Wine festival tickets go on sale next week
Get a jump on 2014 Vancouver International Wine Festival events.
Tickets go on sale Tuesday at 9: 30 a. m. and this year, the theme country is France and the global focus is bubbly, creating more interest than usual.
The festival, presented by The Vancouver Sun, runs from Feb. 24 to March 2 at the Vancouver Convention Centre and other venues in the city. It will feature 178 wineries from 14 countries and attract about 23,000 participants to the 54 events. ( Details at VanWineFest. ca.)
And for the first time this year, the international tasting room will be open on Saturday afternoon, from 3 to 5 p. m. Both the Saturday afternoon and Thursday evening tastings will have about a 30- per- cent lower attendance than the more popular Friday and Saturday evening tastings ( meaning less lineups to the wines).
France will be represented by 52 wineries from Alsace, Beaujolais, Bordeaux, Bourgogne, Champagne, Loire, Rhone, South of France and Southwest France.
And sure to be popular are a couple of the bubby events, All About Bubbly and Bubbly and Bites. The former features Terry Threlfall, festival sommelier and Matt Stamp, a master sommelier, leading a comparative tasting through various facets of sparkling wine from France, Australia, Canada, Italy and Spain. The latter is a kitchenparty style event featuring food paired with sparkling wines.
Annual events, which sell out quickly, include 25 Under $ 25 ( a wine mingler featuring wines under $ 25), the Vintners Brunch ( top city restaurants and wineries match up) and winery dinners with principals in attendance.
Tickets can be purchased online on the festival website, in person at 305456 West Broadway or by phoning the box office at 604- 873- 3311 ( toll- free at 1- 800- 321- 3121). Tickets for Trade Days Conference go on sale Jan. 21.
Net proceeds from ticket sales go to support Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival.