Vancouver International Wine Festival Highlights: Explore With Seminars, Dinners & Tastings

If you start planning to sample responsibly at the upcoming Vancouver International Wine Festival, you may just get through Dry January as you’ll have some stellar wine tastings to look forward to. The 2025 festival is from February 22 until March 2, with 44 events over these eight days, and more than 1,000 wines to try. The focus is Wines of the USA, but there are plenty of BC wineries and global representation including a good showing of Italian bottles, wines from Croatia, Greece, and even Japanese Sake. Tickets go on sale this Wednesday, January 8th, for wine dinners and January 15th for all other events, and tickets move fast. Here are some highlights of the festival, you should also attend at least one of the Festival’s Main Tastings. —Cassandra Anderton, Good Life Vancouver

Dinner – Discover Paso Robles at L’Abattoir – February 25

Booker Wines, one of Paso Robles’ regions best will be poured alongside Chef Lee Cooper’s stellar culinary offerings. Among the dishes served, an Albacore Tuna Tartare will accompany the Booker White Blend, and a Crispy Pork Belly with the Booker Rhone Red. L ’Abattoir’s Sommelier Andrew Forsyth is known for nailing wine pairings, and the food here is some of the best in the city.

Dinner – Coppola’s Sonoma’s Best at Bacchus Restaurant – February 25

Senior Winemaker for Francis Ford Coppola Winery, Andrea Card, a fourth-generation Sonoma County native, will guide you through these perfect pairings from Chef Stefan Hartmann. Wonton Tacos with Sofia Blanc de Blanc, a Veal Tenderloin with the Director’s Cut Pinot Noir and a Dry-Aged Duck with the Cabernet Sauvignon are just some of the offerings.

Wine Party – Venice in Vancity Carnevale at The Vancouver Club – February 26

Savour “Cicchetti” (Italian snacks) at the city’s premier private club while you explore wine stations serving Italian Pinot Grigio from the relatively new (2017) Delle Venezie DOC region. Dive deep into the expressions of this varietal when it is grown and vinified in Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and Trentino-Alto Adige in northeastern Italy.

Seminar – Napa Cabernet Retrospective – February 26

Wine Educator Elaine Chukan Brown will lead this Master Class featuring six iconic Napa wines, each contrasting an older, with a newer vintage. The aging potential of Napa Cab Sauvignons is discussed while wines from Jackson Family, Black Stallion Estate, Beulieu Vineyards, Signorello, Robert Mondavi and Orin Swift Cellars are sampled.

Dinner – Erath: Uniquely Oregon – February 26

Join Winemaker Leah Adint and taste through Erath Wines from Dundee Hills of Oregon, paired with culinary creations from Aloutette Bistro. The winery has cultivated the land for more than 40 years and varietals grown and presented include various Pinot Noirs, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay. Menu TBD.

Seminar Cool Climate California – February 28

Tour about cooler-climate California’s Santa Barbara, Monterey and Mendocino as Moderator DJ Kearney discusses these coaster regions with winery principals and winemakers from the region. Sample wines such as an Albarino from WX Brands, a Rhone Red from Folktale Winery and the J. Lohr and Jacson Family Pinot Noirs.

Lunch – PICA Kitchen Party – Sunday March 2

A party at Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts involves strolling from kitchen to kitchen as the city’s top chefs pair their best with this event’s featured wines. You’ll have the opportunity to speak to the chefs and winery representatives about their presentations and compare your notes with other culinary and wine enthusiasts. The winery lineup ranges from Blue Grouse on Vancouver Island to a Greek Assyrtiko from Orama Brands and chefs will be announced shortly.

Tickets for winery dinners will go on sale on Wednesday, January 8, 9:30 a.m. and all other events on Wednesday, January 15, 9:30 a.m. TICKETS FOR VIWF.