Brent Rowland is the man. He worked at a lot of places, including at Domaine Dujac. He’s super intuitive in his wine making process. Ever since he took over as winemaker for Averill Creek in 2018, the wines have SKYROCKETED in quality. Averill Creek Vineyard is located in the heart of the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island. The 30-acre vineyard rests on the sun-drenched south slope of Mt. Prevost in the Cowichan Valley. Premium quality, single vineyard wines, hand-crafted in small lots to showcase the distinctive terroir & signature style that is Averill Creek and our cool-climate Vancouver Island appellation. Thanks to the cool climate, more acidity in the grapes can be preserved. The fruit is estate-grown on glacial stone and gravel soils for mineral freshness.

This is a groundbreaking new release that brings the ocean directly into the winemaking process. Inspired by the rugged beauty and maritime character of Vancouver Island, Okeanós represents a bold exploration of place, innovation, and connection. Long before sulphur, the ancient Greeks turned to the sea – washing their grapes in ocean water to preserve them naturally. In 2024, Brent stumbled upon this forgotten practice and, on a whim, decided to give it a try. Brent took a two ton fermenter and added a bin each of 100% whole bunch Pinot Noir and Gewürztraminer. They were then soaked in enough Salish Sea ocean water to cover the grapes, before being drained, pressed, and wild fermented in older French Oak. Zero zero: nothing was added and nothing was taken away.

SPECS

Region: COWICHAN VALLEY, VANCOUVER ISLAND

Variety: PINOT NOIR AND GEWÜRZTRAMINER

Method: OCEAN WASHED, WILD FERMENTED IN OLD FRENCH OAK, ZERO ZERO

Country of Origin: CANADA

Notes: WHITE FLOWERS, NASHI PEAR, PINK LADY APPLE SKIN, FLEUR DU SEL

Producer: AVERILL CREEK