Even if you can't get to the Vancouver International Wine Festival, you can drink like you're there.
The fest, which features 43 events over eight days, kicks off tomorrow.
While it would be nice to attend a bunch of the tastings, seminars, receptions, brunches, lunches and-or dinners in person, it may not be possible for those of us in the Interior or Vancouver Island.
So, do the next best thing and drink some of the wines that will be poured at the fest in the comfort of your own home.
In all, 122 wineries from all over the world will be at the fest sampling their best bottles.
Every year, there's also a theme country or region.
Last year it was Italy and this year it's West Coast USA.
If you can get over the fact that the timing is testy with a looming trade war between Canada and the US over Trump's tariffs, you can discover or rediscover some amazing wines from California, Oregon and Washington state.
In fact, the Vancouver festival's roots are forever intertwined with Robert Mondavi of California, which was the first and only winery featured at the inaugural fest in 1979.
"Fun fact," said Robert Mondavi winemaker Kurtis Ogasawara with a laugh.
"When the Vancouver International Wine Festival was dreamed up as a way to celebrate and elevate global wine appreciation, founder John Levine needed a standout winery to kick things off. Mondavi, already internationally recognized for its innovation and excellence, was the perfect fit. We're so proud to be continuing this partnership with the Vancouver International Wine Festival as we get ready for the 46th annual event."
Two of Mondavi's signature wines that will be featured at events at the fest are the 2022 Sauvignon Blanc ($32) and 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon ($50), both from grapes grown in the Napa Valley.
"The Sauvignon Blanc is crisp and refreshing, with bright citrus, stone fruit and tropical notes that bring out the vibrant character of Napa Valley's terroir," enthused Ogasawara.
"The Cabernet Sauvignon is truly an experience -- rich, bold and impeccably balanced. This wine is a Napa Valley classic, with all the depth and elegance the region is known for."
We also got our hands on a few other West Coast USA wines that will be make appearances at the fest.
The Lingua Franca Avni 2021 Chardonnay ($60) from Oregon's Willamette Valley is high-end, complex Chard with aromas and flavours of apple, lemon, almond and toasty oak.
The 2021 Red Blend ($50) from Harvey & Harriet in California's San Luis Obispo County is Cabernet Sauvignon driven with a blackberry-and-fig profile.
Also from Harvey & Harriet is a 2022 White Blend ($29) of Chardonnay, Albarino, Viognier and Pinot Grigio with aromas and flavours of tropical fruit and oaky toastiness.
The Prisoner from Napa also has two entries -- 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon ($64) (black cherry and vanilla) and 2021 Red Blend ($70) (Zinfandel-led with a blackberry and vanilla profile).
For more, check out: https://vanwinefest.ca/
Open That Bottle Night
The last Saturday of every February is Open That Bottle Night.
It's the day you finally get around to drinking that wine you've been saving for a special occasion that never seems to come.
As such, Open That Bottle Night is the special occasion you've been waiting for.
So, dust off and uncork that old bottle.
Or, if you don't have an old bottle or one that you've been saving, open a newer wine or buy a bottle today to share with your significant other, family and-or friends.
Open That Bottle Night was started in 2000 by two Wall Street Journal columnists -- John Brecher and Dorothy J. Gaiter -- to brighten up otherwise dreary February and provide an excuse to open and share a special bottle.
Steve MacNaull is a NowMedia Group reporter, Okanagan wine lover and Canadian Wine Scholar. Reach him at [email protected]. His wine column appears every Friday afternoon in this space
