table of 3 and the waiter was able to make arrangements to accommodate us! Super nice staff! The wine tasting area is beautiful, and the restaurant food taste amazing with great prices. The pizza was so good!

Robin Osmond

Myself and a group of 3 went to the tasting room to celebrate a birthday. We received some of the worst service I've ever experienced. I am not someone who has ever written a bad review but honestly it ruined the evening. From the moment we arrived, one of the employees seemed annoyed. We understand that things are tough and very different during COVID and so we made allowances in the beginning. There was no table service so we went up to the front for wine. The same employee stood shining glasses literally pretending we weren't standing there. We bought red and asked for fresh glasses as we'd had a taste of whites and roses. He seemed frustrated by that. After a while, another of our party went up and got another bottle. I then approached the employee and asked for some waters for the table. He responded very rudely 'I'd prefer if you bought wine.' I told him we'd been purchasing wine so I wasn't really sure what he meant. He then said 'this is for tasting' so I replied 'are we doing something wrong, would you like us to leave?' He then completely backtracked and brought over 4 glasses of water and I picked up the jug of water. We felt extremely uncomfortable and pulled over another employee and asked if we were ok to stay and buy wine. He seemed baffled by our question and said of course we could stay. We only stayed for 2 hours as the whole thing felt awkward and the employee seemed like he was in a rage. Extremely disappointing experience. It's sad that the service was so bad as we really enjoyed the wine and even bought 2 bottles to take home.

Bill Eller

Unsworth is a really varied island winery! Their sparkling offers are worth the drive

Mike Jaeger

Absolutely amazing!

Kim Palka

I looooooove Unsworth! The food is always innovative and delicious. I had the best steak I've ever had in my whole life there last week. Fantastic wine and beer selections too. Super knowledgeable servers who love to talk food. Great ambiance and views of the vineyard. Love this place!

Elyssa Lefurgey-Smith

Great wine, great meal, great service what more could you ask!

Laura Monoscalco

Fantastic venue! The food is amazing as well as the wine. ????????

Erik Poirier

Fantastic food, views and of course wine!

Dennis Seemann

Fabulous Pinot Noir. Food at the restaurant was excellent.

Jim Wort

Amazing food in a spectacular setting.

Emily Jubb

Unsworth is one of the newest vineyards to spring up and to offer some really excellent products. Attending several events such as the first anniversary of the Amuse Bistro, with Chef Bradford Boisvert, gave us a chance to sample the wine and some very delectable cuisine. The ceremonial "burning of the vines" featured light pairings with nettle soup, made with all local ingredients, part of their terroir cuisine. I'm very much looking forward to their first production of Pino Noir.

Helen Thorne

Fantastic experience! I loved their wines and the pour sizes for a tasting are generous. The location is beautiful. We ended our tasting with lunch on the pizza patio and it was delicious!

James Cass

Excellent food and service. Nice beer and wine selection. Great country atmosphere.

Alice W

We were slightly taken aback when we arrived 45 mins till closing to a nearly completely empty dining room. We were told we should have made reservations and were turned away. If you are committed to eating here make sure to make reservations. Otherwise check out the other places around that are more capable of seating an impromptu meal.