Red Bird Cider

Red Bird Estate Winery is a family-owned winery and cidery in the Creston Valley, the agricultural heart of the Kootenays in southeastern British Columbia. Founded by Shannon and Rémi Cardinal, whose surname inspired the red bird of the name, the operation is dedicated to small-lot winemaking that reflects the distinctive terroir of the Kootenays, producing wines described as clean, crisp and fresh. The Cardinals farm four vineyards, Cardinal, Tilling, Huscroft and Hawton, using regenerative practices that include roaming chickens and sheep grazing the vines early in the season, and the lineup runs from rosé, sparkling wine and piquette to Pinot Noir and the Atelier Red Merlot-Cabernet blend, alongside refreshing ciders made from local fruit. Notably, Red Bird is reported to be the only producer in British Columbia working with the rare gamaret variety, a point of curiosity for adventurous tasters.

Visitors are welcomed at the tasting room on Lamont Road in Creston, a purpose-built space that moved the experience out of the founders' garage and into a bright, welcoming building that also houses the winery's production and storage. Bookable tastings, a wine club with priority access to limited releases, and online and in-person shopping round out the offering. Creston sits amid orchard and farm country between the Selkirk and Purcell mountains, about an hour south of Nelson, and its small cluster of wineries has become a worthwhile destination for travellers exploring the Kootenays' slower, scenic side. Red Bird makes an ideal anchor for such a visit; the combination of thoughtful farming, small-batch wines and genuine family hospitality captures what makes this emerging wine region special, well off the beaten path of the Okanagan but increasingly worth the drive.