Do you love wine?
Did you know that Abbotsford (and the Fraser Valley) is growing as one of BC’s newest wine regions?
Wine is something I grew to enjoy. I remember being more of a white wine lover. Mind you, this is during my university days of cheap, sugar water ‘wine’. Fast forward to today, I’m glad to say that I have really begun to appreciate good wine and Reds are currently my go-to!
So, one sunny Fall Saturday, I went on a fun Girls Wine Tasting tour of the Abbotsford wineries with my friend Tatiana! Abbotsford is about a 45-60 minute drive from Vancouver. The furthest distance we travelled between wineries was 20 minutes and the closest was about 10 minutes.
Disclaimer: A special thank you to Tourism Abbotsford for the wine tasting tour experience!
Enjoy this fun vlog I filmed during our wine tasting tour in Abby:
If you’re planning a day trip to explore the different wineries in Abbotsford, here are some stops to make:
Maan Farms Estate Winery
Address: 790 McKenzie at Vye Road, Abbotsford
The family has been farming for over 40 years and started out as a simple fruit stand. From a fruit stand to a family-friendly destination, the Maan Estate Winery is their latest endeavor.
When speaking to Gurleen from Maan Farms, she shares that they use the quality fresh fruit (strawberries, raspberries, blackberries) grown on the farm for their wines.
These award-winning berry & red wines can be found in over 50 local liquor stores throughout the lower mainland. Maan’s recently won Best Fruit Wine for their Raspberry Dessert Wine in Canada. Their Blueberry Wine is a 2 times Gold Medal Winner as well!
Besides that, it’s also a great trip for families! You can venture out into their pumpkin patch, and petting zoo!
ALSO, they have delicious food! Get the veggie samosas and chai latte!
PS: They are starting their Christmas Market Series so head on to their website for more info!
Brambles Bistro
Address: 29985 Downes Rd, Abbotsford
Brambles Bistro is part of Tanglebank Gardens. It is a “boutique” style nursery situated in West Abbotsford and is THE cutest location.
The bistro started in 1996, and you can expect to be able to shop for gorgeous Christmas wreathes and plants for the holiday season. Not only that, walk inside the beautiful location to find more holiday décor and local products for sale.
The restaurant makes up half of the space. If you go, order what we had: Lavender French Toast and Flatbread! Oh, and the Bailey’s Irish Cream Coffee and Sangria are awesome too.
Campbell’s Gold and Honey Meadery
Address: 2595 Lefeuvre Rd, Abbotsford
This beautiful space and bee farm owners are Judy and Mike!
Mike took us through the process of how the honey wines are created. You can tell how passionate he is through how he communicates and shares the stories of bee farming. He shared with us stories of transporting bee hives and about his great grandfather + how the farm came to be.
Their passion “includes bee education and being socially and environmentally responsible. [They] feel it is critical to encourage future generations to learn about apiculture and the importance of bees in the food chain.”
The farm is a licensed Meadery, which if you don’t know, means a Honey Winery!
They produce a variety of honey wines: ancient mead, melomels (honey/fruit wines), pyment (honey/grape wine) and more.
The grapes and most of the fruit and berries are used in the honey wines which are produced on the farm. They also have a country store that sells honeys and other products from the beehive like beeswax soaps, candles, and polishes.
Singletree Winery
Address: 5782 Mount Lehman Rd, Abbotsford
Singletree Winery is the last stop during our wine tasting tour of Abbotsford! Beautiful interior and a great view of the vineyard outside, this is a cosy spot to try delicious wines!
Singletree actually refers to the implement that goes on the back of the horse. For the family owners, this represents Family, Farming and Heritage.
The vineyard and tasting room is located on a 67-acre operating farm. The 14 acres of estate vineyard and award-winning BC VQA wines pay respect to the family’s deep farming roots. Their tasting rooms are open year-round!
Their most popular wines are: Siegerrebe and their Grüner Veltliner.
What stands out is the family values and heritage attached to the wineries. It reminds me of when my family and I went to visit wineries in Osoyoos! I definitely recommend doing a wine tasting tour through Abbotsford! It’s a great idea for dates, to do with friends and to bring your family!
Till next time, xoxo
Samantha
