TIRED of sugarplums dancing in your head? Let's skip ahead to February then.
Who am I kidding? I'm still talking about Christmas - it's less than a week away!
February 25, however, is when the renamed, re-partnered Vancouver International Wine Festival kicks off at the Vancouver Convention Centre, and the select tickets and packages already on sale make a great gift for any wine lovers on your list (even if the wine lover is you).
The 2013 fest is a big one. It dropped "Playhouse" from its moniker shortly after the sad demise of the theatre company that it had always benefitted. But the show will go on; this edition will be the 35th, and the first time it raises funds for new charitable partner Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival.
Tickets on sale now are for the popular International Festival Tastings (Feb. 28 - March 2), which in 2013 will feature 176 wineries, including 63 from the Theme Region of California. My tip? Buy them for Thursday night, which is typically the least busy. You're less likely to encounter line-ups at the tasting tables, and you'll have more time to chat with the winery principals who are on hand to pour for you. Tickets are $85 (including service charges and taxes) if you buy them before the official ticket release on Jan. 8; after that, the price goes up to $95.
The tasting room will feature a Chardonnay Tasting Station with a range of Chardonnays from around the world, poured by experts from the International Sommelier Guild. Regional Tasting Stations will take visitors through a series of sommelier-assisted wine flights highlighting the unique regional terroirs of British Columbia, New Zealand, and South Africa, as well as a California Tasting Station, featuring wines from Napa Valley and Sonoma County. Ticketholders can also shop at the on-site BC Liquor Store where wines from presenting wineries will be available for purchase. The BC Liquor Distribution Branch will help everybody Get Home Safe by providing a complimentary transit ticket to patrons as they leave the Tasting Room.
Advance tickets are also available as part of the Discover California Pack. The pack includes an afternoon and two evenings of celebrations: California Cruisin' at two of Yaletown's vino hotspots - Brix Restaurant & Wine Bar and George Ultra Lounge - plus the Savour California Flavour lunch at Vancouver Convention Centre West. Cap your California experience off with a tour through the International Festival Tasting Room on your choice of Thursday, Friday or Saturday. The advance pack price is $233. Save $20 on the total ticket value, only available during advance ticket sales.
If your giftee has been really good this year, you might want to give them a Gold Pass, which gives them exclusive access to the Gold Pass Tasting Lounge, featuring an assortment of the festival's premium bottles, delicious appetizers and sommeliers on hand to guide guests through wines from around the world.
The pass includes three evenings in the International Festival Tasting Room (with priority access), two afternoons at the Trade Tasting sessions where you'll rub elbows with Vancouver's top sommeliers and restaurant owners, admission to the exclusive Curtain Raiser VIP reception on February 28, and Friday and Saturday entry to the exclusive Gold Pass Tasting Lounge. The advance pass price is $445.
Tickets for International Festival Tastings and other advance tickets events are available online at vanwinefest.ca or by phoning 604-873-3311 or toll free at 1-877-321-3121 or in person at the VanWineFest Box Office (305 - 456 West Broadway, Vancouver). Now back to those holiday dreams, this time with visions of
California Chardonnay dancing in your head. Merry Christmas!
Deana Lancaster has been writing about food and wine since 1998, and worked in restaurants for more than a decade before that. Follow her on twitter @deanal, or send her an email to deanal@ telus.net.
