Heli Wine Tours come to Vancouver

Sommelier of the sky Alana Burns takes folks to Vista D’Oro Winery.

Have you ever planned an afternoon of wine touring and had to flip a coin to decide who would be the DD (designated driver)? When you’re wine touring with only one other person say a partner, best friend or your favourite wine-loving auntie, this system kind of stinks.

Enter wine and events consultants Fork and Grape and Sky Helicopters. Sommelier Alana Burns has thought a lot about the logistics of Fraser Valley wine touring.

If they do heli wine touring in Napa and Bordeux, why not Vancouver? Why not help people have an afternoon of airtime adventure and wine sipping by flying guests from winery to winery via helicopter, Burns thought. After all, who needs a DD when you can hire a DP (designated pilot)?

This fall, Sky Helicopters and Burns’ company Fork and grape started shuttling lucky duos to some of the Lower Mainland’s best wineries via helicopter.

Fork and Grape organizes two ‘flightseeing’/winery tours: a three and a half hour tour to a trio of Fraser Valley wineries departing from the Vancouver heliport (next to the Vancouver Convention Centre East) for approximately $1159. For folks willing to travel to Sky Helicopters’ headquarters in Pitt Meadows, tours run for three hours and visit three different Fraser Valley wineries for $679. The tours are priced based on double occupancy and include sommelier services, tasting costs and return heli-fare.

A freelance sommelier, Burns is excited to share both the bounty of some of the Lower Mainland’s best boutique wineries and stunning views during the trips to/from the wineries.

“This is seriously one of the most fun afternoons anyone can have,” said Burns over a glass of cabernet sauvignon earlier this fall. Burns has helped people demystify the world of wine for the last decade and teaches seminars, hosts tours and tastings across the Lower Mainland.

Photo Credit: Flickr/Faisal Akram

Heli wine tour guests can choose three stops at either: Blackwood Lane, Vista d’Oro, Krauss Berry Farms, Fort Wine Co. and/or Township 7. Tours can be booked by contacting Fork and Grape and are weather dependent. If cancelled due to bad weather, the tour will be rescheduled. For more info on Fork and Grape click here.

Article source: http://www.insidevancouver.ca/2014/10/28/heli-wine-tours-come-to-vancouver/