Photo: Jolien Somers
Craft beer may have risen to celebrity status, especially in Victoria, BC, but wines continue to be a popular choice and interest for many consumer around the world. As a wine drinker himself, David Bain, Victoria Wine Festival event manager, was eager to create an event that not only showcased some of the best options in provincial, national and international wines, but also educated people about drinking and purchasing great wines.
“The biggest thing for me is I’ve always been a wine lover, but let’s start off by saying I’m no expert by any means,” says Bain. “I’m just a consumer with a passion for wine. I’m sure many people feel the same way, but when I walk into a liquor store I’m a little bit overwhelmed by the wine choices. I said to myself, we live in this town that is supposedly an older clientele and we don’t have a wine festival that could teach me about it.”
Equipped with an events team that creates other Vancouver Island events like Rock of the Woods music festival, Bain did his research, put together an advisory board and started planning Victoria’s first and only international wine festival.
Scheduled for September 26, 2014 at the Parkside Resort, the Victoria Wine Festival with have two tastings aiming to appeal to both experienced and beginner wine drinkers.
“The wine we’ve selected represents who is going to come and the nature of the wine festival,” says Bain. “My advisory board is picky about what is selected we are going to have wines that appeal to both groups of wine drinkers. We have the idea that this is going to teach people about value and can learn about buying a $15 bottle of wine that is going to be amazing, but they will also be able to taste some of the more expensive wines too.”
Early bird tickets are $55 and are available now at Discovery Coffee in James Bay (281 Menzies Street), Oak Bay (1964 Oak Bay Avenue) and Downtown (664 Discovery Street). Additional ticket and event information is available at vicwf.com.
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