This weekend’s weather forecast:
Saturday: Occasional sunshine with isolated showers. Highs of 19 degrees C, lows of 14 degrees C. Probability of precipitation: 40%.
Sunday: Sunny with cloudy periods. 10% probability of precipitation. Highs of 17 degrees C, lows of 10 degrees C.
Either day: A field trip to Langley in Fraser Valley farm country, where showers or sunshine, you can start your day with this…
Stuffed Crepes with Ham, Gruyere and Mornay Sauce, The Baachus Bistro at Domaine De Chaberton
… end your day with this…
Freshly Picked Blackberries, Krause Farms
… and pick these up along the way…
2008 Baachus, Domaine de Chaberton
Vista D'Oro Artisanal Preserves
2008 Viognier, Township 7
{BRING}
Reusable grocery bags (enough to bring back a few bottles of wine, a few jars of preserves, and lots of freshly picked berries)
Empty containers for freshly picked berries
{DIRECTIONS}
one. Baachus Bistro at Domaine De Chaberton
Address: 1064 – 216 Street, Langley, BC
Phone: 604.530.9694; Long-Distance 1.888.332.9463
It’s worth the drive into Langley for the brunch at Domaine De Chaberton’s Baachus Bistro alone. Call ahead to reserve a table, and if it’s sunny, book one for the patio overlooking their vineyard. Order a bottle of vin rouge or vin blanc from their winery, and tuck into generously-sized plates of traditional French cuisine, prepared with farm-fresh ingredients grown in the Fraser Valley. I know this for a fact, because my family and I were there last weekend. We ordered the Stuffed Crepes with Ham, Gruyere and Mornay Sauce and it was delicious, as were all of these other dishes:
French Quiche with Mesclun Greens
Moules a la Dijoinaise
French Onion Soup
While their cafe au lait is excellent, you may wish to pass to keep your palate clean for the wine tastings to follow. We didn’t, and came to regret it. But not enough to proceed here:
two. Domaine De Chaberton Wine Boutique
Address: 1064 – 216 Street, Langley, BC
Phone: 604.530.1736
Swirl and sip Domaine De Chaberton’s award-winning whites and reds in the wine boutique next door. We tasted a selection of six wines, and picked up a case of the 2006 Pinot Gris and a few bottles of their signature 2008 Baachus.
There are daily winery tours (weather permitting) February from through to November at 2 pm & 4 pm.
three. Vista D’Oro Farms & Winery
Address: 20856 4th Avenue, Langley, BC
Phone: 604.514.3539
Heritage orchard fruits and herbs grown on Vista D’Oro’s ten acres, find their way into the artisanal preserves, jams and wines sold in their charming Farmgate Shop.
Vista D'Oro Farmgate Shop
We picked up a bottle of their 2007 D’oro, a fortified walnut wine made from an ancient recipe and a blend of North Okanagan Marechal Foch, Central Okanagan Merlot & Cabernet Franc, Fraser Valley Green Walnuts and Okanagan Brandy, and fell in love with every preserve we sampled before picking up several jars of their Turkish Fig with Walnut Wine and Black Cherry with Pinot Noir.
four. Township 7
Address: 21152 16th Avenue, Langley, BC
Phone: 604.532.1766
Township 7 crafts award-winning wines from some of the best vineyards in the south Okanagan Valley, as well as from from their vineyards in Langley.
After tasting a flight of six wines, we picked up a few bottles of their 2008 Viognier, a crisp white sipper for the last days of sunshine of the season.
five. Krause Berry Farms
Address:6179 248 Street, Langley, Bc
Phone:604.856.5757
You’ll be distracted by the home-baked pumpkin pie and loaves of farm bread in the market shop, but make sure you remember to pick up a flat of blueberries for pies, crumbles and cakes as we did. And for those of you who understand the necessity of blackberries fresh from the bush for Blackberry Buttermilk Cake, you’ll find row upon row to meander and pick through .
Oh. And remember to bring your sunglasses for that chance of sunshine.
