1197 Aspen Road
Malahat, BC
Lorne Tomalty, who was a senior British Columbia public servant until retiring in 1985, was 81 when Malahat Vineyards was licensed. Even so, he still prefers to handle much of the pruning and other tough chores in the steeply terraced vineyard.
The winery is just off the scenic Malahat Drive on southern Vancouver Island. The vineyard, which he began planting in 1995, has an elevation of 192 metres and is the highest on Vancouver Island. It is the only vineyard for miles. One of Tomalty’s biggest challenges is to protect the grapes from wasps, birds and deer.