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32nd annual Vancouver Playhouse International Wine
Festival
EVENT
32nd annual Vancouver Playhouse
International Wine Festival; inaugural year was 1979. The Festival’s board chair
is Tony Ryan. The Festival’s executive director is Harry
Hertscheg.
DATES
April 19-25, 2010.
SNAPSHOT
The wine world is here for Canada’s
premier wine show. The Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival is one
of the biggest and oldest wine events in the world, offering something for
every level of wine drinker, collector and trade professional. Winery
principals (winemaker, proprietor, senior executive) from selected wineries and
countries will be in attendance to pour and discuss their wines.
The heart of the festival is the International
Festival Tasting Room at the Vancouver Convention Centre, where wines are
available for sampling, with more being served at special events including a
gala auction, wine seminars, trade events, and food and wine pairing affairs
such as winery dinners, lunches and brunches at top Vancouver restaurants and
hotels. For 2010, the spotlight is on three areas – the regional themes are
Argentina:
Unique Diversity, New
Zealand: Pure Discovery and the global
focus is Rosé.
Since its
inception in 1979, the Festival has raised $6.6 million for the Playhouse
Theatre Company. See complete Festival details at www.playhousewinefest.com
or call 604-873-3311.
 
International Festival Tasting Room (2009)
NUMBERS
Previous records and the year set are shown in brackets.
- Wines: 1700+ wines: (1,700;
2009).
- International
Festival Tasting Room Wines: 914
- Special
Event Wines: (tbd)
- Wineries: 197 wineries (183; 2009)
- Theme
Region Wineries: 36 wineries from Agentina and 44 from New Zealand.)
- Theme
region wines:
(tbd) wines from Argentina and (tbd) from New Zealand. (615: BC 2009)
- Countries: 14 (15; 2009)
- Events: 62 over
seven days (50 sold out; 2009).
- Projected
attendance: 25,000
(24,700; 2009).
REGIONAL THEMES
 Argentina has been described as the wine world’s 'field of dreams'. Often at dizzying altitudes, under the snow
capped Andean mountains, sun-drenched grapes are ripened to perfection year after
year. Wine in Argentina
in 2009 is a history of both yesterday and today - bringing together the
wisdom of the past with the expertise of modern technology. Argentina is
a land that draws myriad of distinguished winemakers because of the unique
qualities that our exceptional continental climate provides. From dark, vivacious Malbec-based reds, to
the distinctive indigenous Torrontés,
Argentina has
proven itself to be a land
of Unique Diversity.
 New Zealand wine is an experience like no other. Our special
combination of soil, climate and water, our innovative pioneering spirit and
our commitment to quality all come together to deliver pure, intense and
diverse experiences. In every glass of New Zealand Wine is a world of pure
discovery. New Zealand is a country of
contrasts with dense, native forest, snow-capped mountains and spectacular
coastline. With wine growing regions spanning the latitudes of 36 to 45
degrees and covering the length of 1000 miles (1,600km), grapes are grown in
a vast range of climates and soil types, producing a diverse array of styles.
The northern hemisphere equivalent would run from Bordeaux (between the latitudes of 44 and
46 degrees) down to southern Spain.
PAST REGIONAL THEMES
2009 –
Celebrate British Columbia
2008 – Vino Italiano: Innovation by Tradition
2007 – Australian Wine: A World of Difference
2006 – Wine Regions of France
2005 – Taste the new South Africa
2004 – Discover the Wine Regions of California
2003 – Showcasing Wines of Chile
2002 – Germany & Portugal
2001 – Spain
2000 – Italy
1999 – Australia
1998 – California
1997 – Canada
1996 – Bordeaux
GLOBAL FOCUS
Rosé wines offer the perfect combination of the
dry, refreshing characteristics of white wine and the complexity and colour
of revered reds. Rosé is perhaps most famous in France, especially in
Provence and southern Rhône, but Spain is also a serious producer of the pink
stuff, and Portugal’s rosés have long held a place in our hearts and on our
shelves. A little closer to home, BC is producing quality pink sippers, a
trend that carries south down the coast all the way to California. Not to be out done, Australia and
New Zealand
are producing increasingly complex and pleasing rosés, while Chile and South Africa
are set to become serious producers. And let’s not forget the joy a bottle of
rosé bubbles bestows, whether it be Champagne,
cava or a new world sparkler. Don’t blush – or rather, do blush… It’s all
coming up rosés!
PAST GLOBAL FOCUSES
2009 – Pinot(s)
2008 –
Sparkling Wine
2007 –
Riesling
2006 – Pinot
Noir
2005 –
Sauvignon Blanc
2004 –
Syrah/Shiraz
LOCATIONS
The Festival is headquartered at the Vancouver Convention Centre, 999 Canada Place.
The International Festival Tastings, most Trade Days events and public wine
seminars are held at VCC. Other events are held at Vancouver’s top restaurants and hotels. In
addition to the host venues, and restaurants, caterers and suppliers will participate
in the festival’s two signature brunches, Vintners Brunch and Flavours of the
Festival, taking place on Sunday, April 25.
TRADE DAYS
There are 11 trade-only
events over three days, Wednesday to Friday, April 21 to 23. The hub of Trade Days are the two afternoon
Trade Tastings in the International Festival Tasting Room on the Thursday and
Friday, which offers wines served at the public tastings in the evenings as
well as additional wines that are
unlisted and not yet available in this marketplace.
 The Trade Days special
events include a Symposium (Name TBD April 21) which last year was on Green
Wine Marketing entitled Eco-friendly Wine: Over-hyped, Over-priced? The Argentina; Unique Diversity and New Zealand;
Pure Discovery opening plenary (April 22), various seminars for buyers,
servers, sommeliers and chefs, as well as the must-attend Trade Days Lunch (April
22) and much-anticipated 7th Annual Awards Lunch (April 23). Trade
Days events are restricted to members of the hospitality and food and
beverage industry only.
GALA AUCTION
Bacchanalia Gala Dinner and Auction is at The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver on Wednesday, April 21, 2010.
This is the centre piece of the festival and one of the most spectacular
events in the city. The evening provides an unparalleled opportunity to
enhance collectors’ wine cellars through auctions of rare, valuable and
unusual wines, donated by some of the world’s top winemakers and private
collectors. The auction also includes unique culinary experiences, excursions
and extravaganzas. Meanwhile, the dinner is the ultimate in wine and food
pairing, with a Champagne reception and five
sensational courses paired with ten outstanding wines.
EVENT PRICES
Event prices range from $29 to $400. Early bird rates end on January 15 (February
16 for the Bacchanalia Gala). Ticket
prices are inclusive of GST and service charges (and gratuities for lunches
and dinners in restaurants).
TICKET SALES
Tickets to consumer events go on sale Tuesday, February 2nd at 9:30 am. Tickets to Trade Days
events go on sale Tuesday, February 9 at 9:30 a.m. All tickets are available through the
Playhouse Box Office at 604.873.3311 (Toll Free 1-877-321-3121) or in person
at 127 East 2nd
Avenue, Vancouver, British Columbia. Tickets to the
International Festival Tastings and selected special events, as well as
complete event information and
ticket purchasing information, are
available online at www.playhousewinefest.com.
PURPOSE
The
Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival has three mandates. It
provides an informative,
educational and entertaining wine experience for consumers and trade; it
serves as a premier marketing opportunity for the wine industry; and it is a
primary fundraiser for the Playhouse Theatre Company, Western
Canada’s largest theatre company dedicated exclusively to
producing works of the contemporary repertoire.
FUNDRAISING
Since inception in 1979, the Festival has raised $6.6 million for the
Playhouse, enabling the company to mount 214 theatrical productions and
create extensive educational and community outreach programs. The auction
portion of the 2009 Bacchanalia Gala Dinner and Auction raised $170,000.
2011 DATES
March 28 – April 3rd 2011.
Last updated: Sept 29, 2009
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