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When arriving in the Comox Valley on Wednesday evening, I was positively giddy when, upon nearing my family’s home, I saw a brand spankin’ new sign directing folks to a vineyard. I managed to grab the name, and upon doing a quick Google search, I found Beaufort Vineyard & Estate Winery [website]. Being the lover I am of both wine and consumable products made and bought locally, this excited me greatly. Today I managed to stop in during the middle of a sun-soaked afternoon in the Comox Valley.

The grapevines at Beaufort have been growing for close to two years and on May 30, 2008, Beaufort was ready to open its doors to the public. Jeff and Susan Vandermolen turned their passion for wine into reality by bringing the Comox Valley its first-ever winery and vineyard.

I was instantly greeted with a friendly smile and warm handshake from the vineyard’s proprietors, and Jeff was quick to fill me in on the wines being produced and sold through the vineyard. After sampling a few different bottles, I chose the 2007 Ortega - winner of the Northwest Wine Summit 2008 Bronze Medal. I’m not normally one for white wines, and being that I knew how young the grapes were, I was slightly hesitant. However, to my ultimate surprise the wine was fantastic! Light, crisp, slightly fruity with a near-perfect aroma.

The property also features a lush and shaded picnic area with a view of Vancouver Island’s mountains that’s incomparable.

Beaufort is open for viewing and wine tasting on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., but make sure you double check the website instead of taking my word for it.

I thanked Jeff and Susan for their hospitality and promised that I’d encourage you all to check out Beaufort next time you’re in the Comox Valley, so check out Beaufort next time you’re in the Comox Valley! It’s a few minutes north of Courtenay on highway 19A, just south of what was Tsolumn School. Click here for directions.

Beaufort wines are currently available at the Coast Hotel Beer and Wine store, as well as several select restaurants in the Comox Valley. One of those restaurants happens to be at the Kingfisher Spa, which was my next stop this afternoon. Being that I’d put the call out but got no response, I went to the one place that I know treats its guests to stellar pedicures.

Today Amanda scrubbed, buffed, soaked, trimmed, softened, moisturized, massaged and polished my tender feet and it felt like heaven. She’s also a super cool girl and comes highly recommended for excellent conversation! And as a bonus, the Kingfisher lets you keep the OPI polish you choose. I walked on the semi-wild side and came home with poppin’ purple on my toenails.

And now it’s time, oh my brothers, to get my booty into bed. Sunday starts soon and I’m getting up early to make a beeline for Victoria to spend a bright and shiny afternoon in the Province’s capital city with my friend Antonio before we hit up Lucky Bar (he’s working for a few hours and I promise you all not to make a repeat of my last trip there) before rooftop cocktails at midnight. More fun, more photos!