The Vancouver International Wine Festival is back for its 47th year. This is Canada’s premier food & wine event, bringing tourists, wine lovers, and locals to convene at Vancouver’s Convention Centre.
The wine festival promotes itself as an informative, educational and entertaining wine experience for public and trade. Simultaneously serving as a premier marketing opportunity for the wine industry and festival partners; and a vehicle to help raise funds for the Bard on the Beach Theatre Society.
If you can only attend one of the festival’s week long events, it has to be one of the International Festival Tastings. Here, you get the greatest exposure to wines, organized by country. There are exclusive pours of select bottled that you might not otherwise get to try, and wines that you can sample before you buy at the on-location liquor store pop up.
Tickets vary from $120-129 and is inclusive of wine, food (as applicable), gratuities, charges, and taxes. However, it is worth mentioning that this is not meant to be a food event and at most you might get a few sample. Bits of cheese, slices of iberico, and cups of pasta. Nibbles to try and not meant to fill.
This setting is a great way to learn more about what goes into the bottle through the stars of the global wine scene: winemakers, proprietors, and senior executives. All these individuals travel to Vancouver every year to pour and discuss their wines with festival goers. Many wineries are represented in the room by a principal, someone closely involved in the wine-production process, there to share their wines and knowledge. You might even find that the person serving your wine has their name on the bottle. These individuals are easily identified by their royal blue lanyard, and you are encouraged to ask them questions. I find this to easiest way to choosing what bottles to bring home.
Another highlight and staple of the Vancouver International Wine Festival is free bottle check and wine delivery. All wines served at the winery tables are available for purchase at the BC Liquor Festival Wine Shop, in the Tasting Room. However, some are in very limited supply, and it is recommended that you visit first to ensure you leave with the bottles you want. When you discover a wine that you want to enjoy at home, don’t wait until the end of the session to buy it as it might be sold out. And you don’t have to worry about carry it around, as you can leave it in the handy bottle check, and then continue your tasting session. A nice convenience considering you need your hands free to carry your glass and accept tasting pours. And best of all you need not even carry your box(es) home when you leave. If you live in British Columbia, whether you’ve bought one bottle or several cases, your wine can be shipped free of charge to your nearest BC Liquor store.
This year’s spotlight is France, featuring wines from Bordeaux and Beaujolais. There is a special section of the Tasting Room dedicated to participating French wineries, tasting stations, and even a French wine bar. If you don’t feel like travelling from table to table and booth to booth, you can visit one of the Grand Tasting’s wine bars: “Bubbles ‘n’ Blush” and “Vive la France!”.
For those who have never been, it is worth mentioning the need to pace yourself and come prepared with a game plan. Many guests attend two days is a row, opting to focus on sparkling and white day one, and reds and beyond for day two. They offer four tasting sessions over three days, so you don’t need to try everything in one day.
There are also spit cups, pour station and you have the ability to wash out your glass, in order to opt in to trying as much as possible, without feeling its effects.
In conclusion, this is an event to look out for every year, and one that I anticipate year after year.
