Advance Tickets on Sale November 1
Save $9 on International Festival Tasting tickets
Save all $ by booking hotel through StayVancouverHotels.com
Discounted tickets & Gold Pass on sale November 1 to December 15
VANCOUVER, BC (October 25, 2018) — Starting November 1 at 9:30 a.m., wine lovers can save $9 off International Festival Tasting tickets for the 41st Vancouver International Wine Festival. And if they book one of 37 downtown hotels available through StayVancouverHotels.com their ticket is free, a saving of up to $109. The Delta Air Lines Tasting Lounge and the Gold Pass are also on sale in advance at a discount.
The 2019 festival runs February 23 to March 3 and welcomes 160 wineries from around the world. All participating wineries and their principals gather in the Tasting Room (February 28-March 2) to showcase their wines. Advance-price tickets are limited and savings are in effect until December 15, or while quantities last. After that, tickets are available at regular rates. The StayVancouverHotels free ticket offer is available through February 14, or while quantities last.
This year, the festival’s theme is Dream Big: California Style, with 53 wineries and their principals from California travelling north to Vancouver to share their stories, passion and history. They’re joined by 107 wineries from 15 countries, plus wines from South Africa available only at a Regional Tasting Station in the Tasting Room. Overall, more than one out of four wineries are new to the 2019 festival.
“We’re delighted to offer festivalgoers a discount on select Tasting Room-related events,” said Harry Hertscheg, VIWF executive director. “Tickets make a great holiday gift for the wine lover on your list, and you can buy them online, by phone or in person. Best of all, the ticket price you see is the amount you pay. No surprises upon check out!” The advance sale offers savings on International Festival Tasting tickets and associated events. See details below.
ADVANCE SALE OFFERS
International Festival Tastings
Festivalgoers save $9 off the regular price of International Festival Tasting tickets (Thursday, February 28, Friday, March 1 and Saturday, March 2). Advance tickets for evening tastings, 7 to 10 p.m., are $80 for Thursday, $90 for Friday and $100 for Saturday. The Saturday matinee tasting from 2:30 to 5 p.m., set against the stunning backdrop of Coal Harbour, is available for the low advance price of $75. Only a limited number of tickets are available at the advance rate for each of the four sessions. Once the advance allotment sells out, tickets may be purchased at regular prices.
Delta Air Lines Tasting Lounge
Enjoy an enhanced International Festival Tasting experience with tickets to the exclusive Friday and Saturday evening Delta Air Lines Tasting Lounge and save $14 (advance rate $185 for Friday and $195 for Saturday). Located in the Ocean Foyer in VCC West, right next to the Tasting Room, the lounge is open 5:45 to 9 p.m. and offers easy access to the corresponding International Festival Tasting. Enjoy a respite from the Tasting Room with comfortable seating and spectacular views. Select festival wines, light bites and cheeses are served.
Gold Pass
For those wanting the full tasting experience, Gold Passes go on sale for only $480, a $19 savings. Gold Passes include access to six tastings (four public IFTs and two Trade Tastings, presented by ContainerWorld), the Delta Air Lines Tasting Lounge and the exclusive Festival Toast VIP reception. Purchased individually, the Gold Pass events are valued at $749.
BOOK A HOTEL, GET A FREE INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL TASTING TICKET!
Save, sip, and stay safe! Book a stay at one of StayVancouverHotels.com’s 37 downtown hotels and receive a free International Festival Tasting ticket (a $84 to $109 value at regular rates) to the session of your choice. This offer is only available until February 14 or while allocations last, so book early to taste for free. The StayVancouverHotels.com initiative is an important cornerstone of the festival’s Don’t Wine and Drive program.
INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL TASTINGS HIGHLIGHTS
See the full list of participating wineries
The Tasting Room at the Vancouver Convention Centre is where all 160 participating wineries gather to pour ~725 select wines. Discover exciting new wines, or return to your favourites, sipping from premium wine glasses. The room will also feature eight regional tasting stations from Australia, California, Napa Valley, New Zealand, Nova Scotia, South Africa, Spain, and Washington State. You can also find wine-friendly food and beverage exhibitors, many of whom offer tasting samples, including Nespresso, Riedel, FIJI Water, Terra International Foods, and D’Oro Gelato e Caffè. However, festivalgoers are encouraged to have a meal before attending as food quantities are limited.
Theme Region: California
Dream Big: California Style at VanWineFest 2019 with 53 wineries from the Golden State featured at the festival. Discover the passion and energy of California’s vintners and growers in a special section of the Tasting Room, where some of the most dynamic personalities in the industry will be showcasing their award-winning wines.
Vine Stars
What makes VanWineFest unique is the presence of global “vine stars” – winemakers, proprietors, senior executives – who come to Vancouver every year to pour and discuss their wines with festivalgoers. Each winery will be represented in the room by a principal, someone closely involved in the wine-production process. Seek out the royal blue lanyards at tastings and special events to meet our vine stars face-to-face.
More Room, Smaller crowds
Both the Thursday evening and Saturday afternoon sessions are guaranteed to have a lower capacity than Friday and Saturday evening, offering more room and more time to interact with winery principals.
BC Liquor Stores Festival Wine Shop
Included in the price of each ticket is the opportunity to shop at the onsite BC Liquor Store where wines from all participating wineries will be available for purchase. Whether you buy one bottle or 100, your wine purchases can be shipped at no cost to your nearest BC Liquor Store anywhere in the province.
Don’t Wine and Drive
- Book a downtown hotel via StayVancouverHotels.com and get a free International Festival Tasting ticket (while supplies last or until February 14)
- Get a free transit ticket from BC Liquor Distribution Branch as you leave the tastings to Get Home Safe
- Grab a taxi or limo home
HOW TO PURCHASE ADVANCE TICKETS (Nov. 1-Dec. 15, while quantities last)
Online: VanWineFest.ca
Phone: 604-873-3311, toll free 1-877-321-3121 (Monday to Friday, 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m.)
In person: 202-162 West 1st Avenue, Vancouver (Monday to Friday, 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m.)
All ticket prices include wine, food (if a food event), gratuities, taxes and service charge.
SAVE THE DATES
All public events go on sale Wednesday, January 9 at 9:30 a.m.
All Trade Days Conference events go on sale Wednesday, January 23 at 9:30 a.m.
Stay in Touch:
For more information, go to VanWineFest.ca
Twitter: follow @VanWineFest for news on tickets and sold-out events. Join the conversation at #VIWF.
Facebook & Instagram: @VanWineFest
ABOUT VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL WINE FESTIVAL
Canada’s premier wine show will mark its 41st edition of pairing wine, food and the performing arts from February 23 to March 3, 2019. The festival features California Wines and will showcase 160 wineries from 15 countries (including 53 wineries from California) pouring ~1,500 wines at 54 events to a projected 25,000 admissions. The Bacchanalia Gala Dinner + Auction opens the festival on Saturday, February 23 at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. The Trade Days Conference runs Wednesday, February 27 to Friday, March 1. The festival has been named the #1 Food, Wine & Hospitality Event in Canada by New York’s BizBash for six years running. The festival is produced by the Vancouver International Wine Festival Society, which has three mandates: provide an informative, educational and entertaining wine experience for public and trade; be a premier marketing opportunity for the wine industry and festival partners; and raise funds for the Bard on the Beach Theatre Society. Since inception in 1979, the festival has raised $9.2 million for the performing arts. Major sponsors are Delta Air Lines and the Vancouver Sun; major industry partners are the BC Liquor Distribution Branch, BC Liquor Stores, and the Import Vintners & Spirits Association. The festival is made possible through the gracious support of our participating countries’ consulates and embassies.
ABOUT WINE INSTITUTE OF CALIFORNIA
Established in 1934 and based in San Francisco, Wine Institute is the public policy advocacy group of more than 1,000 California wineries and affiliated businesses that initiates and advocates state, federal and international public policy to enhance the environment for the responsible production, consumption and enjoyment of wine. Wine Institute’s California Wine Export Program has more than 175 member wineries exporting to 138 countries. The program’s 15 representative offices conduct activities in 25 countries around the globe. The Wine Institute’s Canadian office coordinates a number of promotional activities every year designed to educate and inform media, trade, stakeholders and consumers about the quality and diversity of products available from the Golden State. For more information on the Wine Institute of California, visit the website at www.discovercaliforniawines.com and www.calwine.ca
ABOUT BARD ON THE BEACH
Celebrating its 30th season in 2019, Bard on the Beach is one of Canada’s largest not-for-profit, professional Shakespeare festivals. It is presented on the waterfront in Kitsilano’s Vanier Park, adjacent to Vancouver’s downtown core. Bard on the Beach offers Shakespeare plays, related dramas and popular special events in two performance tents every June through September. In 2018, attendance was 108,000 and almost 1.9 million patrons have experienced Bard since its inception. Next year’s festival dates are June 5 to September 21, 2019, and the lineup includes The Taming of the Shrew, Shakespeare in Love, All’s Well That Ends Well and Coriolanus. Bard also offers a range of education programs, including Young Shakespeareans workshops for 8-18 year-olds at its Vanier Park site during the summer, and the Riotous Youth program for 19 to 24-year-olds. During the school term, Bard also offers workshops for educators and youth in schools and community centres throughout BC’s Lower Mainland, as well as at its administrative home, the BMO Theatre Centre (162 West 1st Avenue). Full details and education program information are at bardonthebeach.org.
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Media Contact:
Shannon Heth, Milk Creative Communications
shannon@thinkmilk.ca
