Vancouver International Wine Festival ITALIA! TAKES CENTRE STAGE IN THE ACURA TASTING ROOM Discounted International Festival Tasting tickets on sale November 3 to December 31 Free ticket with beVancouver.com hotel booking IN BRIEF…Discounted tickets to select 2016 Vancouver International Wine Festival events go on sale Tuesday, November 3 at 9:30 a.m. Save $10 to $20 until December 31, or while quantities last, on International Festival Tasting tickets, the Delta Air Lines Tasting Lounge and the Gold Pass. Or get a free ticket by booking a hotel via beVancouver.com. The 38th festival features ITALIA! and runs February 20 to 28, showcasing 156 wineries from 14 countries. Buy at vanwinefest.ca or call 604-873-3311, toll free 1-877-321-3121 (weekdays 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m.) A limited number of discounted advance tickets to the 38th Vancouver International Wine Festival go on sale November 3 at 9:30 a.m. The festival runs February 20 to 28, 2016, welcoming 156 wineries from 14 countries. All wineries and their principals gather in the Acura Tasting Room to showcase their wines at the four International Festival Tastings (February 25 to 27), available for $10 off the regular price until December 31, or while quantities last. The 2016 festival features ITALIA! as the theme country with 60 wineries from nine iconic regions, nearly one third of which are participating for the first time. This marks the largest assembly of Italian wineries in VanWineFest history. “This gathering of Italian producers will allow Vancouver wine lovers to explore nine of Italy’s storied regions, discovering an extraordinary range of grapes – more …

The post Discounted Tix for Vancouver International Wine Festival 2016 on sale Nov 3 appeared first on Fabulously Frugal in Vancouver.

CANADA TAKES CENTRE STAGE AT 2017 VANWINEFEST Discounted tickets & Gold Pass on sale November 1 to December 15 Free ticket with beVancouver.com hotel booking IN BRIEF Discounted tickets to select 2017 Vancouver International Wine Festival events go on sale Tuesday, November 1 at 9:30 a.m. Save $5 to $15 until December 15, or while quantities last, on International Festival Tasting tickets, the Delta Air Lines Tasting Lounge and the Gold Pass. Or get a free ticket by booking a hotel via beVancouver.com. In 2017, The Wine World Celebrates Canada from February 11 to 19, showcasing 181 wineries from 16 countries. Buy at VanWineFest.ca or call 604-873-3311, toll free 1-877-321-3121  (weekdays 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m.). DETAILED DESCRIPTION A limited number of discounted advance tickets to the 39th Vancouver International Wine Festival go on sale November 1 at 9:30 a.m. The festival runs February 11 to 19, 2017, welcoming 181 wineries from 16 countries. All wineries and their principals gather in the Tasting Room to showcase their wines at the four International Festival Tastings (February 16 to 18), available in advance for $5-$9 off the regular price until December 15, or while quantities last. In celebration of Canada’s 150th Birthday, the 2017 festival features Canada as the theme country with 76 wineries from British Columbia, Ontario and Nova Scotia, nearly one third of which are participating for the first time. This marks the largest gathering of Canadian wineries ever at an international festival. “VanWineFest 2017 offers an unprecedented showcase of Canadian wineries, principals and wines alongside their international …

The post Advance Tickets On Sale November 1 for Vanwinefest appeared first on Fabulously Frugal in Vancouver.

Bonterra Winemaker Dinner at The BoatHouse Public Events for VanWineFest Go On Sale Tuesday, January 10 at 9:30 a.m. Tickets to all public events for VanWineFest go on sale Tuesday, January 10 at 9:30 a.m.   Many events are expected to sell out on the first day, so we have some ways to help you plan your festival week in advance. Visit VanWineFest.ca to choose your events. You can browse events by category or day, or just scroll throughthe full list of 39 public events. The festival brochure is available online (pdf), or you can pick it up at a BC Liquor Store or private wine shop around Vancouver. If you’re on our mailing list, watch your mailbox for your personal copy. Prefer to search by day of the festival week? Check out the event calendar or our interactive Festival at a Glance. Each event is linked to its own page, with full details as available. Find out which wineries are coming to VanWineFest and learn more about Wines of Canada. The Vine Stars Are Coming Be sure to read Saturday, January 7, 2017 edition of the Vancouver Sun to see some of the vine stars coming to VanWineFest this year. Each winery participating in the festival is sending their owner, winemaker, or senior executive to share the stories behind the wines they’re pouring for you. We’ll be profiling more vine stars over the next few weeks, so watch your inbox and the Vancouver Sun to see who’s coming to town! How to Buy Tickets By phone: 604-873-3311 1.877.321.3121 …

The post Public Events for the VanWineFest Go On Sale Tuesday appeared first on Fabulously Frugal in Vancouver.

Dish n Dazzle, one of Vancouver’s most-anticipated wine, food and cocktail events, returns to the Vancouver Convention Centre (999 Canada Place) on Thursday, May 18. Tickets are onsale now for $89 per person, exclusively online. Get Your Dish ‘n Dazzle Tickets HERE (while you still can) With a tip of the hat to the hospitality industry, the organizers offer six ingredients as a recipe for the perfect night out: Wine: Each year, the BC Hospitality Foundation partners with a new wine country. This edition features Wines of Chile.. Up to fifteen wineries from Chile will share the latest vintages for wine lovers. New for this year will be an exclusive “Pequeña table”, offering a chance to experience limited production wines from Chile’s boutique wineries. … Food: Up to fourteen of BC’s finest chefs and restaurants will be on hand to serve unique culinary creations, some of which were created just for Dish ‘n Dazzle. The complete list will be available soon at dishndazzle.com.. Cocktails: The evening’s signature cocktail competition invites six of the city’s top bartenders to craft all-new libations with a Chilean theme. Each bartender is competing for the coveted Derek Vanderheide trophy, named in honour of a dearly departed Vancouver bartender. Music: The evening wouldn’t be complete without live music from celebrated Vancouver-based R&B and blues band Les Is More, who never fail to ignite the crowd. Silent Auction / Prizes: The curated Silent Auction and Grand Prize Raffle is always one of the highlights of the evening, featuring one-of-a-kind items including hotel stays, …

The post Dish N Dazzle Food and Wine Event appeared first on Fabulously Frugal in Vancouver.

Italian Top Chef Showcase featuring Pino Posteraro and Angus An on June 22, 2017 The Italian Chamber of Commerce in Canada-West, in cooperation with the Consulate General of Italy, is hosting a unique event – Italian Top Chef Showcase – on June, 22nd 2017 to celebrate the Italian Heritage Month. Thu, 22 June 2017:  6:00 PM – 11:30 PM PDT Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel, Vancouver 1038 Canada Place Vancouver, V6C 0B9 Top Vancouver chefs Pino Posteraro and Angus An, hosted by resident chef Nathan Brown will prepare live their signature dishes using a set of selected authentic Italian products especially flown for the event! Celebrate the Italian Heritage Month with a superior Italian culinary experience including: an open-bar wine reception featuring premium Italian wines, appetizers, and a 6-course dinner! Enjoy a night full of surprises, door prizes and a silent auction with Made in Italy products and design items! … Tickets Tickets are available ONLINE or at 604 682 1410: Ticket ICC Member: $145 Regular Ticket: 195$ (use code “Gourmicious” to enjoy a ICC Member ticket rate. ) Table (10 pax) Member price: $1300 Table (10 pax) Regular price: $1800 ICC Business Membership: $350 All prices include: Open-bar wine reception featuring premium Italian wine, buffet appetizers, 6-course dinner. Special rates available for groups, corporate tables, ICC members (Please call 604 682 1410, M-F, 9am-5pm) Tickets are not refundnable and not transferable. Program 5.30PM: Registration of participants. 6PM – Wine reception 7PM – Cooking Show and Dinner 9.30PM – Gourmicious Launch 9.45PM – Silent Auction The full program …

The post Italian Top Chef Showcase featuring Pino Posteraro and Angus An appeared first on Fabulously Frugal in Vancouver.

    VanWineFest Festival Wine Tasting Preview As someone who adores Spanish Wine and seafood, it gave me tremendous pleasure to be invited to the VanWineFest Festival Wine Tasting Preview at Blue Water Cafe. So the following are the wines I absolutely adored at the  VanWineFest.ca. Preview. Wine Disclaimer – there’s a reason why I’m the President of SA – Sweetaholic Anonymous – as I love all things sweet from candy, desserts and wine. But lately, I have found some off-dry wine that I liked as they were also very fruit forward.  During a wine tour I took in 2016 in Barcelona, I learnt that Spain was gravitating towards producing fruit forward wines so I’ll be happily skipping along and doing cartwheels in the Tasting Room (at least that’s what happens when I drink wine) during the VanWineFest Festival. So fans of oak soaked wines depart as my wine blog is bound to make you bored and uninspired. But for those looking for easy sipping wines – read on. Note that the Wine Sweetie will be headed to the 2018 VanWineFest Festival to taste easy sipping Spanish and Portuguese wines from February 24, 2018 to March 4, 2018.  So if you see an Asian girl swooning in the Tasting Room, please step around me. … Juve & Camps Reserva de la Familia Brut Nature Cava 2014 (Spain). Macabeo, Xarel-lo and Parellado, a sheer delight to drink as the tiny bubbles exude green apples aroma and lime zest and honey on the palate. A light body cava with …

The post VanWineFest Festival Wine Tasting Preview appeared first on Fabulously Frugal in Vancouver.

[To view photo gallery, scroll to bottom of page and click on “View as Full Site”]   My 2018 Vanwinefest Recommendations – Portuguese and Spanish Red Wines   I blame Malbec for the reason why my list doesn’t contain any red Spanish wines as I’ve grown to love red wine that have mellow elegant tannins. But I do adore Port and Sherries because they’re so fruit forward and a little sweet which is why I call myself the Wine Sweetie. I leave the serious wine reviews for those people who like to swish and spit while I like the easy sipping wines that pair so nicely with a nice hot bath and a romantic chick flick.  So the following are my 2018 Vanwinefest recommendations for Portuguese and Spanish reds that I call “sweets for the sweet”. … If you were lucky, some of the bottles of wine sold at the Vancouver International Wine Festival were signed by the winemaker. … Spain Familia Castaño Monastrell Dulce 2015  $29.99 Fortified Petite Sirah and Monastrell.  With aromas of figs and raisins and dark juicy plums on the palate, this fortied wine isn’t too sweet but has plenty of dark ripe fruit on the palate, . … … Portugal Caves Messias 1995 Port $53.99 Port A nose of caramel and nuts and dark ripe fruit on the palate.  It’s elegant and not as thick and sweet as other ports with well-balanced acidity and a long smooth finish. . Portugal Caves Messias Port 10 Anos  $33.50 Port Red port with aromas …

The post My 2018 Vanwinefest Recommendations – Red Wines appeared first on Fabulously Frugal in Vancouver.

Flavours of New Zealand Wine Tasting Event on May 3, 2018 The New Zealand Winegrowers in partnership with the New Zealand High Commission would like to formally invite you to attend this years annual Flavours of New Zealand Wine Fair in Vancouver. It has been said that there is no wine anywhere in the world that tastes like wine from New Zealand. The balance of extraordinary purity of flavours, distinctive fruit characteristics and appealing balanced acidity is superb. Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and other varietals are stylish, exciting wines that surprise, delight and tell our story. Come out and join us as we taste the Flavours of New Zealand. Thursday, May 3, 2018, 7-10 pm 915 W Hastings St, Vancouver, BC V6C 1C6, Price:  $75 – Click here to purchase tickets … New Zealand wineries that will be at the event include: Villa Maria Estate Lion Accolade Wine Cirro Wines Marisco Vineyards Pernod Ricard Winemakers Rod McDonald Wines Toi Toi Wines Astrolabe Wines Sacred Hill Vineyards Kim Crawford Wines Cloudy Bay Oyster Bay Babich Wines Whitehaven Wine Company Giesen Group Loveblock Vintners   ///

The post Flavours of New Zealand appeared first on Fabulously Frugal in Vancouver.

Photo Credit: H Tasting Lounge …. A Taste of Summer ft. Santa Margherita Wine at H Tasting Lounge Sip and taste your way through the flavours of the season with six tasting plates prepared by Executive Chef Alex Mok and select pairings from Santa Margherita Wines. Take flight with us from 6:00 – 8:00pm for an evening of international indulgence. Mon, 11 June 2018, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM PDT at H Tasting Lounge 1601 Bayshore Drive, Vancouver Click here to purchase tickets MENU I: Proscuitto Wrapped Compass Melon Paired with Santa Margherita Prosecco II: Cod Soufflé Paired with Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio III: Seared Sesame Crusted Ahi Tuna Paired with Santa Margherita Cuvée Prestige MV, Franciacorta IV: Vodka & Beet Cured Salmon Paired with Santa Margherita StilRose V: Sous Vide Lamb Chop Paired with Santa Margherita Lamole VI: Berry Mousse Cake Paired with Sparkling Rosé … …

The post Santa Margherita Wine Dinner at H Tasting Lounge appeared first on Fabulously Frugal in Vancouver.