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Gracias/Obrigado, Iberia!
Wines from Spain and Portugal took centrestage at the 2018 festival to help celebrate our 40th year of pairing wine with the performing arts. Thank you to everyone who made 2018 another outstanding festival. Special thanks to everyone involved with the Bacchanalia Gala Dinner +Auction, which raised $225,000 for Vancouver's iconic Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival.
Scroll down for some videos and images from the 2018 festival, but some of the highlights included:
- 173 wineries poured 1,460 wines from 16 countries at 51 events over eight days
- 38 wineries from Spain and 20 wineries from Portugal poured some 287 wines in a special section of the Tasting Room and were featured in 25 events
- 42,000 bottles were opened or purchased and 82,000 wines glasses were used
- 97% of all tickets were sold and 48 events sold out
- 25,000+ admissions
- 41 restaurants, caterers and hotels and 21 non-winery exhibitors participated as a venue or supplier
Looking for festival wines?
Many wines poured in the Tasting Room and at special events are available locally in the market - the VanWineFest app (App Store, Google Play) has all Tasting Room wines or download the Tasting Room Program pdf for wines and local representatives of your favourite wineries.
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Network with Goldcorp's Ian Telfer
On Thursday, June 28, network with BC's business leaders during this premier Vancouver networking event, then listen to business mogul Ian Telfer share his inspirational story of how he took a company from six employees to $2.4 Billion in just three years after the age of 50, in a once in a lifetime fireside chat with Canada Wide's Peter Legge. Wine lovers at VIWF's Bacchanalia Gala will recall that Telfer's Goldcorp was a longtime gala sponsor; he also donated many memorable bottles for auction. Thank you, Ian!
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Dream Big: California Style
We're moving south of the border to California for 2019's feature region. We expect 60 wineries from the Golden State to participate, plus 100 additional wineries from around the world.
The 41st Vancouver International Wine Festival takes place February 23 to March 3, kicking off with the spectacular Bacchanalia Gala Dinner + Auction on Saturday, February 23 at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver.
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Refresh Your VanWineFest Memories!
VanWineFest 2018 featured 51 events over eight days, from tastings to dinners, to lunches and wine parties.You can read recaps of many of this year's wine seminars here and here. Or see a sampling of the sights and sounds of this year's festival below. Visit VanWineFest.ca for more photos and videos.
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| Highlights of the 2018 Festival |
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| 2018 Bacchanalia Gala Dinner + Auction |
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| International Festival Tasting |
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| The annual Vintners Brunch |
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| Exploring wines at a seminar |
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| The Savour Spain wine party |
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| The Delta Air Lines Tasting Lounge |
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| Delectable wine and food grazing |
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Photos by Christine McAvoy, videos by Back Valley Road Productions
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Celebrating Excellence in Wine & Food
Congratulations to
Anthony von Mandl, proprietor and founder of
Mission Hill Family Estate and one of British Columbia's wine icons, for winning the Lifetime Achievement Awards at the recent
Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards. The awards were presented on
Monday, April 16 at the Sheraton Wall Centre, with
St. Lawrence taking home the marquee award,
Restaurant of the Year. Check out all of the
finalists for a cornucopia of great dining opportunities.
And speaking of achievements, the 2018 VIWF honoured special people and places, including Barbara Philip MW with the
Spirited Industry Professional Award
and Vij's Sean Nelson as
Sommelier of the Year
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Looking for a great wine & food experience? In 2018, 53 restaurants in British Columbia and Alberta took home a
Wine Program Excellence Award at this year's VanWineFest. The links on our
WPEA webpage will take you directly to the wine lists, so start your search there!
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What's Happening in Wine & Food
VanWineFest 2019 is still 10 months away, but there are many opportunities to taste the best of wine and food all year round. Mark your calendars for some of these great upcoming events:
May 3: Flavours of New Zealand, The Vancouver Club
Discover the Flavours of New Zealand and the Kiwi flair and story represented in each glass.
May 9: The Authentic Italian Table, Terminal City Club
Celebrate Italian cuisine with premium Italian wine and aperitivi and a buffet selection of authentic Italian food products flown in especially for this occasion.
May 10: Dish 'n Dazzle, Vancouver Convention Centre East
Make new connections and discover new favourites as you socialize and sample premium Argentinean wines paired with cuisine from great Vancouver restaurants.The evening will include live music, a silent auction, and a cocktail competition.
May 18: Top Drop Vancouver, Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre
The annual grand tasting featuring dozens of international, terroir-focused wineries, craft breweries, cideries, and the people behind them!
May 25-June 3: Vancouver Craft Beer Week
VCBW 2018 kicks off on May 25, continuing throughout the week and culminating at the historic PNE fairgrounds on June 2 and 3 where over 100 craft breweries and cideries will be pouring more than 300 beers and ciders.
June 6: Gambero Rosso Tre Bicchieri 2018 World Tour, Coast Coal Harbour Hotel
An amazing selection of Italian wines that have received the coveted "tre bicchieri" from Gambero Rosso's Italian Wine Guide.
Tickets on sale soon!
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Get Your Tickets Today for #Bard2018
VanWineFest is proud to partner with
Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival, contributing funds to support their world-class Shakespeare productions and education and outreach programs.
Tickets for the 2018 season, which runs June-September at Vanier Park, are
now on sale. Click on the images below for information on this year's productions.
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| Lindsey Angell & Nadeem Phillip, As You Like It, 2018. Photo: David Cooper |
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Moya O'Connell & Ben Carlson, Macbeth, 2018.
Photo: David Cooper |
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Colleen Wheeler,
Timon of Athens, 2018.
Photo: David Cooper |
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Jennifer Lines, Quelemia Sparrow & Marcie T. House, Lysistrata, 2018.
Photo: David Cooper |
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Our 2018 Key Partners
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MAJOR SPONSORS
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MAJOR PARTNERS
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FUNDRAISING
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BENEFITING
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Click to see the full list of festival partners.
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The links on our Wine Program Excellence Awards webpage will take you directly to the wine lists in many cases. If you're looking for a great place to eat with an amazing wine experience to match, start clicking here! |
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Mark Your Calendar
August 30-October 25
Wine Program Excellence Applications
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September 2018
2019 Participating Wineries Announced |
November 1-December 15
Advance Tickets On Sale |
January 9
Public Tickets On Sale |
January 23
Trade Tickets On Sale
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February 23
Bacchanalia Gala Dinner + Auction |
February 25-March 3
Festival Week |
February 27-March 1
Trade Days Conference
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February 28-March 2
Tasting Room sessions
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STAY CONNECTED:
Looking for festival highlights, wine suggestions and the latest festival news? Check out our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter and Instagram for festival articles, reviews, videos, and photos. Join the conversation at #VIWF. We keep you in the loop all year round.
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