The 2017 Victoria Wine Festival is almost here! Though tickets are going fast, you still have time to grab yours and start day-dreaming about all the delicious regional and international vintages you’ll have the opportunity to sample.
Whether this is your first year participating in the event, or you just want to refresh your memory, here are ten important things to know about the 2017 Victoria Wine Festival!
1 – The Value of Your Ticket
Let’s get down to brass tax. When you purchase your ticket, you’re not just buying your way through the door; you’re getting a chance to sample more than 300 wines throughout the two-day run of the festival. Even if you don’t take a sample at every table, the average Wine Fest guest sips enough Bordeauxs and Pinots to get twice the value of their ticket.
2 – Affordable Options
At the Victoria Wine Festival, we’re not here to waft mouthwatering vintages across your palate and then disappoint you with outrageous price tags. The wine shown and sampled at each table is affordable – at past events, more than three-quarters of the sampled wines cost less than $20. So, as you make your rounds, it’s well worth your time to keep track of your favourite sips – you’ll definitely want to pick those up on your way home.
3 – A Learning Opportunity
Speaking of keeping track: our brochures, which share the available wines and details of each winery, are made with note-taking in mind. Don’t worry, there won’t be a quiz at the end, but we do want to make sure you leave the Festival with the confidence of a budding wine connoisseur. There will be plenty of pros close at hand who can tell you where those aromas and flavours you’re sensing came from. They’ll fill you in on all the little details to leave you well-prepared to shop your local liquor store wine aisle in the future!
4 – A Unique Experience
A ticket to the Victoria Wine Festival gives you access to an even that can’t be recreated. Many of the hundreds of wines served cannot be found or tasted anywhere else in the country. This is just one of the many benefits of taking part in Vancouver Island’s vast and intricate wine culture.
5 – One of a Kind
Furthermore, the Victoria Wine Festival is the only one like it on the Island. Of course, you can taste the regional wines on offer by visiting the vineyards around the province, but this is the province’s only wine event with an international angle. Many of the foreign wines you’ll have the chance to sample won’t be available at any other BC, or even Canadian, event. At this year’s festival, wines will be showcased from 17 different countries.
6 – It’s Not Just a Tasting
Did you know the Wine Festival has multiple facets? In addition to the three tasting sessions taking place in the beautiful Parkside Hotel and Spa, there are also four seminars throughout the course of the weekend. The seminars will delve deeper into the wide world of wine, with engaging topics including a female-focused panel of makers and retailers discussing their passions for and careers in the industry, regional sommeliers revealing their favourite BC wines, and two seminars focused on the sponsor country.
7 – Each Year Features a Sponsor Country
This year, the Victoria Wine Festival is sponsored by New Zealand, a country rich in fine wines and breathtaking vineyards. All the unique vintages made available at the tastings are carefully selected and presented by New Zealand’s own wine experts. These wines have never been brought this way before, so you’ll be among the first Canadians to taste the new wonders from this beautiful country.
8 – Tables Are Managed By Agencies
Most tables throughout the hall – well-stocked with unique wines ripe for the tasting – are overseen by the expert agencies who manage widespread wine portfolios that encompass many vineyards – not by representatives from the individual wineries. These career wine folks know a lot about the industry; questions regarding specific vintages, and general wine-related inquiries can of course be directed toward these well-traveled vendors.
9 – Learn More from the Wandering Sommeliers
During the tasting events, the floor will be scattered with wine experts who make their living talking about, choosing, and tasting wine. These knowledgeable individuals are more than happy to discuss the finer points of the industry with you, answer any of your questions, and direct you to tables sampling your favourite flavours, aromas, or species of grape.
10 – You Can Go To Just One Tasting
If you enjoy wine but are a bit overwhelmed by the idea of a Super Pass – which earns you access to all three tastings and two seminars – worry not. Separate tickets can be purchased for each tastings and seminar. The seminars run throughout Friday and Saturday and the tastings, each of which lasts 2.5 hours, are held Friday evening and Saturday afternoon and evening.
There are so many things to see, and do, and taste, at the 2017 Victoria Wine Festival. Pick up your Super Pass or individual tickets (http://bit.ly/2p1B2Ej) today to solidify your spot in the wine event of the year.
Purchase your tickets online, or in-person at one of these locations:
Everything Wine, 131-2401 Millstream Road, Victoria
The Parkside Hotel and Spa, 810 Humboldt Street, Victoria
Vessel Liquor, 1609 Fort Street, Victoria
Find and Follow the Victoria Wine Festival online:
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