New Westminster has a winery. I had no idea.

Pacific Breeze Winery, on Stewardson, is a small operation run by a couple of passionate oenophiles who began making wine in their basement with the support of a local wine club.

Here’s how Frank Gregus and Maurice Hamilton describe their work in a recent Province article:

We like to call ourselves a garage winery. We produce big, bold and powerful wines in our commercial warehouse in New Westminster. It’s high-end, high value, unique, handcrafted wine we make in small lots.

 - via Garage winery is revving up | The Province.

Pacific Breeze may be small (producing 3,000 cases a year) but they have won more than 30 medals and three “best in class” honours. Forty-five local restaurants have their product on the wine list.

But what’s really exciting to me is that Pacific Breeze also offers wine tastings and special teaching events. The next one is coming up next Wednesday (Jan. 14), about wine and cheese pairings. Only eight seats remain. The next event, Wine for Lovers, is on Feb. 11 – just in time for Valentine’s Day.

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