2017 Wineries – Announcement
Vancouver, B.C. (September 23, 2016) – The Vancouver International Wine Festival is pleased to announce the winery lineup for the 39th annual festival, which takes place February 11-19, 2017. The eight-day wine and food extravaganza will showcase 182 wineries from 16 countries, including 77 wineries from featured country Canada and 105 additional producers from around the world, pouring 1,550+ wines at 55 events.
View the winery list here.
“In February, more than 100 international producers will travel to Vancouver to help 77 vintners from Nova Scotia, Ontario and British Columbia celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary,” says David Hopgood, chair of the Winery Selection Committee. “The exceptional roster includes, for the first time, a winery from Turkey. Fifty old world producers (including 16 French and 20 Italian) and 50 new world wineries, plus sake-makers from Japan and Canada, will show their wares alongside the best from Canada.”
The festival is headquartered at the Vancouver Convention Centre; in addition, more than 25 other restaurants and venues around the city will host winery dinners, lunches, seminars and wine minglers. The sumptuous Bacchanalia Gala Dinner + Auction, benefiting Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival, kicks off the festival on February 11 at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver; tickets and tables are on sale now. The heart of the festival is the Acura Tasting Room, where all 182 wineries will gather for four International Festival Tastings and two Trade Tastings. Discounted advance tickets for the International Festival Tastings go on sale Tuesday, November 1 at 9:30 a.m.
The Wine World Celebrates Canada
In honour of Canada’s 150th birthday in 2017, VanWineFest will host the largest gathering ever of Canadian wineries at an international festival. Canadian wineries will have a featured section in the tasting room, and will be showcased in special events throughout the week.
“Our industry has undergone such rapid growth, with the number of Canadian wineries almost doubling within the last decade,” says Dan Paszkowski, president and CEO of the Canadian Vintners Association. “It’s therefore an excellent time to showcase ‘Wines of Canada’ at the 2017 Vancouver International Wine Festival. We are confident that festivalgoers will be impressed and wowed by the selection, diversity and quality of our terroir-driven wines, which highlight the best of Nova Scotia, Ontario and British Columbia.”
Canada’s importance, not just as a world-class producer of wine, but also as a major importer of wine, is reflected in the strong lineup of international wineries at next year’s festival, with 15 other countries represented. Canada is the seventh largest wine market in the world (World Wine and Spirits Market with an Outlook to 2018), and the fourth largest wine importer in sales value (Global Trade Atlas, 2013). British Columbia’s wine market alone tops $1 billion annually.
Save the Dates
Advance tickets go on sale Tuesday, November 1 at 9:30 a.m.
All public events go on sale Tuesday, January 10 at 9:30 a.m.
All trade events go on sale Tuesday, January 17, at 9:30 a.m.
For more information about the Vancouver International Wine Festival go to VanWineFest.ca.
