Apply to Wine Program Excellence Awards

Do you have an original and creative wine program? A successful wine program offers consumers a well-selected choice of wines that harmonize with the food, presented by staff with significant wine knowledge they share comfortably with diners.

Put your wine program to the test – enter the VIWF Wine Program Excellence Awards today! Your program will be judged by, and you’ll receive feedback from, some of the top wine professionals in Western Canada.

All winners receive an award, suitable for display, to show that your program received VanWineFest’s seal of approval and has met the demanding standards of our expert judges. And all entrants receive $193 worth of VanWineFest tickets if you enter by September 9, or $144 in tickets for later entries. It’s a deal!

We believe a good wine program brings in customers. A great wine program in a restaurant encourages customers to come back for more – more choices, and more delightful and memorable experiences.

“The Wine Program awards are really an extraordinary resource for the hospitality industry there, one I’d love to see replicated elsewhere.”
Jon Bonné, writer, author, journalist

How to Enter 

• Tell us your wine philosophy (maximum 200 words), describe your staff education program, and provide copies of your current wine list and dinner menu, all in PDF format sent to the Awards Producer.
• Complete our online application and pay the non-refundable entry fee of $140.

Please complete only one award application ($140) per restaurant or establishment. Box office will send a pre-buy ticket form in November enabling you to purchase additional Trade event tickets, as required.

Apply by 11:59 p.m. on September 9 for bonus benefits. Applications are open until October 15.

*(Late applications will be accepted between October 16-21 with a late entry fee of $200)

For more details, visit VanWineFest.ca.

See the full list of 2019 Wine Program Excellence award winners here.

Find out more about the coveted Celebrating Excellence Awards that were presented at the 16th Annual Awards Lunch on Friday, March 1 .

What You Receive

$144 worth of VIWF tickets / $193 in tickets if you enter by September 9.

 All entrants receive a complimentary ticket to these events on Friday, March 2, 2018:

• Celebrating Excellence: 17th Annual Awards Lunch featuring France, 11:15 a.m.-1:15 p.m. ($95 value)
• Trade Tasting with Trade Buyer Entry, 1:30-5 p.m. ($49 value)

Those who enter by 11:59 p.m. on Monday, September 9 will receive an additional complimentary Friday Trade Tasting ticket ($49 value).

Recognition and Bragging Rights

All participating restaurants receive careful consideration of their wine program by some of the finest professional judges in Western Canada and will be rated in one of the following five categories: Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Honourable Mention.

“Thank you very much for your valuable feedback and details about how we can do better next time! We were very pleased to win an award this year and it has really encouraged us to improve our wine list and program. We will be working hard towards Silver for next year and are very excited to be involved in such an excellent program with so many other outstanding restaurants in Vancouver.” Trish Price, Edible Canada 

Winners receive:

• Verbal and onscreen recognition at the 17th Annual Awards Lunch.
• An award for display – Platinum through Bronze winners.
• The opportunity to pre-buy additional Trade Days event tickets.
• Online listing and hotlink at VanWineFest.ca, promoted throughout the year.
• Acknowledgement in WPEA festival ads.
• Bragging rights on your restaurant’s website, wine list and menu.

Acknowledgement in related VIWF marketing materials, including press releases, e-newsletters, posters and rack cards.