Off the beaten path in British Columbia's Kootenays is the very beautiful winery Columbia Gardens Vineyard and Winery. The winery is located in the the town of Trail.
Trail was best known for their hockey team. Trail is 230 km east of Osoyoos city is located on both banks of the Columbia River, approximately 10 km north of the United States border. This section of the Columbia River valley is located between the Monashee Mountains to the west and the Selkirk Mountains to the east.
The winery was the first in Kootenays opened in the fall of 2001. The winery founded by the Bryden and Wallace families. Ben De Jager and his wife Tersia purchased the winery in 2013
Ben was working as an Electrical and Mining Engineer is South Africa before coming to Canada. Ben and Tersia found themselves working out of Flin Flon Manitoba, searching for a warmer climate they moved to Trail.
Ben is more than a mining engineer. He also completed studies at Marlow Agricultural School in Cradock, South Africa. He gained experience at various vineyards when attending the school and “Learned my winemaking skills by trial and error in my home basement lab.”. He always wanted a winery and since becoming an owner, he has planted more vines and introduced a new wine each year.
Tersia had her own dreams and with her love for entertaining converted the second house on the property into a guesthouse with an outdoor wedding venue.
They say on their website "Making Kootenay Memories"
The tasting room along with a gift shop are located in a log cabin. Author John Schreiner writes; the charm of the Columbia wine shop surprises first time visitors who do not expect a tasting room with sophisticated decor this far off the beaten path.
People’s Choice/Best White Wine
Fairmont Hot Springs Wine Festival
Best Port Style Wine
Fairmont Hot Springs Wine Festival
Best Chardonnay
Rossland Wine Festival
Best Dessert Wine
Fairmont Hot Springs Wine Festival
9340 Station Road
Trail, BC V1N 4M5
info@cgwinery.com
Wineries of the Kootenays Region