The Vancouver International Wine Festival is Back This May Long Weekend

Calling all Vancouverites and wine lovers, for the first time since 2020, the Vancouver International Wine Festival is back and better than ever with a unique line up of dinners, seminars and more from May 16 to May 22. This year, the festival is featuring a range of wineries from Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Croatia, France, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Uruguay, the United States and a few multi-national wineries such as Jackson Family Wines and Accolade Wines. 

The Festival began on May 16 at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver with the Bacchanalia Gala Dinner and Auction which included a pairing of nine wines with five course, accompanied by live music, dancing, silent auctions and much more. Following this event, a number of themed dinners at various well-known spots across the city will take place from Monday to Wednesday, but the real fun begins on Thursday. 

From Thursday to Saturday, two Trade Tasting sessions and four International Festival Tasting sessions are taking place at the Vancouver Convention Centre. Although tickets are almost all sold out, there are still spots available for the International Festival Tasting session from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm on Thursday, and for 2:30 pm to 5:00 pm on Saturday. These International Festival Tastings are where over one hundred of the participating wineries gather to pour their wines for you to taste, discuss and even purchase at the BC Liquor Stores Festival Wine Shop located in the Tasting Room. All festival tickets can be found on the VIWF website

Last but not least, the festival comes to a close on Sunday with the “Spring Fling Sunday Brunch.” This is a true ‘Rosé all day’ event featuring a refreshing assortment of sparkling wines and Rosés, paired with a combination of hot and cold dishes as well as live music.  

If you are attending the Vancouver International Wine Festival next weekend, remember to avoid wearing strong fragrances so that you aren’t competing with any noses and palates! Also, limited food samples are available during the tasting sessions and since there is a lot of wine to taste, it is highly recommended that you eat prior to the tasting session. And of course, drive safe! 

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