French Wines compliment Curtain Raiser

 

This was an opportunity to taste and savour an excellent selection of French wines paired with small bites in a festive atmosphere. The Curtain Raiser is held in an attractive second floor banquet space featuring an expansive wall of windows that overlook the massive lobby below.

 

A prelude to the first public tasting which takes place in the Acura International Tasting Room.

 

I enjoyed the opportunity to meet a number of individuals who put so much effort and time into making Vancouver a first class city that host events like the wine festival, TED and many others. On hand were Adriane Carr, Vancouver City Councillor; Betty Verkuil, Sponsorship Director; Christopher Gaze, Founding Artistic Director of Bard on the Beach,  board members and sponsors.

 

I spoke with the Consul-General of France Mr. Jean Christophe Fleury who was on hand to welcome guests to the Curtain Raiser. Fleury is enjoying Vancouver, having previously been at the French embassy in Ottawa before coming to Vancouver as Consul General in September, 2013. As a member of the Francophile organization I have had the opportunity to visit the official residence a number of times for our annual fete and I look forward to having Mr.Fleury as host in the future.

 

Fleury is focused on the economic situation of France and he noted that the debt ratio to GDP is close to  93%. This makes the business of French wine exports an important one to the overall economy.  British Columbia is the third largest market for French wine in Canada and has seen a 12% increase in sales over the past year.

 

With thanks to Sopexa and sponsor France Bon Appetit for including MyVanCity.ca in the Curtain Raiser on Thursday evening.

 

For a complete list of French wines that were featured at this years festival go to pages 33 to 48 in the official program.

The program can also be found online.

 

Feature pic: Wines of France