ChefmeetsBCGrape celebrates 10 years pairing BC VQA wine and food

After 10 years ChefmeetsBCGrape is still growing strong.

With an increase in both ticket sales and attendance by wineries, ChefmeetsBCGrape is continuing its tradition of success in Vancouver.
“This event not only supports a great organization, with all proceeds going to the Vancouver Arts Club Theatre Company, but it is an excellent opportunity for us to bring the British Columbia wine country experience to the city,” says Miles Prodan, President and CEO of the British Columbia Wine Institute, which organizes the event. “We are really proud to see that after a decade it is still a must-attend event.”
Held for the second year as a fundraiser for the Vancouver Arts Club Theatre Company, ChefmeetsBCGrape took place at the Vancouver Convention Centre with 530 wine and food lovers packing in to experience the best of BC. The event, hosted by Dawn Chubai, featured 93 BC wineries pouring 350 BC VQA wines and 14 restaurants each creating a dish to pair with a BC VQA wine.
“This event is really an opportunity to celebrate Wines of British Columbia, showcasing the amazing quality of BC VQA wines and giving many wineries a chance to release their fall reds to the public,” says Prodan. “It is also an opportunity for consumers to experience the versatility of 100% BC wine paired with various styles of cuisine, made from local ingredients but inspired by international dishes from Japan to Italy.”
Chefs competed at the event to win two coveted awards: Best BC VQA Pairing and Best Dish. A panel of wine and food experts, including DJ Kearney, Sid Cross, Nathan Fong and Rhys Pender, tasted through the 14 dishes and each of the paired wines.
The pairing of JoieFarm Gamay and La Pentola’s pheasant terrine with housemade pancetta, chicken liver and red currant sauce took the top Prize of Best BC VQA Pairing. This is the second consecutive win for JoieFarm, who took home this same prize with ORU in 2013.

Coming in a close second was the Osoyoos Larose’s Le Grand Vin paired with beef short ribs by Savoury Chef.
Best Dish went to P2B Bistro & Bar’s Mexican-inspired prawn bite (whose dish was paired with Church & State Wines Sauvignon Blanc).

About the BC Wine Institute (BCWI)

Since 1990, the BCWI has played a pivotal role in taking BC’s wine industry from a vision to an internationally recognized niche region producing premium wines and providing quality wine tourism experiences.

Representing 134 member wineries throughout the province, the BCWI supports and markets the Wines of British Columbia (BC VQA), which gives consumers assurance they are buying a wine that is from 100% BC grapes. BCWI membership represents 95% of total grape wine sales and 94% of total BC VQA wine sales in British Columbia.

The BCWI also markets the wine regions of BC; delivers quality trade, media and consumer tastings; and acts as the voice of BC’s wine industry by advocating to government on behalf of its members.