An elegant outdoor tradition is gathering momentum in the Cowichan Valley as Rocky Creek Winery hosts its fourth annual White Dinner Saturday, Sept. 26.
The celebration, which began in France as Dîner en Blanc where everyone dressed in white clothing to enjoy a sophisticated picnic outdoors, is now a special event in many countries and in the Valley is part of the yearly Savour Cowichan wine and food festival.
This year, the Cowichan dinner is benefiting a new charity: the Canucks Autism Network.
Rocky Creek’s president Linda Holford is inviting everyone to support a great cause while enjoying this special dinner outdoors.
“Put on your whites and let’s get together as a community to share a great evening in a scenic location and donate to a great cause. This is a family event where the entry fee is by donation with 100 per cent of the amounts donated going to the Canucks Autism Network.”
It’s also a special time for the winery. “We are celebrating our 10th harvest and our 10 years of operating our winery. We have been successful because there is a good community that supports our wine region. We also focus on establishing great relationships that have kept us moving forward. We believe that you get what you give, so also having a donation to the community around us is important to us,” she said.
Now, with the new charitable connection, there’s even a greater incentive for the Holfords.
“We wanted to organize this event for a chance to meet everyone who has been involved in our business, meeting the community around us and celebrating together. Autism has a personal connection for me; my oldest cousin is autistic so I grew up knowing what effect it has on individuals and families,” said Mark Holford, winery co-owner and winemaker.
This event follows a similar format to previous years.
On Sept. 26, from 5 to 7:30 p.m., participants, dress all in white and arrive at the winery prepared to sit among the grapevines to enjoy local music.
Tables are supplied but participants bring in everything else: food, chairs, cutlery and whatever else is required to make your own personal White Dinner memorable, except alcohol.
“We are targeting zero waste again. Try to embrace local foods and no styrofoam or plastics, if possible. You can share as a potluck or within your group for those with allergies, similar to Dîner en Blanc, but with a difference. Please no pets and no outside alcohol (it violates our winery licence). There will be Rocky Creek wines available for sale. Please RSVP so a table can be set aside,” Linda Holford said.
Contact her at 250-748-5622 or linda@rockycreekwinery.ca to book your space.