15 Feb

1800 wines, 43 events, 10 days: All about the 2015 Vancouver International Wine Fest

Photo courtesy of Vancouver International Wine Festival

Drinkers, raise your glasses. The 2015 Vancouver International Wine Fest rolls into town Feb. 20-March 1. Some 25,000 wine lovers are expected to attend the 10-day festival, which features 43 separate happenings at venues around the city.

Wine-themed events range from special seminars to wine-paired lunches and dinners (and even brunches) and, of course, plenty of tastings. In total, 170 wineries from 14 countries will be in attendance, pouring more than 1,800 separate wines.

The heart of the festival is the giant International Festival Tasting Room event held over three nights (and one afternoon) inside the Vancouver Convention Centre, Thursday, Feb. 26, to Saturday, Feb. 28 (tickets starting at $68).

Photo courtesy of Vancouver International Wine Festival

Inside, all 170 participating wineries will be pouring their wines for guests to sample and savour. (Imagine a big party with thousands of people and hundreds of bottles of wine and you’ll get an idea of the atmosphere at the event.)

The focus at this year’s International Festival Tasting Room is on the fantastic wines from Australia. 55 award-winning Australian wineries will be on hand to show off the best offerings from the Land Down Under. In keeping with the Australian theme, the “global focus” at this year’s festival is on Shiraz (also known as Syrah), a wine varietal that Australia does exceedingly well. In total, more than 170 different styles of Syrah from around the world will be available to sample at the International Festival Tasting.

Photo courtesy of Vancouver International Wine Festival

Looking for a more intimate event to enjoy the festival’s great wines? The glitzy highlight of the Vancouver International Wine Festival is the aptly named Bacchanalia Gala Dinner + Auction, Friday, Feb. 20 (tickets $395). Held inside the regal Fairmont Hotel Vancouver ballroom in the heart of downtown, the dinner is the ultimate in food and wine pairings, featuring five gourmet courses paired with nine exceptional wines (not to mention a sparkling wine reception to kick things off). Guests also have the opportunity to bid in live auction on unique culinary and wine experiences and excursions.

For the full lineup of events and to purchase tickets, visit the Vancouver International Wine Festival website.