2009

CELEBRATE BRITISH COLUMBIA
An international celebration showcasing British Columbia's food and wine.

Global Focus
In 2009 the global focus will be Pinot(s), a group of grape varietals that include Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Meunier

International Festival Tasting Room

2008

701 wines • 176 wineries • 16 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 all.

In 2008 the big room was home to 176 wineries from 16 countries serving 701 different wines. Guests tasted rare bottles and discovered new pleasures as they visited with renowned winery principals from around the globe. Winery principals (winemaker, proprietor, senior executive) at each booth were identified by the royal blue lanyard holding their name tag.

Vino Italiano: Innovation by Tradition

Wine fans found 50 of Italy's finest wineries in the dedicated Theme Region section of the International Festival Tasting. Many of Italy's most renowned wine personalities were on hand to pour a range of their finest wines.

Sparkling Tasting Station

The 2008 Global Focus was on Sparkling wine, a wonderful approach to vinification that creates wines of endless appeal and complex refinement. Sparkling connoisseurs found 108 examples of this timeless style throughout the Tasting Room. For comparative tastings of selected Sparkling wines gathered from around the room, experts from Wine Access magazine and the International Sommelier Guild presented the Sparkling Tasting Station..

Festival Wine Shop
Free bottle check and wine delivery

Tasting room wines may be bought at BC Liquor Stores’ onsite Festival Wine Shop. 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. Pay for your checked bottles when you leave (or return them to stock if you change your mind). And if you don’t want to carry your bottles or cases home at the end of the evening, BC Liquor Stores will ship them free to your nearest outlet and call you when they are ready to be picked up.

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.

Tasting room sponsors and suppliers

Balderson Cheese
Freybe Gourmet Foods
Krinos Foods
National Importers
La Maison Alexis de Portneuf
Caffè Umbria
Terra Breads
Terra International Foods
Tetra Pak

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