Frequently Asked Questions
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Visiting Unsworth
Unsworth does not host weddings. We recommend Merridale Cidery and Bird’s Eye Cove for your special day.
Well behaved, leashed dogs are welcomed on our Tasting Room Terrace. We cannot accommodate dogs in our Restaurant & Patio due to provincial health regulations.
The hours for our Tasting Room & Terrace as well as our Restaurant & Patio can be found on our Contact page.
Due to BC Liquor licensing laws and the conditions of our manufacturer’s license, we can sell wine by the glass at the Restaurant, however, we cannot sell wine by the glass in the Tasting Room & Terrace. You are welcome to enjoy our various wine tastings in the Tasting Room and/or buy any bottle of Unsworth wine to enjoy in our relaxing picnic area. We can also reseal any unconsumed wine for you to take home.
Unsworth Tasting Room & Terrace is always about the wine, but we do features local cheese, charcuterie, crackers, nuts and other small bites. Guests looking for more substantial food offerings are encouraged to make a reservation just steps away at Unsworth Restaurant where we have a full food service program.
Reserve a Tasting Experience.
Make a reservation in Unsworth Restaurant.
Yes! Visit our Menu page
Our pizza oven is part of our outdoor patio, which is open spring through early fall when the weather is appropriate for outdoor dining. During pizza season, our Pizza Menu is available on our Menu page.
Yes. We have menu items that are built with common dietary requests in mind. Most dishes can be modified slightly to accommodate for dietary requests. Please feel free to let us know your requests prior to dining by emailing the restaurant.
We are always on the lookout for the next great vine star! While we aren’t always hiring, we would love to hear from you and see if there is a fit. Please email your resume and a brief intro via email.
Vineyard & Winery Information
Winemaker, Dan Wright’s mission is to handcraft the highest quality wines possible. He does this by using his calculated experience and a combination of age-old techniques and modern innovation. Sometimes this means the wines are vegan, and sometimes not. Our Tasting Room and Restaurant teams are happy to share any information with guests during visits. If you are unable to visit the Tasting Room, please feel free to contact us with questions about specific wines.
We have detailed tech sheets about each wine on our Media & Trade Resources page
Unsworth farms 11 acres at our estate in Mill Bay and own and farm a further 43 in Sahtlam, located 5 minutes west of Duncan. We also work with fruit we purchase from other vineyards. In some cases, we fully manage these vineyards; in other cases we only purchase fruit, and of course, everything in between.
Since inception in 2009, Unsworth has had sustainable farming at the forefront of our mindset. Our initial vineyard planting in 2011 was with unique new varieties to global viticulture which were chosen to grow premium fruit in our cool coastal northernly location without intervention from high energy inputs. With warming temperatures, we are noticing that we can farm Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and a few other classic varieties with the same sustainable methods as our initial vineyard plantings.
Our estate vineyards are fertilized with compost that we make onsite from our pumice (grape pressings after harvest) and manure from our neighbouring farm. We operate our vineyard in a no-till manner which increases soil biodiversity, minimizes CO2 release into the atmosphere, and saves tractor emissions.
Working with 8 other grape growers around the Cowichan Valley—as well as the Saanich Peninsula Gulf Islands, and Fraser Valley—makes it difficult to use blanket statements about all the various farmers philosophies, however Unsworth is committed to making top quality wines for generations to come, while continuing to improve and provide the ideal environment for our community and beyond.
Many of the wines served in The Restaurant at Unsworth Vineyards are in a keg format vs. bottle because having our premium wines in kegs, and served on tap, ensures they are in the highest quality, most protected state with no variation from bottle to bottle.
Kegs also allow us to substantially reduce our carbon footprint and needless waste, as the shipping of glass is by far the most energy and carbon-intensive part of the wine industry. Estimates from many studies show a waste reduction of over 80% when using kegs vs. glass bottle alternatives.
Premium wines in kegs are growing in popularity, and Unsworth continues to be a leading example of this delicious and sustainable alternative to glass bottles where possible.
UV Wine Club
- Members must be 19 years of age or older.
- Members must provide a valid shipping address.
- Members must provide a valid credit card on file for annual shipment(s).
- UV Wine Club memberships are for a minimum of one year.
Signature members will be billed the week we ship your case every spring season; Collector members will be billed in spring and fall as each case ships. You will receive an email notification prior to the billing of your shipment.
Vancouver Island shipments are typically delivered withing 2 business days. Vancouver Lower Mainland shipment can take 3 to 5 business days. The balance of Canada can take 5 to 10 business days. When your case is shipped, you will receive an email with tracking information.
Absolutely! If you live locally you can select to have all Club orders held at the winery for pick-up for up to 30 days. If your order is not picked up within 30 days, shipping will automatically be charged to the card on file and the case will be sent to you.
UV Wine Club memberships are for a minimum of one year. After one year, you may cancel your membership at any time. Cancellations are required in writing to info@unsworthvineyards.com at least two weeks prior to case shipment.