Foodology Disclaimer: We were invited to attend the Vancouver International Wine Festival.
This was our first year going to the Vancouver International Wine Festival and to tell you the truth I was feeling a little nervous about feeling the need to wade through the 175 wineries showcased.
I’ve always enjoyed wine and though I can’t use proper wine lingo, I’ve always viewed wine as a social thing to be enjoyed with family and friends. Not necessarily as something only enjoyed by the people who can fit into the culture.
This year’s theme region sponsor was California. Primarily there were two sections – one for California and one for the other wines of the world ordered by country and region. The booths were also organized alphabetically and numbered which made navigation very simple!
If you’ve never been to a larger scale wine tasting before, you might be wondering what the buckets and jugs of water are for. Enter in and you’re given your own wine glass. When you’ve finished tasting, you can pour out any remaining wine into the bucket and use the water to rinse off your glass to move on to the next thing.
I started off trying mostly whites and when I wanted to move on to the reds, I realized that it was already 9:30pm so I didn’t get much time to go through many of the reds. This year’s time for the tasting was from 7:00pm to 10:00pm.
I’m not an expert and am quite new to the wine world but here are a few wines that I came out quite enjoying and look forward to drinking again in the future:
- 2011 Amalaya vino blanco (Torrontes – 90%; Riesling 10%) from Argentina: For those of you who enjoy a crisp, refreshing, and floral light-bodied white. Drinking it reminded me of the coming spring and summer nights.
- 2009 Yarden Viognier from Israel: A smooth-mouth feeling white with a touch of sweetness that reminds me of biting into a peach. More of a medium-bodied wine that is lightly oaked.
- 2010 Signorello Chardonnay Hope’s Cuvée from California: Yum. This was definitely a treat. Check out the linked description and tasting note. It’s a well-crafted wine very balanced oak and had a very nice elegance to it. My description does not do it justice.
If you’re thinking of heading into next year’s festival, my recommendations would be to:
- Do some general research about some wineries/regions – you won’t have time to be able to taste everything but be open to being spontaneous!
- Don’t feel intimidated to ask questions. The people behind the labels are passionate and willing to explain the differences in their lineup as they take you through their light whites to bold reds.
I do have to say that $95 might be on the high side for the average person attending the event but if you are someone genuinely interested in learning about wine and talking to the people behind the product, it’s worth it. I’m not sure when I’ll have such ready access to so many different bottles.
Until we meet again #VanWineFest!
