1230 Merridale Road, RR 1
Cobble Hill, B.C.
Victoria lawyer Rick Pipes and his wife, marketing dynamo Janet Docherty, took over this cidery in 2000 from founder Albert Piggott. Since then, they have turned it into a leading Cowichan Valley destination by improving the ciders, adding a critically acclaimed restaurant and a function room available for weddings.
The ciders are made with European cider apples grown in the cidery’s own orchard, yielding authentic-tasting ciders. A spa opened in 2009, pampering guests with choice of massage therapies, including lessons in basic massage theory. In 2007, the owners installed a $65,000 German-built still. This has enabled them to offer a growing range of eau-de-vie spirits, released as Pomme Oh! and Apple Oh de Vie (apple brandies), and Mure Oh! and Mure Oh de Vie (blackberry spirits).