For those of us who are passionate about wine, in two weeks time the Vancouver International Wine Festival flows for its 36th season. Running from Feb. 24 through March 2 at the Vancouver Convention, there are eight days and nights of wine, women, men, song, and lots of food. Plus, there are more than 1,000 wines from five continents, 14 countries, and 178 wineries.
Oh, my! Billed as Canada's premier wine show, the festival is one of the biggest and oldest wine events in the world and it's right here - well, just a bridge away. It offers something for every level of wine drinker, collector and trade professional.
There is a smorgasbord of special events including wine seminars, a gala auction for Bard on the Beach, and food and wine dinners, lunches, and brunches. But the heart of the festival is the International Festival Tasting Room, open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings, and for the first time, Saturday afternoon.
This year, France is in the spotlight. Expect to be exposed to more French wines, wineries, and events than you can imagine or taste. And the global focus is on 118 sparkling wines, from French Champagnes to Spanish Cavas to Italian Proseccos, as well as other tasty bubblies.
Why is the Vancouver Wine Festival one of the biggest and best in North America? Richmond resident and wine expert, Richard Carras, claims it's because of another Richmond native, the late John Levine.
Back in 1979, Levine suggested the Vancouver Playhouse organize a wine festival as a fundraiser. And he insisted that a supplier from the winery, either a winemaker or the owner or someone with a senior position at the winery, must be present at the International Tasting Room.
"When you are walking around the tasting room, you are getting the real deal. They are showing off their best wines and they've got to have their best people at the table. The ability to learn and taste at that show is really profound, it's amazing," Carras says Carras recommends taking two glasses so that you don't spend so long in lineups and you can compare the different wines.
"Taste Champagne and sparkling wines first, then whites, and finally reds to avoid palate fatigue. If you taste a rich heavy wine, it overpowers your ability to taste a lighter wine."
Another tip is to make sure you spit into the tasting buckets or sip very small amounts for obvious reasons.
Carras suggests you attend the Festival Tasting Room, the heart of the festival, on several evenings. Plan a strategy: sparkling wines and dessert wines one evening, whites and reds from France on another evening. Then, if you go on a third evening, sample wines from other regions of the world.
If you can only attend one evening, go on the Thursday night since fewer people attend compared with the weekend. Arrive promptly at 7 p.m. to take advantage of the smaller crowds during the first hour. When lineups get longer, go to another table. And don't taste your favourites. This is a unique opportunity to discover something new, so be adventurous.
Carras' final advice? "Don't overdo it. Spend the first hour and a half seriously tasting the wine. Then spend the final hour and a half relaxing and having some fun. Let's not forget the social aspect about wine. We're there to meet people, have fun, and shake hands!" To discover more about the many wine festival events and to purchase tickets, visit www.vanwinefest.ca
