Reviews of Church & State Wines - Victoria (Winery)

C and D Wilson

We had our wedding reception (the ceremony was elsewhere) in early September 2017. This was an amazing venue and the on-site event planner was the best. She was very flexible and helped us make sure that everything went exactly the way we wanted and even made sure that all of the items were set up day-of. The wines are amazing and the venue is beautiful. Highly recommended for both a wedding or just to go for tastings!!

Bren A

Wines were ok, the atmosphere was terrible. The servers were impersonal, pouring 2 different wines at once, giving the impression that we needed to hurry up , even though we had a group reservation. We were back in the van in under 25 minutes. The guidance & information provided was minimal, we were informed: "I recommend that you move left to right in your tastings, the whites are across the top of the page & the reds at the bottom. Put your glass on the ones you want to taste" Very impersonal & over priced. Our guide said this was unusual, as it's early in the season & they could be new staff. If this is the case, I recommend some supervision & guidance from senior staff or management.

Diana Berry

An incredibly beautiful venue. We had our ceremony on the hillside, and our cocktail hour and reception in the main building. We fell in love with it as soon as we walked in. Wooden beams, wine barrels and large windows looking out onto the vineyard. Bright open space which was more than enough for our wedding of 85 guests (and can easily accommodate more). No need to go overboard with decorations, this venue/property is special all on its own. Church and State has their own kitchen on site, so no need to find a caterer. The food was amazing – our guest couldn’t stop talking about it. We went with family style, which worked out perfectly. We also had a number of guests with special dietary needs and they were nothing but accommodating. We gave Nicole and her team a copy of the seating chart indicating who needed special meals and it was all taken care of. They were flexible with everything and Nicole was always on hand to make sure we were happy and well taken care of. I'd highly recommend Church and State for your wedding!

Christina

Delicious wine with the greatest view. Tony was amazing. Would definitely come back.

Heidi Schwarz

Super experience with Janik Livera tasting a series of excellent wines from this winery. Janik gave great insight and created explicit pictures and experiences to help understand the complexities of the wine. Enjoyed by our entire group with both experienced and novel wine palates

Ariel H

Beautiful winery with great views. Close to bus stations those of us visiting without cars. Gluten free options (though not extensive). Delicious food and wine. Wonderful visit, grateful we stopped in. We were able to do wine flights and try all the different wines, and they were good. Nothing too sweet. Bistro was delicious as well, particularly the salad and charcuterie plate! Staff was wonderful. In summary: Fun, beautiful atmosphere, good wine, great staff, nice place to spend an afternoon.

Mat Bienczyk

Came here for a wine tasting - never tried the wines beforehand. We were offered 5 tastings for $10 each. Great experience, great patio and indoors, and a knowledgeable friendly hostess. We were able to try any of 10 wines, 5 whites and 5 reds. Would definitely have a bottle in the future.

Wenchen Zhao

Yes, this is the perfect place for holding my special event! Best chef, friendly & helpful staff, incredible views. p.s.: a small flower stand and a flower farm located nearby that can save your day if you didn't order sufficient flower for your arbor.

Damon Jacobson

We really liked the venue and the property. Various grapes on the property and welcome to walk it. A nice fountain/pond was also inviting. Very large space with a nice deck for outdoor seating. The customer service was superb. They greeted us upon seating my stating, "I recommend that you move left to right in your tastings, the whites are across the top of the page & the reds at the bottom. Put your glass on the ones you want to taste." Easy enough. The menu has a wonderful summary of each, and two different wine stewards elaborated on the information and answered a lot of questions. Was a little disappointed that the $7/pp tasting fee was only credited with the purchase of 2 bottles that started at $20 each.

Grant Atwood

Great views in July and really enjoyed the atmosphere. Awesome experience with my family joining us for some wine tasting. Great wine and nice options for tasting.

Kelly McAree

Nice looking place but Tried calling for reservation but they dont answer. Drove up twice, last time hostesses standing around rudely said "ya we dont answer the phone, we dont take reservation same day, gotta reservation online" If there is somewhere on the website its not easy to find. Not welcoming at all wont be trying a third time

Rene Smyth

We had the most amazing experience at Church and State Vineyards. Fabulous wine tasting and then a tour of The Vineyards followed by an exceptional lunch. Would highly recommend this for a memorable afternoon.

Jenny Duncan

We showed up as thirsty cyclists hoping to steal a tasting without booking. We certainly did not expect the highlight tasting we received. Janik welcomed us and spent an hour and a half taking us through a history of the vineyard, regaling us with stories and encouraging and prodding us into enjoying each wine to the fullest. All I can say is what fun - and if you can taste with Janik, change your plans to make it happen. We enjoyed a range of wines, bought them out of the 2019 rose (sorry all), and genuinely all came away with some new discoveries, and a few new Church & State wine club memberships. Thanks again Janik for making our rainy afternoon such an enjoyable and informative experience. Cheers ???? Jenny and the Magic Places Cycling Group ????‍♀️

Brian in BC

We cycled to the winery from Victoria so we arrived ready for a refreshing break. The vineyards are beautiful and the winery and bristo one of the better setups we have encountered. It is spacious and tasteful. A tasting of 4 wines was $7 with us buying a bottle of two of the four. We snacked on the polenta fries which were a real treat to power us up for our next stop. Other menu items looked just as tempting and creative. If biking take the Galloping Goose to Interurban. Jump on the rail trail just before the West Saanich Road intersection. Turn left at Butterfly World.

Chris Mazurkiewicz

Man the food was so good that when it came to desert time, we just re-ordered the appetizer. We also did a tasting and ended up going home with $100 of wines. Man, this place too a lot of money out of us today, but it was all worth it. We'll be back next next week to exchange $$$ into good time and a food coma.

Prakash Sivananthan

The wine tasting experience was incredible and their wines are amazing. They have a beautiful setting and be sure to check out their wine club as well.

Sophia Wiltshire

I enjoyed the selection available and the ladies were super nice. Definitely worth the trip.

avi lugassy

Well worth visiting, even if you're local. Especially if you're local. We went near to the end of the day leaving ourselves not truly enough time to get the most out of it. You'd think perhaps the venue and staff could be a little annoyed as they would probably prefer to be winding down but we were welcomed with open arms. The lady who helped us was incredibly kind and very funny, we were all in stitches and she was super knowledgeable and helpful. The service there really made the visit something else. The tasting menu is only $7 per 4 tastings and wine by the bottle from this menu started at only $20. We ended up buying a bunch of wine just because of the experience and because we wanted to carry that on when we got back home. We had no idea you can picnic in their gardens and that they have a stunning outdoor patio, not to mention no detail was left undone inside, the entire property and their buildings were just incredible. It's beautiful, it's relaxing, they have great wine and above all else, it was really fun. A1 to our server and their service and we will absolutely be coming back soon!

Jalene Cartwright

Would not return Beautiful property, nice wines Service was less than great

Jaline K Tanne

Excellent wine and food. Loved the Chardonnay 2016 Viognier the best. Very light and refreshing with no nitrates so I could enjoy a glass with no allergic reaction. First wine I have drank in many years.

Lynn Yang

Their lunch was so good and way cheaper than I expected! Save some space for the dessert. There is the best white chocolate cheesecake on the earth! The 2016 Chardonnay is my favourite. You must try it!

Nathan Hale

Excellent wines with a beautiful view. Knowledgeable servers and great prices.

Michael Pavlov

Great food, amazing atmosphere. The Frizzante can keep you going for a while :)

C Coe

Great wines and one of the better restaurants/bistro's in BC. Limited menu but fresh local ingredients done in a creative way. They have excellent reds and whites priced competitively.

Michelle Lala

The food in the takeout boxes are not good quality nor value, so I do not recommend eating here if you can help it. The wine and ambiance is excellent though, which is the main attraction anyway:)

Emi Day

Large tasting room (great for big groups), friendly staff (shoutout to Christine!) variety of snacks and affordable tastings. Excellent reds- the Coup d’Etat was notable. Even on a rainy day, it is a beautiful, warm setting to enjoy the full spectrum of wines from the region. Will definitely return to try out the patio in warmer seasons!

Amey Bhalerao

Great food and beautiful place! If you visit Butchart gardens, you must take a stop here and wind down!

Tyrone Naylor

We went for Easter Sunday brunch. It was overpriced, poor table service, they didn't even ask if we wanted another bottle of wine! And the food was very meadeochre, [he carving station didn't know how to carve. No dessert forks. And the scrambled eggs were cold. No manager in sight.

Gee

Beautiful building, decent wine, delicious food, nice property!

Larissa Kirby

Gorgeous winery! Spacious, beautiful and airy. We tried the Sauvignon Blanc and it was absolutely on point. So close to the ferry, and Brentwood Bay, yet you feel like you're away from it all. Next time we'll try some food, maybe a picnic on their licensed grounds.

Chad Fogle

We stopped in for the tasting bar this afternoon. The staff was phenomenal. They take great pride in the product in which you're selling. All were incredibly helpful, as well as informative. We tried the charcuterie platter along with our tasting and were so impressed that we left with two of your bottles. Would highly recommended to anyone.. Chad Houston, Texas

Michael B

Always friendly staff, delicious food and terrific wines! We absolutely love this place. Plus it's a gorgeous property. Join their wine club too!

Ashley Dyson

A selection of quality Canadian wines. The tasting bar is the recommended along with food that is thoughtfully paired to great wine. Well worth a visit.

Marty Gaudet

Would not recommend! Went there last weekend and honestly would say it was the worst winery I've visited. Poor service, didn't get the impression the workers wanted to be there. She spent more time on her phone in the back, complaining that she had to wake up early, and was just going to open any bottle since we wouldn't notice anyways, but she was there at the end to collect the bills and add a 18% gratuity. Save you're money, visit the Okanagan if you want a winery (or anywhere else honestly), or check out a cidery while in Victoria.

Evan Hildebrandt

Impeccable. Superfluous. The grounds here can be enjoyed for picnics, one can taste wines in the wine tasting area, or a person can have a fantastic meal in their lovely dining area and balcony which overlooks the Vinyard. Tasting wine here is an experience in and of itself as a person is treated to a representative presenting a detailed breakdown of the wine's history, pedigree, and taste. It was quite refreshing to have an expert to discuss wines with. Should one dine here a person can say that the menu is not complicated which is refreshing. The food is made with top notch ingredients by the very skilled hands of the chefs on site. Anyone can enjoy coming here for a very reasonable price that would be equivalent to a standard date night or dining outing but, with the added bonus of getting so much more. Please, do yourself a favour and check this place out.

Pat Donovan

Most of the wines were great. The food in the bistro was amazing. All staff were super friendly, great service.

R L

Showed up to buy a couple of cases, we knew exactly what we wanted and got there 10 minutes before closing.... the OPEN sign was still in the window. There were 3 staff gossiping outside under the awning - when they saw us pull up she ran in to flip the sign around. We got out of the truck when one of the ladies yelled "we are closed" to which I said you close in 8 minutes... the clerk told me to "change my clock this is BC time". This comment was clearly directed towards my Alberta license plate and my clock was accurately set! SO RUDE! I will never spend a cent on your wine ever again!

Zach Brabazon

I used to guide bike tours and stop here for drinks/food, so I visited this place often. It's really nice. It's a beautiful location and the staff are so friendly. I can be one of those really annoying customers - especially when I'm drinking wine, I ask like a bazillion questions - and they just indulged me with a smile and talked through their whole selection. Normally, I'm a cheapo. I like deals. I like getting half-cut on a budget. This place really is not like where I normally go, but for some reason I just love it. The atmosphere is so nice - I don't typically care if places are fancy, I just want good food and cheap drinks - but this place just has that IT factor. If you're visiting Victoria or touring Butchart Gardens, you have to stop here and have a glass of wine. When it comes to dining experiences, I don't give 5-star reviews if I have to spend sixty bucks to have everything I want (entree+2 drinks). This place gets a 5-star nonetheless.

Justin Greiwe

Underwhelmed...we stopped in for a wine tasting and had high hopes based on reviews and pictures...the building and vineyard are pretty but the wines were really lackluster and there wasn’t any atmosphere in the tasting room, super quite, and server was preoccupied checking email...no presentation, nothing fun or special...in contrast, up the road at De Vine winery we had the beat time, with a super enthusiastic, knowledgeable server who loved to share history and knowledge on the wines and spirits...go there, mountain and water views too!!

Cynthia C

We had a wonderful time! It was great to be able to pick up a bottle of reasonably priced great tasting wine and pack our own picnic and eat it overlooking the vineyard. We had a great experience.