New Zealand and Argentina the theme at largest wine festival to date
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October 2nd, Vancouver, BC - The Vancouver Playhouse International Wine
Festival will mark its 32nd year with a celebration of the wines of Argentina and
New Zealand and a global focus on Rosé. The Festival, which runs from April 19th
to 25th 2010, will bring a record 197 participating wineries to the new Vancouver
Convention Centre and top Vancouver restaurants and hotels for a total seven
days of tastings, seminars, and wine focused events. A full list of participating
wineries is now available online at www.playhousewinefest.com.

“2010 is all about altitude, latitude and attitude,” says festival executive director
Harry Hertscheg. The combination of these two very different cultures and
countries will provide both strength and sex appeal to this year’s festival (think
Haka and Tango dancing) while the newfound confidence of Rosé wine in the
global market will add a counterpoint to the Pinot Noirs, Torrontés’, Sauvignon
Blancs and Malbecs that will be poured.

“We see this as an opportunity not only to support a worthy cause but also to
provide a platform for people to discover more about our premium wines and
regions,” says Philip Gregan, CEO, New Zealand Winegrowers. With 41 New
Zealand wineries from varying degrees of latitude participating in the 2010
festival, visitors can expect to find a wealth of diversity thanks to world class
Sauvignon Blancs and terroir-driven Pinot Noirs, refreshing aromatic and fruit
driven Chardonnays, and complex fuller-bodied reds. Kim Crawford Wines will
present a selection of wines, many of which have consistently scored 90 points or
higher over the past 7 years with a special recognition in 2008 of 40th place in
Wine Spectator’s Top 100. At Two Paddocks winery - located in the central
Otago region and helmed by Sam Neill - the age-old techniques of Burgundian
vintners are followed. Two Paddocks produces just 5000 cases per year from
hand-tended low yielding vines, handpicked grapes, and small batch wines
aged in French Oak barrels.

On the Argentine side, the dizzying altitudes and snow capped Andean
mountains produce grapes that are ripened to perfection year after year. “We
are very excited to participate in the 2010 Playhouse Wine Festival and to bring
our wines to the Canadian and US market,” says Lis Clément, Wines of
Argentina's Marketing & Communications Manager. “The alliance with New
Zealand is also very important since we view our two countries as being
complimentary to each other.” From rich Malbecs to the distinctive Torrontés,
the 36 participating Argentine wineries in the 2010 festival will include the
renowned Viña Doña Paula. An estate winery, Viña Doña Paula has an
incredible combination of climates and soil types and utilizing hand-tended
methods, generates a vast diversity of terroir-focused wines.

The Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival will open on Monday, April
19th and will feature 197 total wineries. More than 1700 wines will be poured to a
projected 25,000 attendees. Early tickets to the festival will be on sale in
November. For more information and to sign up for Playhouse Wine Festival
E-news visit www.playhousewinefest.com

About the Playhouse Wine Festival
The Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival, Canada’s premier wine
show, runs from April 19 to 25, 2010. The Playhouse Wine Festival is one of the
biggest and oldest wine festival events in the world. In 2010, the global focus will
be rosé. The festival features a week of special events including a gala auction,
wine seminars, wine minglers, winery dinners, lunches and brunches at fine
restaurants and hotels. The Playhouse Wine Festival is produced by the
Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Society, which has three mandates:
provide an informative, educational and entertaining wine experience for
consumers and trade; be a premier marketing opportunity for the wine industry
and festival partners; and raise funds for the Playhouse Theatre Company. Since
its inception in 1979, the festival has raised over $6.8 million to enable Western
Canada’s leading theatre company to mount 209 productions and develop
extensive community outreach and educational programs.
The Shore Club generously presents the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine
Festival.

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Media Contact:
Shannon Heth
Heth PR
T: 604-897-1808
E: shannon@hethpr.com
or
Kate MacDougall
Heth PR
T: 604-862-5191
E: kate@hethpr.com
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