We look forward to welcoming you back to the 35th Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival, which takes place February 25 to March 3, 2013. The festival expects to be similar in size and scope to recent festivals, featuring some 1,700 wines from 15 countries. We again will be headquartered at the Vancouver Convention Centre and at select restaurants and venues throughout the city. Some notes:

• Next year's theme region is California
• The global focus is on Chardonnay
• Next year's winery applications open May 15 and close on June 15. Check the Exhibitors section of www.playhousewinefest.com for details
• Advance tickets go on sale November 1 and all public tickets will go on sale January 8
• Wine List Award entries open November 1 and close January 15
• Trade Days Conference tickets go on sale January 22  

The centrepiece of the Playhouse Winefest is the spectacular Bacchanalia Gala Dinner + Auction, presented by Goldcorp, at The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. The 2012 gala raised net proceeds of $250,000 for the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company, bringing the total raised for the theatre company to $7.8 million since the festival's inception in 1979. This year's proceeds have been paid to the theatre company and underwrote the 2011/2012 season. Big thanks to everyone who contributed to the gala's success - wineries, auction donors, attendees, sponsors, committee members and volunteers - to say nothing of bidders!  

You are all aware of the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company's sad announcement that it would cease operations after 49 seasons. God of Carnage, the final production in the 2011/2012 season, is on stage now through May 5; see below for more details. We are pleased to confirm that the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival, a separately incorporated non-profit society, will continue to stage one of the city's premier festivals with our industry partners. The disposition of future Wine Festival fundraising initiatives will be announced by the festival's Board of Directors later this summer.

          

Vancouver's vibrant food and wine scene has a well-deserved reputation for excellence, and we're proud to honour the best of the best through our trade competitions. Please give another big round of applause to the winners.

Spirited Industry Professional

Richard Carras, vice-president of Authentic Wine and Spirits Merchants,  won the Spirited Industry Professional Award. The festival considers nominations from across the province, and the award is presented to an individual who has made a significant

Sommelier of the Year

Terry Threlfall, sommelier and wine director at Hawksworth Restaurant, won the Playhouse Winefest's 2012 Sommelier of the Year. The award, the 13th annual, goes to the province's best sommelier as voted by key industry members; Terry also will be recognized in the May Restaurant Awards issue of Vancouver Magazine. Born and bred in Vancouver, Terry's wine career began at West Restaurant. That was followed by a decade abroad, including a stint in London as the head sommelier and wine buyer at Michelin-starred Chez Bruce, where his wine program won a number of acclaimed international awards. Terry is the first Canadian sommelier to become a regular panelist for Decanter magazine and a judge for the prestigious Decanter Wine Awards. In 2011, he returned to home to Vancouver to head the wine team at Hawksworth. Terry also serves as festival sommelier at the Playhouse Winefest, a job he's held for some 10 years; during his decade abroad, he commuted to Vancouver annually to spearhead the festival's wine team and direct the complex wine logistics. Terry is certified by the International Sommelier Guild.

The Art Institute of Vancouver  

Wine Professional Challenge

The seventh annual Art Institute of Vancouver Wine Professional Challenge was won by Adrien Boisvert of Glowbal Group's Black + Blue, who   took home the coveted Puddifoot Award (a Riedel carafe, engraved trophy and bottle of vintage port) and a Trade Days Conference Pass to the 2013 Playhouse Winefest. The challenge requires competitors, all    

As mentioned above, the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company announced on March 9 that it was ceasing operations. Since then, the Vancouver Civic Theatres advised that God of Carnage, the final scheduled production of the Playhouse Theatre Company's 2011/2012 season, would proceed as planned from April 14 to May 5. God of Carnage is a co-production with the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre. A West End and Broadway hit, God of Carnage is "fast, furious and very, very funny." When two young boys get into a playground fight, their parents meet to discuss the incident in a civilized manner. But what begins as a calm and rational debate between grownups soon degenerates into a hysterical evening of name-calling, tantrums and tears before bedtime. Tickets are on sale and can be reserved by calling 604-665-3470, or in person at the theatre box office, Hamilton St. at Dunsmuir, Monday - Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. All ticket commitments will be honoured, including season ticket-holders.

          

Two valued members of the Playhouse Winefest family passed away this week. Both of them will be sorely missed.

• John E. Levine, the man who founded the Playhouse Winefest, died April 17, peacefully listening to jazz. John was a former board member with the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company and started the festival in 1979 as a fundraising initiative. There was one winery - Robert Mondavi - and wine was served in paper cups. The festival has come a long way since then - 1,700 wines and not one of them served in paper cups! - and now is widely regarded as the best in North America. And John's fundraising idea raised $7.8 million over the ensuing 34 years for the theatre company. He was 74 years old.

• Tom Kassian, who worked as head of our security team for 15 years, passed away suddenly on April 12. Those of you who entered the tasting room via the Exhibitors Entrance will remember him scanning your badges, and always with a smile. He was a wonderful person with a fantastic personality. He was 51 years old.