Vancouver Island has always been home to me, even though I have hung my hat in many diverse places, from the Swiss Alps to an internationally renowned ski resort here in BC, from the "middle of nowhere", Yukon Territory to the sprawling urban cow-town of Calgary AB. One thing has remained constant I have always worked in the hospitality industry, in fact it has been over seventeen years now that I have worked closely with the public, whether it be planning large parties and conferences, helping to select the ideal bottle of wine to compliment your dinner or simply pulling the perfect pint at the end of a long day, I pride myself at anticipating the needs of my guests in order to improve the quality of the visit and make the overall experience more memorable.

I bring all of this experience forward to Expedition Vineyards. When I moved away from Vancouver Island seven years ago there were a couple of budding vineyards here producing small batches of wine typically selling out to local restaurants and hotels. Upon my return late in 2004 I was amazed to see how the wine industry had exploded here with over thirty vineyards now in operation, I was even more amazed at how few of the locals even realized that this was happening right next door. During my years in the Okanagan Valley I spent a great deal of time visiting the wineries of this dry desert region as well as working closely with representatives from these wineries to establish wine lists for the hotel showcasing what the Okanagan had to offer. I was thrilled to see that this same opportunity was right here at home. The difficulty here is the location, the wineries are not located along the highways or main roads, here they are at the ends of meandering country lanes, hidden in the small valleys and behind stands of old growth timber of the Cowichan Valley and Saanich Peninsula. This is where I saw the potential for Expedition Vineyards, as someone who knows the Island, someone who grew up here driving these back roads and someone who could not imagine living anywhere else, let me be your guide.

So welcome home, sit back, relax and enjoy as we embark on an Expedition to awaken the senses an Expedition into the Vineyards of Southern Vancouver Island.

~ Ryan Gillott
Expedition Vineyards Inc.