Today I was attending the first ever Canadian edition of the largest all-Italian food & wine trade and consumer event in the US. This is the Taste of Italy, which was originally established in 2014 and has since been taking place in Houston, but was now here in Vancouver for the first time.
Held at the Observatory Deck of the Vancouver Lookout, this one day only event was a sight to behold. Hosted by the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Canada West (ICC), who invited Vancouver’s food & wine media, importers, distributors, retailers, product consultants, restaurateurs and sommeliers to attend and learn more about the Italian products imported into and available to Vancouver.
Attendees rode the elevator up to the second highest floor, perched high above downtown Vancouver’s skyline, with 360-degree views that included the port of Vancouver and Burnaby Mountain in the distance. There, we were given free reign of the circular space. Exploring and chatting up the various vendors that were set up to sample their wares.
Mixing and mingling with Italian producers, attendee got a chance to taste a great selection of authentic food and wines from Italy. Wine in sparkling, rose, red and white were the focus. My strategy was to transition from sparking to red, giving me a reason to revisit booths within the 4-hour time allotment.
This was more than enough time to explore the majority of the sips, alongside morsels of prosciutto, parm, crackers, spreads, and chocolates.
As with many such wine tasting events, all the products and tasting notes are hard to report on, so instead, here is a brief overview in photos. A snapshot of what caught my eye and tickled my tongue.
In closing this was such an informative and tasty event, well organized and cleverly held in a setting like no other. Be sure to look out for the next ICC event by visiting the link below.
Italian Chamber of Commerce in Canada West
Suite 1209 – 409 Granville Street Vancouver, BC V6C 1T2
+1 604.682.1410
iccbc.com
