It’s wine festival week, which means North America’s most popular consumer tasting is taking place right here at the Vancouver Convention Centre. Grape gurus galore have come to town to pour their wealth of wines. That last part is key. Vancouver International Wine Festival requires that a principal be here to pour. In great part it’s this proviso that’s made the festival so successful.

The chance for consumers and trade to meet the people who grow the grapes and make the wine face to face adds up to a unique opportunity. 

How to to make the most of it? Check out our tasting room tips first!

Then, here’s our ‘Alpha Tasters’ Guide:

A is for Action plan. Don’t leave home without it! Visit vanwinefest.ca beforehand and decide how to spend your time. Maybe start out with some whites then seek out some sparklers to refresh your palate, of course!  Some wicked picks include: Don’t forget the Regional Tasting Stations—which include New Zealand, Bordeaux and California plus ‘Wines for a Better Planet’ and a ‘West Coast Chard Bar’, among others.

B is for Bodegas Salentein, in Argentina’s Uco Valley, a little corner of Mendoza that makes some seriously interesting wines. Check them out to discover Argentina makes not only great Malbec but also a whole lot more.

C is for Citation Wine, in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, owned by pioneering Howard Rossbach, who’s celebrating his 50th vintage in the industry.  Taste his Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs, in particular the superb 2015 Willamette Pinot, as well as an older vintage on hand.

D is for Dolly, as in Parton. Yes, there is a Dolly Chardonnay, an easy drinking drop with a definite ‘Dolly’ label that adds to the appeal. Find it at Accolade, in California.

E is for Emiliana, Chile’s first major organic producer, a veritable trendsetter who trail-blazed the ‘beyond the glass’ organic movement in that country. Drop by and taste the entire organic range, including sparkling brut and flagship Coyam.

F is for Fuedi di San Gregorio, a Campania stalwart who’s championed a resurgence of indigenous Italian varieties. Drop by to meet International Export Director Andrea Fabiano and discover some wicked tastes in the likes of Aglianico, Greco di Tufo, and more.

G is for Gloria Ferrer, the pioneering California producer of premium sparkling wines in the heart of Carneros. Don’t miss this excellent lineup, including the deliciously crisp, citrus toned Blanc de Blancs NV—also a great way to recalibrate your palate, when you need it!

H is for Hamlet, Hermione and (Prince) Hal. While you likely won’t bump into any of them in the tasting room, it’s good to remember that the festival benefits Bard on the Beach, Vancouver’s immensely successful Shakespeare festival. To date VIWF has raised over $3 million CAD. We reckon Falstaff would raise his sack to that…

I is for Italian wines, of which there are some 70 being poured in the room, from almost every region, from refreshing Prosecco (Brilla, Giusti, Villa Sandi) to plush Valpolicella (Tomassi) and plenty more.

J – Jackson Family Wines, as in Kendall Jackson (think Chardonay!) who also own premium vineyards and wineries in the US and around the world, including the Cowichan’s Unsworth and Blue Grouse, which are owned by Jackson family members. Their management style leans ‘green’ and also brings substantial investment.

K stands for Korta Katarina. Find them under the Croatian flag, along with Coronica, Fakin and Stina, where you can discover tastes from the eastern Adriatic, such as Malvazija, Plavac, Posip and Teran.

L is for Lingua Franca, a not-to-be-missed Oregon producer (Willamette Valley), built by some of the respected names in the global wine world, that makes superlative Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. A must taste, for sure…

M is for Majella, who makes this list every time, and for good reason. Drop by to say hi to ‘The Prof’, Brian Lynn for a taste of Coonawarra Cab, sparkling Shiraz and more.

N is for Naramata Bench. Taste what the bench has to offer at no less than five Bench wineries pouring: Bench 1775, Da Silva, La Frenz, Moraine Estate and Poplar Grove.

O is for organic wines—which have solidly arrived both at home and abroad. Find worthy organic tastes at Bodega Argento (Argentine trailblazers), Champagne Duval-Leroy (France), Anatolikos (Greece) and Bonterra (One of the first US organic producers) and Chile’s Emiliana (qv) to get a good sense of why organic’s star continues to be on the rise.

P is for Paso, as in Paso Robles, a perpetually rising star in California. Stalwarts pouring include Hope, J. Lohr, Justin and McPrice Myers.

Q is for Quails’ Gate, one of BC’s longest running and most respected producers. Taste their BC and estate grown Pinot and Reserve Chardonnay—but also their Field and Flight wines to see how they’ve responded to last year’s devastating freeze.

R, yes, is always for Riesling, the still under-appreciated grape that almost always over-delivers. Take a comparative taste-tour—at Ste. Michelle (USA), Mitchell (Australia) and at BC’s High Note, La Frenz, Moraine and Phantom Creek.

S is for Signorello, one of California’s most resilient producers, owned by West Vancouver’s Ray Signorello—who is also Honorary Chair of this year’s festival. The winery burned to the ground in 2017, only to be completely reimagined and rebuilt, opening last June. Winemaking went on, however. Drop by and say hi to Ray, one of the festival’s biggest supporters.

T is for Tokaji, Hungary’s remarkable dessert wine. Taste it at Grand Tokay, along with other Hungarian varieties made by one the country’s most celebrated wineries.

U is for Unsworth, one of a handful of wineries in the Cowichan (Vancouver Island) that was also instrumental in helping the valley achieve its important sub G-I status. Don’t miss: the 2022 Pinot Noir, perennially one of the Island’s best.

W is for West Coast, as in West Coast of North America. This year you can taste wines literally from almost the Mexican border north to the Okanagan Valley and Vancouver Island. Scratch the surface and you’ll find our wine industries very much intertwined, from Canadian owners ‘down south’ to American winemakers who’ve headed north—and brought their skills with them.

W is also for ‘Winemaker’—and almost for oWner! The chance to chat with visiting owners and winemakers is the hallmark of VIWF, so be sure to stop by and say ‘hi’. They’re here in spades this week, including: Shawn Brynildson (Black Stallion), Todd Graff (Frank Family), Shirley Scott (Justin), Kori Butler (Orin Swift), Andrea Card (Francis Ford Coppola), Dervin Ludovic (Stag’s Leap), Chris Benziger (Benziger), Leah Adint (Erath), Tyler Butterfield (Ste. Michelle), Andrew Gerow (Tirriddis), Angus Mitchell (Mitchell), Wendy Allen (Pindarie), Neil Pon (Bodegas Salantein), Leandro Rigo (Uko),

Y is for … Your wine. Did you know that if you buy a case (12 bottles, mixed if you wish) at the festival’s BC Liquor Store they’ll ship it free to your nearest.

X is for Xinomavro, Greece’s flagship red grape. Taste it at Alpha and Kechris (Greece), although while you’re at it, why not discover several more worthy Greek varieties at all six Greek wineries pouring?

Z? Zinfandel, of course. Find them (where else?) in California, at Ironstone, Langhe Twins, Ridge (the pinnacle of Zin), Oak Knoll, Benziger, Lange Twins, Rombauer, Trentadue and The Wine Group. However, you mght also want to head over to Croatia for a taste of  Stina Tribidrag 2020—the variety of which Zinfandel is a direct descendant.

D is for Done. Like dinner! Yes, please!