791 wines • 181 wineries • 15 countries
The Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival is widely regarded as the best consumer wine show on the continent, and the International Festival Tasting Room is the heart of it.
The Wine World is Here.
The big room is home to all 181 participating wineries, who will be pouring 791 different wines. Wineries are organized by country in alphabetical order with Chile in their own section and all are listed in the free Festival Program handed out at the door to help you keep track of the wines you like. The Tasting Room offers a unique opportunity to taste rare bottles and discover new treasures as you visit with renowned winery principals from around the globe. A winery principal, identified by their royal blue lanyard, is a senior member of the winery, intimately involved in the wine-producing process as a winemaker, proprietor or senior executive and is therefore thoroughly familiar with the wines being poured. Feel free to ask questions of them at their booth – and learn from the experts about your favourite wine.
The Tasting Room plays out over three consecutive nights. Thursday night’s capacity is guaranteed to be 25 percent lower than the other two evenings, attracting wine collectors and trade professionals who appreciate more room to interact with the winery principals. Friday is great for groups and the after-work crowd looking to kick off the weekend in style. Saturday night is perfect for couples and friends wanting to spend a night on the town. Groups of eight or more can save $10 each on Friday and Saturday nights. Be forewarned that this is a wine tasting, not a dinner event. We strongly recommend that you have a meal before tackling the room. However, you will find plenty of plain bread for cleansing the palate and small food samples will be served throughout the room.
2012 THEME REGION SPONSOR:
2012 Regional Tasting Stations
Life is a Cabernet Tasting Station
This year’s Global Focus, Cabernet(s) offers a great opportunity for
you to take a viticultural tour around the wine world, with a wide
range of styles from Old and New World wineries. There are more
than 185 different Cabernet(s) in the Tasting Room, both as a blend and
on its own. For a comprehensive comparative tasting of Cabernet(s)
from around the world, head directly to the Life is a Cabernet Tasting
Station, where experts from the International Sommelier Guild will be
your guides.
Regional Tasting Stations
There will be five Regional Tasting Stations in the International Festival Tasting Room, providing guided flights from their unique terroirs. Grab
your glass and prepare to embark on a wine tour of Australia, British
Columbia, New Zealand, South Africa, or the South of France, sampling
the specialities of each region at their own tables!
Sponsored by Wine Australia, Wines of British Columbia, New Zealand Wine, Wines of South Africa & Wines of the South of France.
Festival Wine Shop
Free bottle check and wine delivery
Tasting room wines may be bought at BC Liquor Stores’ onsite Festival Wine Shop with a corresponding Tasting Room ticket stub. When you find a wine you like, we suggest you set it aside in the free bottle check. Don’t wait until the end of the evening as some wines sell out early. Repeat as necessary. For added convenience, single bottles and case lots can be shipped free of charge to your local BC Liquor Store. Just ask at the Festival Wine Shop when you make your purchase
Get Home Safe
Plan ahead. Do not drink and drive. We suggest that you leave the car at home, assign a designated driver or take a taxi or transit home. Or consider staying at one of our partner hotels - make a night or a weekend of the festival. If you opt for transit, BC Liquor Stores offers festival-goers a free transit ticket - pick yours up at the Get Home Safe booth in the concourse as you exit the festival.
2012 Tasting room sponsors and suppliers
Caffé Umbria
Freybe Gourmet Foods
Krinos Foods
La Fromagerie Alexis de Portneuf
Terra Breads
Terra International Foods
