Foodie, Foodie Tour, Salt Spring Island, Staycation, Tour, Travel, Wine Tasting - November 11, 2021

- Salt Spring Island Adventures -

I am not sure if it's just us, but the energy lately has been a little crazy around here in Vancouver. Although, it's not all double rainbows and twisters, at our little Bug and Olive headquarters, we have had a hard few weeks. A scary car breakdown, an emergency vet visit for our poor girl bug and then we were hit with a flood in the unit above ours. Talk about chaos!!

Mercury... are you in retrograde?

We felt the need to run away from the city and hole up for safety, so we swan-dived out of our wet Vancouver apartment into this gorgeous estate on the AMAZING Salt Spring Island.

My childhood best friend's family's home is perfectly situated on this gorgeous lake close to the centre of town. And due to her generosity, we pulled up bags in hand prepared to relax. It has everything you need - a true chef's kitchen, king-sized beds and do not get me started on the hot tub. (Heaven on Earth)

Salt Spring Island is surrounded by the beautiful Coastal Salish seas and the Gulf Islands of British Columbia Canada. Known for its stunning waterfront and gorgeous lakes, Salt Spring Island is a haven for any soul that needs some nature and recovery (like us!)

This traditional land of the Coast Salish Peoples is a mecca of artisans, craft breweries and wineries. The delightful fall colours of this season made us feel as though we were driving through the pages of Home & Farm magazine.

We were blown away by the welcoming hospitality of every place we went to, a mere hello is not to be expected in this friendly town.
The quintessential island architectures and cozy downtown digs are a must-see, but if you only have a couple of days as we had, these are the places where we think you should check out:

1) Salt Spring Shine Distillery

hummingbirds at salt spring island shine distillery

A small family-owned artisanal distillery. The delicious lineup is made from the fermentation of local honey. All the spirits are crafted and bottled by hand. The arrival is a cute rural driveway to a small farmhouse, the tasting room is adorned with the most active hummingbird feeders we've ever seen. I was mesmerized before I even walked in at the abundance of gorgeous birds feeding and playing as we walked in.

The gin and vodka are smooth and effervescent, but our stand-out favourite of this lineup was the Apple pie Moonshine. Perfect after a long night, a couple of ounces on the rocks is EVERYTHING you need to be sipping on this cool season.

Find them here:

https://saltspringshine.com/

194 Kitchen Rd, Salt Spring Island,

2) Salt Spring Wild Cidery

One of my favourite spots we stopped at for lunch AND the ciders here were delicious. Owned by local cider makers and Salt Spring locals, Mike Lachelt and Gerda Lattey. They offer an incredible range of offerings all made with wild apple pears that grow on Salt Spring. They use slow-fermentation with single varieties, never adding any water. They blend their ciders and their dry and semi-dry ciders can have over 10 different varieties within each final batch.

The humble food lineup had us satiated and happy - we cannot recommend the Moroccan Mushroom Toast or the house-made Meatballs (*sorry there is no photo.... we ate it too quickly!) But we also hear that the charcuteries is where its at, hey, just an FYI.

When you arrive, you’ll first see a the sweetest 1935 red and white farmhouse with the cider house – a renovated horse barn – behind and to the left. The tasting room is in the old mule stall. It overlooks a beautiful south-facing and gently sloping 5 acres, with a newly planted orchard of over 20 varietals of apples and pears.

Find them here:

Monday-Sunday 11 am - 9 pm

151 Sharp Rd, Salt Spring Island BC

Tasting Room Direct: 250.931.5554

https://saltspringwildcider.com/

3) Salt Spring Brewery

A quick stop-over trip to Salt Spring Island brewery will have you feeling the quintessential small agriculture community's love for craft beer. From the crisp Mount Maxwell Lager to our personal favourite the copper citrus Earl Grey IPA, their humble but delicious beer lineup has something for everyone. I recommend popping by, nabbing your favourite off sales, and parking yourself somewhere with a view. Doctors orders.

Find them here:

Tasting Room & Patio
Wed - Sun: 12pm - 5pm
Monday & Tuesday: Closed

270 Furness Road
Salt Spring Island, BC, V8K 1Z7
https://www.saltspringbrewing.com/

4) Kutatas Winery

Pronounced "Koo-Tah-Tash" this amazing local winery is named after a Hungarian term for research, inquisition, exploration or quest. This is what winemakers Mira Tusz and Daniel Dragert were thinking when they found this dream little property.

We pulled up to the winery on a Saturday and the gorgeous yellow leaves on their vineyard had us feel all our fall feelings. We had the awesome opportunity to meet and taste with owner and winemaker, Daniel Dragert (formerly of Averill Creek Wines).

The team of winemakers Mira Tusz and Daniel Dragert share Hungarian heritage and passion and it reflects on their wines. Their Ortega (a German white grape variety known for amazing florals and fruit flavours) really delivers on the fresh and crisp acidity I was looking for. Notably interesting (we took two bottles home for our cellar) was the Zweigelt, (popular in Austria) was raspberry and dill flavoured juiciness and had us thinking Dan and Mira were some kinds of wizards.

We left with a total of 6 bottles and a date to come back in January to taste their Pinot. Go drink this tasty juice, you'll thank us (and them) for it.

Find them here:

http://www.kutataswines.com/

The cellar door is now open Saturdays 12-5pm.

(250) 800-5552

5) Salt Spring Island Cheese Farm

The goat barn at Salt Spring Island Cheese farm

It doesn't get much more charming than this little spot. From the interactive goat area to the adorable little tasting room, come with your friends and try their lineup. I would have brought everything home if I could but the lightness of this cheese has me wishing I had bought more to come home with. They have a brilliant walk around where you can peer in and watch the cheese being made.