Wines of British Columbia Present Chef Meets BC Grape Signature Tasting this Spring in Vancouver and Victoria

This spring the Wines of British Columbia expands its annual Chef Meets BC Grape Signature Tasting fundraising event bringing the largest tasting of BC VQA Wine and culinary back to the Vancouver Convention Centre East on May 25 and, for the first time, in Victoria on May 23.

This 100 per cent BC-inspired fundraising event brings together the creative talents of winemakers and chefs from around the province to celebrate the best of local wine and cuisine. The events support local charities with a portion of the proceeds to benefit Ocean Wise, The Arts Club and the BC Hospitality Foundation.

“Celebrating our 13th year of Chef Meets BC Grape in Vancouver, we are thrilled to bring this highly-anticipated event back to the city and, for the first time, showcase the exceptional local wine and culinary talent of our province to wine and food enthusiasts on Vancouver Island,” says Miles Prodan, CEO and President of the BC Wine Institute.

Previously held in the fall, this is the first time Chef Meets BC Grape will be held in the spring. “Springtime offers a fantastic chance for wineries and chefs to celebrate the fresh and lively flavours of the season. It is also a fantastic chance for wine lovers to be amongst the first to sample some of the finest 100 per cent BC wines of the new vintage!” notes Prodan.

As many as 90 BC wineries will return to Vancouver to pour more than 350 BC VQA Wines for attendees, and 68 BC wineries will pour more than 250 BC VQA Wines in Victoria showcasing their 2017 spring releases. During these fun and informative walk-around tastings, guests will have the opportunity to compare a variety of exquisite wines representing the distinct growing regions of the Okanagan Valley, Similkameen Valley, Vancouver Island, Fraser Valley, as well as some of BC’s exciting emerging regions.

Chefs from top BC restaurants will compete in a pairing challenge, featuring the finest locally grown and sourced ingredients, to earn awards for Judges’ Best BC VQA Pairing, Judges’ Best Dish Award, and Consumers’ Choice Award for Dish of the Night. Chefs will be awarded points for use of a BC ingredient in some component in their dish.

“The Ocean Wise team and I are thrilled to curate and participate in Chef Meets BC Grape with our spectacular West Coast seafood! Pairing sustainable seafood with our world class BC wines is a delicious match made in heaven for this Okanagan boy!” says Executive Chef Ned Bell of Vancouver Aquarium Ocean Wise.

 

 

For details on BC VQA and the Wines of British Columbia, go to WineBC.com (consumer) or WineBC.org (media), like the

Wines of British Columbia Facebook page and follow @WineBCdotcom on Twitter and Instagram.