International Festival Tastings at the Vancouver Convention Centre
If you only attend one event during the 46th annual International Wine Festival let it be one of the Festival Tastings. This is definitely the highlight of the week with three available days and a matinee and evening time slot.
We attended Thursday’s evening session for what is essentially a convention of all the participating and visiting wineries. Rows of tables arranged by geographical area with each winery pouring 4-5 of their wines. This is a great way to discover new brands, try the wines before you buy, and sample vintages and price points you might not otherwise get a chance to or want to spend money on.
This year there are 121 participating wineries and their principals are on location to pour their select wines. You visit any at your leisure discovering what’s new and returning to your favourites; sipping either from a premium wine glass.
The room also features food suppliers and industry exhibitors. As this is a drinking event, it is highly recommended that you eat before you come, and to drink responsibility. This is a convention and not a free for all bar hop. There are a few food samples, but not enough to fill an empty stomach or to help cut into all the alcohol you will be drinking, if not spitting. On a similar vein you are encouraged to not wear any fragrances as scent is attached to taste and any odour will affect the tasting process. Not to mention those around you may have allergies and you want to consider those who are smell sensitive.
This year’s Wine Festival theme is West Coast U.S. Wines and it includes Regional Tasting Stations featuring 50 wineries from California, Oregon, Washington, and New Zealand. “From Sonoma to Santa Barbara, Walla Walla to Willamette, West Coast U.S. wines reflect the terroir and climate of each distinct region, from sun-drenched valleys to the cooler coast.” (As per the festival website).
This is also a great opportunity to speak directly to the winemakers, proprietors, and senior execs: someone closely involved in the wine-production process, there to share their wines and knowledge. You might even learn that the person serving your wine has their name on the bottle.
Having attended many wine festivals of years past here is a summary of my tips for having a successful event.
First of all is a crowded space, dress comfortably and be prepared for a spill or too. Some do make a night of the occasion and dress to impress, however given the amount of kilometres to cover end to end, and the need to bounce around and double back to the wineries you want to revisit, I prefer being comfortable. Not to mention as the night progresses the crowd does get a touch rowdy and jostling and bumping is bound to happen. So I like to wear my red wine dress, a pattern wrap dress in a dark maroon that can hide either a red or white spill with ease.
Use the provided map. Read the event guide to get the lay of the land. This allows you save time, and ensures that you get to try what you want to most when your taste buds are at its freshest. Afterall three hours seems like a long time, however between lines and having to wait in them, and then the brief chats with the vendors time does fly.
There is way too many vendors to be able to try them all. Ideally, if you can afford the $129-149 ticket (depending on day and time), get three to be able to divide and conquer each day. A day for sparkling and others like sake, dedicate another day for whites, and then one for reds. However, even then you won’t get through them all so best to prioritize. And depending on how you drink and your tastes this might be cheaper than buying a single bottle of one wine.
If you taste it and like it, buy it. There is a BCLIQUOR pop up wine shop on location. Here you can buy any of the wines served. However some are very limited in supply, but they do save a set amount for each of the five tasting room sessions.
Therefore if you discover a wine that you want to enjoy at home, don’t wait until the end of the session to buy it, as chances are it might be sold out. I advise visiting the shop one hour in, best practice is to purchase bottles with the greatest sell through. After two hours majority of the shelves were empty.
If you do make a purchase they can keep it safe for you at their bottle check, so that you can continue your tasting session hands free. Visit and repeat as necessary.
Hot tip they give you a box for your stored wine and you can leave your jacket or belongings within it. Be warned they are not liable should anything go missing. Although they do promise to keep your purchase safe, so take that as you will.
Then when you are ready to leave, check out your wines. If you live in British Columbia, whether you have bought one bottle or several cases, your can have your wine shipped free of charge to your nearest BCLIQUOR store for pick up at your leisure. This is a convenient way to not have to worry about or carry it all home when you might not even have the where with all to get there yourself.
As for how I choose which of the 121 tables to stop at, this is based on my goal. If I want to have a good time and try as much as I can, it is the ones with little to no lines. In years past it was to try the most expensive bottles, before that it was to try one red from each vendor. This year I was looking to taste from the most eye catching bottles, as that does well to lure me in.
Others were commited to completing the Mark Anthony Wine passport. Guests were tasked with going around to their brands and trying their products in order to collect stamps to be entered to win a prize. I find that a clever way to ensure exposure in such a crowded hall.
If not trying to get a little tipsy and for those who prefer not to swallow there are spit cups that you can carry, pour buckets at a few tables, and large spit bins in aisle to pour both out into. I just wish there were wash jugs to clean your glasses out when switching between reds and white.
One of my favourite booths to visit the Reidel one, where they pour the same wine into different glasses to show the difference it makes. From them I learned the importance of a vessel and that an expensive wine deserves a specialty glass designed to best showcase it, and that the right glassware can transform a budget bottle into one at a higher price point.
Here, I also learned the significance of their all purpose glasses that we were all sampling from today. Designed with a larger bowl for Cabernet, a narrow rim for white, with a fine laser cut to ensure there is no obstruction for the wine. All of which makes it a versatile glass for tasting. The idea is to use this one for trying everything, then to use a varietal glass at home when you plan to enjoy a single expression in its entirety.
In conclusion the Wine Festival is a great way to learn more about wine through the actual producers and to be able to try them surrounded by other wine lovers. A not to be missed event for anyone who appreciates a good glass of wine.
