Averill Creek Vineyard at ARC Harvey
Honest Vancouver Island Wines with Coastal Freshness and Character
Some wines speak through power. Averill Creek speaks through freshness, texture, perfume, and a clear sense of place.
Founded by former physician and wine educator Andy Johnston, Averill Creek began with its first vines planted in 2001 in the Somenos area of the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island.
The vineyard rises along a southeast-facing slope of Mount Prevost, only a short distance from the coast. Its cool maritime setting gives the wines the bright acidity, fragrance, and natural food-pairing character that have become signatures of Vancouver Island wine.
At ARC Liquor Harvey, our Averill Creek selection includes five distinctive bottles: Joue Red, Pinot Noir, Somenos Rosé, Joue White, and Pinot Gris.
Together, they offer a thoughtful introduction to the winery—from aromatic whites and a serious dinner-table rosé to lively red blends and elegant Pinot Noir.
From Medicine to Mount Prevost
Before Averill Creek, Andy Johnston worked as a physician and wine educator in Edmonton. His growing commitment to wine eventually took him beyond the classroom and into vineyards and cellars around the world, where he gained experience with producers in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.
He returned to Canada with a clear ambition: to find a site capable of producing expressive cool-climate wine, with Pinot Noir at the heart of the project. He found that potential in the Cowichan Valley and planted Averill Creek's first vines in 2001.
The choice was adventurous. Vancouver Island was still proving its identity as a serious wine region, and its cooler coastal conditions demanded careful farming, patience, and a willingness to listen closely to each growing season.
That pioneering decision helped establish Averill Creek as one of the Cowichan Valley's defining producers—a winery focused less on forcing a familiar style and more on revealing what this particular landscape can do well.
Our Averill Creek Picks at ARC Harvey
ARC Harvey currently carries five Averill Creek wines. The collection moves naturally from bright and aromatic whites through Emily's food-friendly coastal rosé to two distinctive cool-climate reds.
Averill Creek Joue Red
A lively estate-grown red blend shaped by whole-bunch fermentation and ageing in stainless steel. Bright red fruit, savoury herbs, gentle spice, and refreshing acidity make it a flexible match for roast chicken, sausages, tomato dishes, mushrooms, and charcuterie.
The Bright Savoury Red
Averill Creek Pinot Noir
An elegant cool-climate Pinot Noir with red cherry, raspberry, forest floor, fine tannins, and vibrant depth. Its balance of perfume, freshness, and savoury detail suits duck, salmon, mushroom dishes, roast chicken, pork, and thoughtful gifts.
The Elegant Coastal Pinot
Averill Creek Somenos Rosé 2021
Emily's food-friendly rosé selection. Fresh strawberry, orchard fruit, gentle spice, and a savoury coastal lift give it enough texture for grilled salmon, chicken, prawns, charcuterie, soft cheese, and patio dinners that continue long after the first glass.
Emily's Summer Select
Averill Creek Joue White
An aromatic estate-grown white blend with orchard fruit, citrus, floral lift, and a gently textured finish. Skin contact, wild fermentation, and older French oak bring extra personality without taking away its freshness. Try it with shellfish, roast chicken, fragrant herbs, or softly spiced dishes.
The Aromatic Textured White
Averill Creek Pinot Gris
A crisp yet substantial coastal white with bright citrus, orchard fruit, mouthwatering tension, and a textured finish. It has the freshness for spot prawns and salads, plus enough depth for salmon, risotto, roast pork, and creamy seafood dishes.
The Crisp Coastal White
Honest Wine, with the Vineyard Left in the Glass
Averill Creek describes its goal simply: to make honest wines that reflect the site and the vintage while still delivering genuine pleasure. That philosophy begins with a pragmatic, low-intervention approach rather than a rigid formula.
In the cellar, techniques such as wild fermentation, foot-stomping, skin contact, whole-bunch fermentation, and lees ageing are used when they help reveal the natural elegance, texture, perfume, and refreshing quality of Vancouver Island fruit.
The wines receive few additions, and many are bottled unfined and unfiltered with only minimal sulphur. The intention is not to make the winemaking invisible, but to ensure it supports the vineyard rather than speaking louder than it.
For the customer, the result is wine with energy and individuality: whites with brightness and texture, reds with perfume and savoury detail, and bottles that feel naturally at home beside food.
A Coastal Vineyard Built Around Freshness
Averill Creek grows most of its fruit across 30 acres of vines on Mount Prevost, with a small amount sourced from within two kilometres of the estate. The southeast-facing property sits roughly 12 kilometres from the coast and is surrounded by old-growth forest.
Beneath the vines, Royston-Qualicum soils bring together glacial stone, clay, and organic material. Their drainage and depth encourage the roots to explore, while the vineyard's varied sunlight and shade contribute character across different parcels.
Farming is guided by organic and biodynamic principles, together with permaculture and regenerative practices that place particular emphasis on soil health. It is a living-farm approach designed to strengthen the vineyard over time rather than chase a quick result.
The coastal climate completes the picture. Cooler conditions preserve acidity, fragrance, and moderate ripeness—qualities that give Averill Creek's Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, rosé, and field blends their distinctive Island energy.
Not Sure Which Averill Creek Wine Fits? Ask Emily.
Tell Emily what you are serving, whether you prefer something crisp, aromatic, savoury, or fruit-forward, and how much you would like to spend.
She can help you compare the bright, relaxed character of Joue White with the extra texture and citrus tension of Pinot Gris, or explain why Somenos Rosé is especially comfortable beside salmon, chicken, seafood, and charcuterie.
For red wine, Joue Red offers lively fruit and savoury versatility, while Pinot Noir brings finer tannins, perfume, and the polished coastal character for which Averill Creek is especially well known.
You do not need to know the technical language of whole-bunch fermentation or lees ageing. Tell Emily what would make the bottle right for your meal or occasion, and she can guide you toward the Averill Creek wine that fits.
Emily's Averill Creek Pick
Planning salmon, grilled chicken, seafood, charcuterie, or a patio dinner that deserves a rosé with more substance than simple summer sipping?
Ask Emily why Averill Creek Somenos Rosé 2021 earned its place as the Food-Friendly Rosé in her Summer Selects Collection.
Discover Averill Creek Through ARC Harvey
At ARC Harvey, we want customers to discover not only a bottle, but the place, people, and philosophy that gave it its character.
Our five-bottle Averill Creek collection offers a focused introduction to Cowichan Valley wine: aromatic whites, a textured Pinot Gris, a coastal rosé built for food, a lively red blend, and elegant Pinot Noir.
Together, they show why Vancouver Island deserves a place in the wider British Columbia wine conversation—and why freshness, texture, and restraint can be every bit as memorable as power.
Explore Emily's Averill Creek Somenos Rosé Explore All Emily Selects