Reviews of Averill Creek Vineyard (Winery)

Rachel C

I was underwhelmed by this vinyard. It came across as pretentious and overrated. The wine was fine and the estate and view was wonderful. Be warned of the long gravel road in.

Morgan Ayres

Good wine, great view. Tasting fee is expensive compared to others $10. Nice to have food. Food was enjoyed by all.

jake handy

Beautiful location, great staff and crushable wines!

Chantal Robert

This was the last stop on an adventurous and fun filled week. The setting was beautiful and welcoming. The owner was very friendly, taking the time to explain each grape variety. Wine tasting was free and delicious! I would highly recommend this vineyard!

Vanessa Perruzza

Wine was good, but service was terrible. Hostess was strangely hostile and the waitress wasn’t prepared to discuss tasting notes at all. We got a flight of five wines and they were quite good, the rosé was the best.

Heron Hanuman

Fantastic wines paired with an incredible charcuterie board of locally made delicacies.

Stuart Sutherland

Stopped in without a reservation. Was greeted by an amazing and friendly wine expert. She had absolutely no problem answering all my eclectic wine questions and had plenty of information about the local conditions and vineyard. Highly recommend

Michael Malone

Try the blackberry liqueur! Delightful winery in the heart of the Cowichan Valley! ????

Gary Haupt

Now, I have to admit a bias...we know the wine-maker, but...hey...come try it...you'll love the place and their wines. The setting by itself, is worth the visit...and Dave n Elliott rock the dog side of things.

Michelle Thurlow

Great wine and an amazing patio! They allow you to picnic there while enjoying a glass of their wine. Staff need to be a little more interested in their product - sounds quite rehearsed.

Martin Leroux

This is the first winery we tried, and they ruined it for the rest of them, for many reasons. Lovely tasting room, staff were very knowledgeable and seemed genuinely happy to talk shop, but mostly, the quality of the wines impressed us immensely. We decided to visit here after trying their sparkling wine at a restaurant in Victoria. Everything we tried, two whites, a rosé and two reds, were great. I love the fact that they are not tied down by AOCs and aren't afraid of thinking out of the box. Malolactic fermentation, aging on the skins, little to no sulfites, etc. And they do it extremely well.

Randy Thorne

Not a great experience right from the start. Greeted by an unfriendly hostess which put a bad taste in our mouth to begin with. We got seated and were there for a tasting. the wines were already at our table when we were seated with zero explanation of the wine, or anyone to speak to about the wine. Hostess was short with us whenever we tried to speak to her, and the wine itself was mediocre. It tasted as though it had not been aged at all. Will not be returning.

Debbie Cook

A must visit! We enjoyed yet again, a wonderful afternoon on the patio. They have added some delicious snacks to enjoy with our favorite wines. As usual the staff is always attentive and genuinely interested in our experience. We'll definitely be back!

Ben Altair

Very nice modern architecture with helpfully unsnobby staff. It still manages to be upscale without being rude. Quite a nice experience.

Chris Smythe

Good blackberry spot also golf across the street

Jeff nderson

If the service matched the setting, we would've love it. I stood for almost 10 minutes, (only 4 people in the salon) looking at the hostess as she chatted with a co-worker as my elderly in-laws stood watched on - crouched over her walker waiting to have our reservation acknowledged.. (they could use a sign pointing to disability parking at the top of the steep gravel parking lot.) Finger food to accompany were generally okay, tho the server disappeared when we needed to serve the tinned octopus in oil. Supervisor at leaving suggested using our fingers "like at a picnic". Our server explained the 5 tastings, allowing no substitutions, tho we were only interested in one offered. It seems there is no interest in sharing tastes of the wines their clients are interested in. The menu listed different vintages than ones served. I was prepared to buy other wines I was curious about - but without allowing them to be tasted my purchases were few.

Bradley Jones

Great patio wonderful view of the valley. A good place to start your tour of the Island wine area.

Alain Johnstone

A beautiful spot with a breathtaking view. Lovely wine flights on the terrace, with small nibbles. Dogs are also welcome and the staff and knowledgable and friendly!

Donna

A beautiful patio. We enjoyed a Sunday afternoon wine tasting. We were offered five different varieties of flights. Averill Creek Vineyard offers some appetizers. Overall this is a lovely experience with friends or partner to enjoy the paring of country and wine.

Justin Preston

Although not the best weather it was still a great experience with very nice views from the winery.

Catherine Bui

Wine is good. However, im not a wine expert. Do book ahead for the winery experience, otherwise it'll be a flight of wine only. Beautiful views!

Brian in BC

We like to enjoy a tasting on Averill Creek patio at least once a year. Not only is there a great selection of wines to try but also a tasty local duck pate to enjoy. The patio is spacious with views down to the coast. The drive in can be a bit dusty and bumpy but well worth getting the car a little dirty. Bring friends and have fun deciding which wines to purchase for dinner parties and other social gatherings. Once you do you will be coming back regularly like us.

Gregory Daniel

Well hell, what a lovely place. Its like youre smack in the middle of italy. The staff are as fine as the wine. A very beautiful building as well. Even the drive in was gorgeous. Would recommend, and i hope to go again!

Ipek Salahor

The setting and the wines are fine. They close strictly at 5. The staff did not warn us that they close at 5 even though they knew that we bought a bottle of the sparkling wine to have on the patio quarter of 5. We ended up wasting the whole bottle of wine.

Andre Du Toit Schoeman

Sublime, great service, food and wine. Exceeded our expectations and can't wait to return.

Drew L

A stunning location to interact with fabulous staff and enjoy world-class natural wine. A really great experience and the perfect spot to bring my lady for her birthday. A great place to explore low intervention BC wines crafted with a deft hand and restraint.

Julie M

Beautiful setting for sampling very nice wines!

Silver Strings studio

Best winery on the Island! Great choice and atmosphere in store and patio. We enjoyed staying there with glass of local wine!

Karen Newington

Wonderful place. Great staff, delicious wine

Dragana Nikolic

Loved the setting here. You can bring your own food and sit on their patio to enjoy wine. A great way to spend an afternoon

Yulia Rudko

We decided to stop at this winery because last year we stopped and liked their pinot noir. We walked in and it felt like we walked into prison. Immediately unfriendly faces: the lady at the counter had a face as if we were the biggest annoyance in her life, the older man got off the chair and right away asked to put our name and phone down. And also asked if we have a reservation. We didn’t. The advertising board on the highway doesn’t say a word about it. What a greeting :( Then the man proceeded to tell us that they have wines to taste for $5, and reserve ones for $10. So, we decided that one of us will have the $5, and the other $10 tasters... But no, such thing was not allowed. The man said that they cannot do it. “It’s too difficult “... So, we asked what would they do if a single person walked in to try the wine, the man mumbled that it’s to difficult. Hmmm... interesting... never heard that poring a bit of wine was that difficult. We decided that we don’t want to be in such unfriendly place anymore. We got 2 bottles of Pinot Noir , not knowing what it tastes like this year, and left. We felt quite upset with being treated this way. Later on I regretted buying the wine as I don’t want to have anything to do with such people. I won’t be able to enjoy it remembering how we were treated. I will never go to this winery again, and will definitely tell all my wine-loving friends about our experience. But on the cheery note: we went to Recline Ridge and Marionette Wineries near Shuswap Lake and oh my god how friendly and beautiful people were in both of those places. And the wines are great too ! Visit the wineries where you are treated as human :)

Marie Leclerc

Beautiful view and terrace but that’s about it. Staff was not rude but very limited contact unlike the other wineries where you get detailed explanation on the winery and each wine you taste. Pour yourself, read yourself and clean your table after. I would compare that to a fast food experience. And so is the wine. For any wine connaisseur, I suggest skipping this place. We were disappointed by all 5 wines we tried and couldn’t drink the portions we were sharing. The description was well written but you’ll quickly come to realize that all wines have high acidity and no complexity. We’ve been to so many wineries in Canada and the world, from the most simple, to the most funky/experimental. Organic wines can taste much better than this. We kept this place for last thinking it would be the cherry on the cake but ended up being the most disappointing experience of the 6 wineries we visited during our vacation. I know tastes are personal so I understand some might love it but for us it was the opposite.

Peter Chung

They have complimentary and paid tasting for your choice. The tasting fee cannot be waived for your purchase. The sparkling and the pinot noir is really good, but relatively higher price compare to the other winery on the island.

Bill Smith

A very pleasant winery with knowledgable staff. The setting in the Cowichan valley is beautiful. Definitely going back one Friday to enjoy some Food Truck food on the beautiful patio.

Annie Taal

verill Creek boasts a wide range of wines that are all delicious. The vineyard has beautiful outdoor seating and spectacular views of the Cowichan Valley. You can pick up a few bites to eat there for a picnic or bring your own and if your lucky a wine freezie!

Blaine Bradley (Bradley Financial)

One of my favourites on The Island. Great Pinot Noir...

The Travelogist

Great find with reasonably priced and delicious wine! Very pretty setting and upscale feel ! Will be back!

Nicole Kramer

Complimentary tasting on a Wednesday afternoon in July that spread across their offerings. No need to reserve a tasting in advance. Small plates always on the menu, and rotating live music and food truck events.

Tyrone Naylor

Today (Saturday) we enjoyed a fantastic food experience and tasting on their patio. The Italian truck was incredibly good. No pizza was the best surprise and joy. We had bowtie pasta with smoked salmon., A wonderful fresh salad, a gnocchi with bolenaise and chanterels, and incrediy fresh brusceta. Go for the wine, stay for the food.

Team Yummymummy

One of my absolute FAVORITE wineries. Courtney, Brent and staff are always so informative and helpful. It is a beautiful winery with amazing ambiance. The wine here is the best on the island. Highly recommended. I have heard so many good things about Avrill from friends, fellow wine lovers, social media and family. Well done !

Sean Penner

Great wine and atmosphere.

Christine Ellsay

Just a short recap: We arrived and were greeted by an unwelcoming hostess. We didn't have a reservation so were seated at a table without an umbrella (if you make a reservation you get a table with an umbrella apparently). It was over 30 degrees out and sweltering in the direct sun, the wine tastings were already on the table in the heat, there was no explanation of the wines, they all tasted like warm vinegar anyways. We asked for another bottle of tap water but were refused, we were not allowed more than one bottle of water for the 6 of us at the table. When a few of us tried to stand in the shade under a tree to get some relief from the sun, we were told we can't stand there as it is too close to the other table, even tho there was nobody sitting there. Then the food truck took over 1 hour to make some linguine which we ended up eating on the road in the shade. All the individual items are present for a great afternoon - wine, tables, food truck but the way Averill puts it together is a thumbs down. Won't be stopping here again ever. Come on Averill, buy a few more umbrellas for the rest of the tables and be a little nicer to your customers.

Raunak Macwan

Great place! Good wine! Will visit again.

Darryl Winmill

Stopped by Averill Creek while my mother was visiting from Ontario. The setting of the tasting patio is beautiful and we were quickly greeted by Brent and informed on the wines that he made himself. Brent is a super knowledgeable guy that really knows what goes into the wine at Averill Creek. The other waitresses are also super friendly and often check up on you. All in all, it's a great spot to go and I would recommend this place to anyone that wants to enjoy great local wine in a beautiful place.

Jane Peck-Hay

We have visited your winery several times. In the past, a tasting of your bottom end wines was free and a tasting of your upper end wines was $10. Today I visited with a friend on her birthday and was extremely disappointed with the wines offered for tasting. First, the tasting was $10 and pre set. The wines were some of the least expensive. In other words this was the formerly free tasting. We received no personal description but a place mat with each wine's description. We both purchased 2 bottles each but were given no credit on the bottle purchase for the tasting fee. It is much cheaper to buy the wine in a liquor store. So obviously you no longer want visitors to your beautiful winery. I certainly won't be returning.

Rosita Russo

(Translated) Very beautiful location modern and elegant .... very professional and welcoming staff ... I highly recommend visiting it .... (Original) Location molto bella moderna ed elegante ....personale molto professionale ed accogliente ...consiglio molto di visitarlo ....

Jon Keen

Nice place and views. Mary was great in explaining the different wines to us.

Colin Dierker

Friendly owners and fantastic wine. Definitely stop in for a tasting and a bottle!

Teresa Madigan

Friendly and knowledgeable staff. Great wine

John Nicklin

Wonderful wines.

Nuance76

Fantastic service, great wines, warm and friendly staff. Beautiful terrace to enjoy a glass of wine, food, and that view! Have been several times and always my first stop!

Bernie Dumas

Great afternoon enjoyed the wine, companying and beautiful setting ...great day on Vancouver Island..

Berge

Exceptional view, completely disappointing staff. We had to bus our dishes, pour our wine tasters ourselves, they told us to "flag them down" if we wanted any food or extra service. 3 servers on staff and nobody else there we were not blown away by the service. The wine was alright.

L H

Had a very disappointing visit to the winery this weekend. I have enjoyed the wine in the past but had heard of bad experiences with customer service from others. But we still decided to go and give it a shot. What a beautiful location, and great wine. Unfortunately the experience was ruined by very rude customer service. We were glared at when our snacks were brought out, and once the wine was brought over no one bothered to come and explain anything. Also, the operations manager spoke very rudely to my friend. Disappointing to say the least. This place could be fantastic, but they seem to need an overhaul in their approach to hosting customers. Especially considering we were coming ready to buy wine, and once we were ready to leave, that desire to support the winery was gone. I hope things improve. This place could be so special. Edit to add: we were 20 minutes late for our 4 PM reservation. And we called to let the winery know this and they were fine with it. We were NOT one hour late as they imply below. This response from the winery has again disappointed me and our group. In response to your perception of my friend’s behaviour, you made some pretty dangerous assumptions which I won’t go into here. All this to say, we won’t be going back and won’t be recommending to anyone else.

Bill Hay

Took our friends here for their first visit after our raving about our experiences there . The setting remains spectacular however we were really disappointed that the tasting fees were $10/person, we were given a piece of paper that we could read rather than hearing bout the wines from a knowegeable source. We both purchased two bottles each and there was NO discount from the tasting fee. It would be cheaper to buy the wine in a liquor store and taste it at home. I realize we are still in COVID protocols however not having a discount from your tasting fee after buying wine will stop us visiting again and we will be sure to tell all we know about their policy.

Steve G

Beautiful setting, world class wines, excellent and non intrusive health protocols in effect.

Michael Flatt

This is one of our favourite wineries in Victoria. It is a beautiful winery, with a great selection of wines.

Panmoli Sivananthan

The setting was nice, the wine tasted great, but service was terrible. My husband and I wanted to taste the vermouth to buy a few bottles and the lady at counter simply said that they didn’t have any bottles open. We were planning on buying a couple of bottles but after the poor service we decided to walk out.

Jen Glanville

Used to love going to this vineyard pre-covid. Went for our first post-covid outing there last weekend and was disappointed to learn that the formerly-free tastings were no longer offered and the bottles have gotten much more expensive. Tastings are now $10 a person. We instead opted to buy a bottle and take it to the patio with a paper description of the wine. Wasn't quite the experience we used to enjoy pre-covid.

Deb Moloney

They did not stamp my passport when I was there, they should have done it when I arrived!!!! ,but it was good

Nathan Warnock

Excellent views, very friendly staff. A nice assortment of wine at a reasonable price as well!

David Brisley

Beautiful place to try new wines ????

Jeannie Ward

The winery is open for tastings each day from 11 to 5. The hostess/host will seat you and guide you through a tasting. The wine store is open for sales as well. The view from the building is spectacular, seeing out to the bay out past the highway. On sunny days it is very pleasant to sit out on the grounds and share some wine and a picnic lunch. The store itself is simple with clean lines. Covid protocols are observed.

Lisa Wong

A bit disappointed with this winery. We were looking forward to it being our first one on the island. We were greeted fairly quickly, but this winery definitely lacked customer service. We were told to grab our glasses and seat ourselves. A few minutes later our tasting was brought to us, nothing was explained except we had to clean up after ourselves. Oh and the tastings are $10 a person and not even waived with the purchase of a bottle. We have been to many wineries and each one is warm and inviting, we didn't feel that with this one. We weren't explained the history of the winery. First time we felt that didn't connect with the winery. Their wines are on the dry side and wasn't to our liking. Hope the management works on their service.

Adam Drugi

Definitely my favorite winery and a second visit to Averill. It's not your average winery, there's an outdoor patio with snacks with a cool and fun atmosphere, yet elegant. It's just different than other places we've been to and we can't wait to get back!

Joan Wakelin

Averill Creek was our first stop on the wine tour and they were really busy. All of the staff were working hard to make our visit memorable. Courtney was very knowledgable and pleasant to speak to. The wine is some of the best on the Island.

Screwyou Knope

Try the sparkling! It's so good!

Thomas Smith

One of the best wineries on the island. Beautiful location, friendly staff. Superb Cowichan Tawny! Our new favorite.

Allyson Miller

Beautiful spot and area to have a lunch. Many of the wines are some of the best I've tasted on Vancouver Island. Unfortunately, despite being warm and welcoming we were treated rudely time and time again. I've been to hundreds of wineries and this was the second worst service. We weren't told the wine, paper, menus are for recording "our bill" and when we cleaned it up (assuming covid protocols) and threw it away. Our server was quite exasperated. It was difficult to ask questions about the wine. And the place was well staffed. Additionally, the price for the tasting was quite steep with nothing being refunded for buying wine. Overall, unless you want some photos. I'd skip this place and go somewhere that can be a more enjoyable experience. With the opportunity to learn more about the vineyard and wines.