Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival
If you love sipping malbec and swirling sauvignon blanc, you’re in luck. Argentina (famous for malbec) and New Zealand (synonymous with sauvignon blanc) are the two “theme regions” of this year’s Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival. Set for April 19 to 25, 2010, it is one of the biggest and oldest wine festivals in the world that’s open to the public. The festival features a week of special events including a gala auction, wine seminars and minglers, winery dinners, as well as lunches and brunches at fine restaurants and hotels. Since its inception in 1979, the festival has been one of the main events on Vancouver’s foodie calendar.
For Road Trips Foodies, the wine festival offers an unparalleled opportunity to experience Vancouver’s renowned food and wine scene. Most events (like the “Boutiques of BC” winery dinner at Elixir Bistro) take place at restaurants in downtown Vancouver, within walking distance of most hotels. The International Festival Tasting Room, where you can sample over 700 wines, is set in the new Vancouver Convention Centre on Vancouver’s waterfront. The festival also includes great seminars like “Meet your Match: Speed Dating Wine Tasting” moderated by Canadian wine writer and commentator, Anthony Gismondi. The complete event schedule is here.
