“We wanted to provide a fun, family-oriented event to celebrate Thanksgiving and in our first year we had a huge response to Ewe Hoo! The feedback was that we should make it an annual event,” says Beverly Marley, owner, Marley Farm Winery. “What better way to celebrate harvest time than spending a day on a farm?”

There will also be a Marley barbecue featuring lamb and veggie burgers. Latin Jazz music courtesy of Perros Libres. The tasting room will also be open and a range of grape and fruit wines will be available for tasting including Marley’s recently re-released blackberry wine, a popular local favorite.

As a special Thanksgiving treat, visitors to the winery will be able to bottle your own wine, complete with a personalized label. The wine is bottled straight out of the barrel and a blank Marley Farm Winery label, with space for writing or drawing, is applied. “People really enjoyed creating their own custom label. It commemorates their visit,” says Marley. Cost for the custom bottling is $15 per bottle. There is no charge for admission or for wine tasting.

Marley Farm is a family-run boutique winery located on a working farm at 1831 Mt. Newton Cross Road, just down the road from the Prairie Inn in Saanichton. In addition to traditional grape wines, Marley Farm is the only winery on Vancouver Island producing fruit wines. Winter hours are Wednesday to Sunday, from noon to 4pm. See www.marleyfarm.ca for more information.