Visitors shuttled to cranberry bog
The Fort Wine Company makes a splash during the annual berry celebration
Visitors to this Saturday's cranberry festival will have an opportunity to tour the Fort Wine Company's cranberry bog.
Photograph by: Langley Advance , files
On its own, a visit to the Fort Wine Company can be interesting, but during this year's Cranberry Festival, staff of the fruit vintner has planned a full-on celebration of the tart and tasty fruit.
Visit the winery, featuring one of the closest cranberry bogs to downtown Fort Langley, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.
In order to help visitors travel the distance to the activities at the Fort Wine Company, a shuttle has been arranged to run back and forth between the Fort National Historic Site at 23433 Mavis Ave. and the winery at 26151 84th Ave.
"We have complimentary bus shuttles from the Fort to our winery running all day there and back," noted Jennie Roberts, events coordinator with the Fort Wine Company.
One of the most interesting activities at the winery is the one-day-a-year berry harvest. Due to the ideal weather conditions, the harvest in one bog is perfectly timed for Saturday. For those who have never seen a "wet" cranberry harvest, the bog will be flooded and the under-water plants are machine "beaten" to allow the fruit to float to the surface for collection.
"We're harvesting [on Saturday], so people can actually watch the process," Roberts said. "Tours will be running all throughout the day."
Tours will include a view of the bogs as well as the winery itself so visitors can see what happens with many of the cranberries as they become fruit wine. In addition to tours, there will be complementary wine tastings, free samplings of the winery's new vinegar and jam products, and fresh cranberries for sale.
"We're going to have Mr. Flowers and animals in a petting zoo for the kids," added Roberts.
Mr. Flowers is an Aldergrove-based children's entertainer which is part of the family focus for the day. Roberts stressed there will be "lots of stuff for kids", including music played by a local pianist. Hamburgers and hotdogs will also be on sale to keep hungry bellies satisfied.
"We at the Fort Wine Company are grateful to be a part of the local Cranberry Festival," Roberts said. "We're always pleased to join a wonderful family event that supports local businesses."
Visitors to this Saturday's cranberry festival will have an opportunity to tour the Fort Wine Company's cranberry bog.
