Campbell Valley Wine Run

Sometime back in February, I found for the first time in my life that I had the urge to go running. I'd always detested the sport — finding the cardio exertion excruciating and always ending up with searing stitches in my side — and yet somehow I needed to try it again. So I did.

Then a few months later, after I'd kept up a pretty steady routine of running 3-4 times a week, my pal Stacey asked if I wanted to do the Campbell Valley Wine Run. A charitable 15 km run with stops at wineries? Sign me up!

Batman & Robot toast

September 24th was the perfect day for a run, crisp and clear with just a bit of cloud cover to save us from sun burns. Since I'd never run more than five consecutive kilometres, I was happy I'd only be contending with my will power and not the elements.

We met bright and early and donned our costumes: a hunter and his trophies (a unicorn, a robot, a viking, an alien, and yours truly as Batman). Then it was time for the 9:00 a.m. toast with sparkling wine and a speech from the mayor of Langley, and off we went!

Our fearless hunter

A quick 5.5 km found us at Township 7, where we were treated to samples of a few of their offerings. You could also purchase wine from any of the wineries, which would be picked up and driven to the finish line. We started with the Pinot Gris, a perky, citrusy white, which was surprisingly refreshing at 10:00 a.m.

Note: robot heads make wine drinking difficult.

We also sampled the Marisol, a Merlot-heavy red blend that was created specially for the ITU Multisport World Championships in Penticton. After our well-earned wine break, we hit the trail again and ran all the way to the Chaberton Estate Winery.

Chaberton has a lovely property and is home to the award-winning Bacchus Bistro, but we were here to sip, stretch, and sample. We started with their Reserve Bacchus, a white blend primarily featuring the Bacchus varietal — a Riesling hybrid created in the 1930s — which grows well in cool climates and produces an off-dry wine.

Chaberton showing its fall colours

We also tried the Valley Pink, a rosé with notes of bubblegum and raspberries (a bit too sweet for me, but it seemed to be selling well among the wine run crowd) and their Valley Cab, a blend of Cab Franc, Cab Sauv, and just a hint of Malbec. By now I'd realized that this climate and terroir produces sweet whites and rich, tannic reds.

This was the juncture in the route where I began to notice more and more people who weren't sweating. These were the shuttle bus hopers, and, not surprisingly, the ones audibly complaining about how sweaty the tasting room was once the runners arrived.

Wine hunters at Vista D'oro Winery

The next stretch of the run was tough. I'd been keeping a slower pace than my friends for most of the route in order to conserve energy and it appeared to be a successful move. I was able to keep jogging along and even passed a few people who'd decided to walk the rest of the way.

Our final winery was Vista D'oro Farms & Winery, by far the cutest property we'd visited all day, with its quaint little shop selling preserves and cheeses, and its rustic farm shed with twinkling chandeliers.

A unicorn in her natural habitat

They were pouring the Murphy's Law for us (yes, the writing on the label is meant to be upside down), a sweet, jammy red table wine made from a mystery grape grown on site. I was too busy trying to prevent the build up of lactic acid in my legs to see if the varietal was listed on the bottle (and the website didn't offer any additional information). But it seems they're better known for a unique fortified wine made from walnuts (which they weren't serving to sweaty joggers) and their lovely Preservatory, where they sell small batch jams and such.

As we made our way to the finish line (with me lagging way behind, but not giving in and walking!), we were informed that we'd won — what we'd won, we didn't know, but it was still exciting. Upon our triumphant return, we were presented with the Unsung Hero prize: five $25 gift certificates for various wineries in the Campbell Valley area. Apparently our costume idea was delightfully unique.

Murphy's Law

Sufficiently sweaty and ravenously hungry, we got in line to grab some burgers and a celebratory glass of Chaberton Reserve Siegerrebe, which I discovered is German for "victory-vine", so that was rather fitting. Then we decided to do a little more celebrating, and also use one of our five gift certificates, at Backyard Vineyards. We picked up a bottle of their Blanc de Noir, which was a beautifully balanced, pink-hued sparkling wine, and retreated to feast on Vista D'oro Fig & Walnut Wine preserves and various other delicious snacks.

I swear that sign says "FINISH"

Maybe it was because I'd just accomplished something I never thought I was capable of, or maybe my palate was becoming slightly less discerning (I tend to favour wines I try at the end of a day of tasting), but I would say that the Siegerrebe and the Blanc de Noir we drank at the end of the race were my top picks of the day. I will most certainly sign up for next year's run, and if I'm ever craving a little wine touring closer to home, I now know where to go.

Campbell Valley Wine Run route (2017)