This weekend I attended the Playhouse International Festival Tasting at the Vancouver Convention Center.
The festival attracts some of the biggest industry names and is firmly established among the best and oldest wine events in the world. It features wine tastings and pairings, gourmet dinners and luncheons, educational seminars and culinary competitions.
The Tasting Room
Inside the tasting room, there were over 150 participating wineries pouring over 500 different wines. Each winery booth had a senior representative who would pour out samples and answer questions. As I arrived, the greeter welcomed my friend and I with an empty glass so we could make the rounds and begin sampling.
At first, we had a general plan of the wines we wanted to sample and flavours we wanted to stick to…but after about 30 minutes, it more or less turned into a free-for-all.
There were so many different countries offering so many different styles of wine that it was hard to resist. There was everything from Merlot, Pinot, Ice Wine, Rose, Champaign…and the list goes on. On hand were several wines that were either were not sold publically or were extremely rare to find.
Some of my favourites included: Ca’del Bosco, Lanson Brut Rose and the Vinoptima Ormand Gewurztraminer.
Accompanied with the wine was bread and cheese which was passed around throughout the evening. Several booths even displayed their own cured meats, breads and chocolate. Vendors featured included Freybe, Ridder Sport, Balderson Cheese and Terra Breads. They all served as a great compliment to the wine (and good way to clean out the pallet).
A taste of the live entertainment:
One of the better tastings I came across was Spain’s Segua Viudas display.
Over the years, Segura Viudas has earned a reputation as one of the top producers of sparkling wine. The Heredad Brut (second from left) was an excellent sparking wine which had a consistent taste of green apple, pear and citrus. This bottle was definetly a good choice and retails at most liquor stores in Vancouver at under $35.
Another wine I really enjoyed (and seemed to be a fan favourite) was Australia’s Yabby Lake Collection.
Here is Dino Pascoa discussing the Yabby Lake Pinot Noir and Yabby Lake Chardonnay:
By the end of the weekend, the festival hosted over 25,000 attendees, poured over 1700 wines and held over 60 events.
Next year’s festival will be from March 28 – April 3.
Did you attend this year’s event? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Rishad Daroowala is a passionate Vancouver local who shares an inside look at the Pan Pacific hotel and Vancouver area. 
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