2023 Vancouver International Wine Festival — Miss Eileen Soo

2023 Vancouver International Wine Festival

Taste the World! 148 wineries, 17 countries, ~800 wines

View my experience on my Instagram reel here: www.instagram.com/p/CrfNzFNAL2Q/ and www.instagram.com/p/Crwij1YAzeO/

Image @Vancouver International Wine Festival

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL

The Vancouver International Wine Festival, Canada’s premier food & wine event, has three mandates: to provide an informative, educational and entertaining wine experience for public and trade; to be a premier marketing opportunity for the wine industry and festival partners; and to raise funds for the Bard on the Beach Theatre Society. The 2023 festival is scheduled for April 22-30.

VanWineFest is Canada’s premier wine show and widely considered to be the best wine event in North America. With ~18,000 admissions and at 44 years of age, it is one of the biggest and oldest wine events in the world. Its slogan is “The Wine World is Here”. It has been voted the “#1 Food, Wine & Hospitality Event in Canada” for eight years running by New York’s BizBash. Trade Days, which runs April 26-28 in 2023, comprises ~10 of the festival’s ~36 events.

The heart of the festival is the Tasting Room, where the public can choose from ~800 wines at four International Festival Tastings, and industry professionals can sample those at two Trade Tastings. There are ~30 special events that orbit the tasting room (seminars, vintage tastings, winery dinners, lunches, brunches, wine minglers and more) at which ~550 other wines are served.

The 2023 festival will feature wines from 17 countries. There is a focus on a different region or country every year; the featured region has its own section in the tasting room and offers thematic seminars and food and wine pairings throughout the week. In 2023, the festival will celebrate wines from South America.

History

The festival grew from humble roots as a fundraising initiative of then Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company board member John E. Levine. The inaugural festival in 1979 featured one vintner – Robert Mondavi – and saw approximately 1,000 people attend the two-day event at Hycroft, the Shaughnessy mansion owned by Vancouver’s University Women’s Club.

In its second year, VanWineFest was also a one-winery show, but had grown by its fourth year to attract 45 California wineries, becoming known as the California Wine Festival. The ninth festival in 1987 was the first multi-national event, with wineries from six more countries joining to showcase their wines. After outgrowing several different venues, the Wine Festival moved to the Vancouver Convention Centre in 1988, where the main Tasting Room sessions have been held for the past 25 years.

In 1996, VanWineFest began shining the spotlight on specific wine regions by featuring a new theme region or country each year, with the French wine region Bordeaux being the inaugural theme. In 2020, France will be the featured country.

Sadly, the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company announced in March 2012 that it would cease operations after 49 seasons, thus ending a long and fruitful relationship. Over 34 years, the Wine Festival raised more than $8 million dollars for Playhouse operations, supporting a rich legacy of more than 235 theatrical productions. The newly named Vancouver International Wine Festival announced in September 2012 that its charitable partner would be Bard on the Beach Theatre Society.

Today VanWineFest attracts some of the biggest industry names from around the world and is firmly established as the continent’s premier wine event and among the biggest, best and oldest wine events in the world. It features wine tastings and pairings, gourmet dinners and luncheons, educational seminars and culinary competitions.

This is a rare opportunity to meet owners, winemakers and senior representatives from wineries around the globe. For either the experienced wine lover or the novice, the festival has something to please every palate and pocketbook.

FESTIVAL OVERVIEW

The 44th Vancouver International Wine Festival is scheduled to take place April 22-30, 2023; the inaugural year was 1979. The board chair is Arv Sooch; the executive director is Harry Hertscheg CWE, DipWSET.

The wine world comes to Vancouver for Canada’s premier wine show. The Vancouver International Wine Festival is one of the biggest and oldest wine events in the world, offering something for every level of a wine drinker, collector, and trade professional. In 2023, the festival will feature 148 wineries from 17 countries, pouring and discussing their wines at 36 events over eight days.

The heart of the festival is the International Festival Tastings at the Vancouver Convention Centre, where each winery will pour 4-5 wines for the public at four International Festival Tastings and for the hospitality industry at two Trade Tastings. The room also features food suppliers and industry exhibitors, including media and suppliers. Included in the price of each ticket is the opportunity to shop at the onsite BC Liquor Store where all wines served at the International Festival Tastings are available for purchase and can be delivered at no charge to any BC Liquor Store.

Additional wines are served at special events orbiting the tasting room, including a gala dinner and auction, wine seminars, trade events, and food and wine pairing affairs at top Vancouver restaurants and hotels.

MANDATE

The Vancouver International Wine Festival is produced by the Vancouver International Wine Festival Society, which has three mandates: provide an informative, educational and entertaining wine experience for public and trade; be a premier marketing opportunity for the wine industry and festival partners; and raise funds for the Bard on the Beach Theatre Society.

FUNDRAISING

Since 1979, the festival has raised $9.9 million for the performing arts in Vancouver. Since September 2012, the charitable partner has been Bard on the Beach Theatre Society. Over the past ten years, the festival has raised nearly $1.9 million for Bard.

EVENT PRICES

Event prices range from $49 to $575. Ticket prices include wine, food (if it is a food event), gratuities, taxes and service charges.

BACCHANALIA GALA DINNER + AUCTION

Bacchanalia Gala Dinner + Auction, presented by National Bank Private Banking 1859, is the centrepiece of the festival and one of the most spectacular events in the city. The auction includes unique culinary and wine experiences, excursions and extravaganzas. The dinner, which begins with a sparkling wine reception, is the ultimate in wine and food pairing, featuring five sensational courses paired with nine outstanding wines. The gala features a raffle prize from Delta Air Lines of an international business-class trip for two, as well as guest gifts.