Tasting at the Vancouver International Wine Festival

 

The wines of Italy. The Vancouver International Wine Festival is in full swing with the public tastings scheduled for Thursday, Friday, Saturday afternoon and evenings. Often the Thursday evening and Saturday afternoon public tastings are the least crowded. At this point all of the public session are sold out.

Should you be planning to attend I can give some insight based on my own modus operandi of how to hit the wine festival and come away unscathed.

 

 

The thing I noticed this year was that the room was very crowded. Although I was not attending the usually quiet Buyers hour I had not expected the Thursday afternoon Trade tasting to be so crowded. I would put that down to the presence of Italy as the feature wine region. Add to this the number of media in attendance and it was definitely necessary to have arrived with a plan and a short list.

In prepping for my short list I started with the Trade Days brochure that listed most, but not all, the participating wineries. Working as a team with another #winelover we familiarized ourselves with the wineries through their websites and list of wines.

Whether you spit or follow the preferred tasting method of three sips it just isn’t possible to taste all the wines on offer. That being said I believe it is accomplished at the evening tasting sessions if the groups of dudes and dudettes (fast becoming a popular venue for stagettes) staggering about are an indication, all the more reason to avoid the evening sessions.

 

 

It’s unfortunate that the Tasting Room Program is not available in advance online because this is what you need to develop a concise plan and list of wines to taste. Instead arriving at least 30 minutes prior to the designated opening time we were able to use our preliminary wine list from the Trade handout and the Tasting Room Program to target exactly the wineries and the wines we wanted to taste.

The program contains a layout of the tasting room with all the wine stations numbered. This makes it easy to navigate the room. Just a hint: I found the best wineries were located at the ends of each row, that gave them a bit more space to accommodate the number of tasters wanting to taste their wines. There is a lack of Italian white wine being represented.

Following are the wines I tasted and liked, and in most cases purchased at least one bottle of each. This is not a recommendation nor is it meant to be a rating of the wines. I believe each person decides if a wine is good, or great, based on their own taste and experiences, regardless of whether or not you stand alone in your preferences.

Here is my own list of wineries, their agents and the wines that, for me, were my favourites:

 

 

3. Cleto Chiarli, Italy (Mark Anthony Fine Wine Merchants)

Rosé Brut Vino Spumante de Uve Grasparessa NV

5. Poderi dal Nespoli, Italy (Select Wines & Spirits)

7. Umani Ronchi, Italy (Stile Brands)

Casal di Serra Verdicchio DOC 2014

8. Batasiolo, Italy (Charton Hobbs)

Barbera d’Asti DOCG Sabri 2013

Moscato d’Asti DOCG Bosc DLA REI 2015

11. Damilano, Italy (Stile Brands)

Moscato d’Asti 2014

16. Pio Cesare, Italy (Vintage Corks)

17. Vietti, Italy (International Cellars)

Roero Arneis 2014

Nebbiolo Perbacco Langhe 2012

20. Argiolas, Italy (Stile Brands)

22. Ferrari, Italy (Philippe Dandurand Wines)

Brut NV

Rosé NV

Perle 2008 *

Perle Rosé 2008

* note: the listing in the program was for a 2007 but according to the representative of the winery the 2007 had been poured only at the Trade seminar during the morning and would not be available at the Tastings

31. Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi, Italy (Andrew Peller Import Agency)

Castelgiocondo Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2010

34. Tenute Piccini, Italy (The Delf Group)

Prosecco Extra Dry NV

35. Barone Ricasoli, Italy (Pacific Wine & Spirits)

Colledlià Chianti Classico DOCG Gran Selezione 2011 **

37. Ruffino, Italy (Constellation Brands)

Although I tasted all but the Pinot Grigio I was most interested in the wines because of the new designation ** but in this instance the wines did not make my list of favourites

38. San Felice, Italy (Charton Hobbs)

Chianti Classico DOCG 2012

41. Allegrini, Italy (Appellation Wine Marketing)

Valpolicella DOC 2014

42. Beato Bartolomeo Bregance, Italy (Vino Allegro Wine Imports)

Rosa di Sera Spumante Extra Dry NV

77. Meyer Family Vineyards, Okanagan (International Cellars) ***

80. Osoyoos Larose, Okanagan (Charton Hobbs) ***

 

With mission accomplished and it now being 15 minutes to closing I head straight to the onsite liquor store. All of the wines should be available to purchase, except of course if they have already sold out. There was a $140. Italian that made my list but was no longer available. So my two splurge wines were a Brunello di Montalcino listed for $110.99 that cost $127.64 after taxes and an Amarone Classico listed for $93.99 that cost $108.09 after taxes. Neither of these wines are listed and would not be available to purchase except during the wine festival. It is annoying to have a two tiered pricing system with taxes no longer included. The majority of wines I purchased were in the $20 – $27. range plus about $4. added for taxes. When you buy 24 bottles of wine the difference between the “price” and what you pay does add up. Of the 24 wines, 14 are listed and will be available to purchase again, leaving 10 wines that will receive a special designation in my wine cellar.

I make the decision to purchase wines I’ve researched and enjoyed tasting. That means this year I came away with wines that I can drink now and wines to cellar for either the future or wine to drink for a special occasion. By focusing my budget on buying wines and foregoing the tempting wine dinners and the Trade seminars I accomplish my goal. That’s not to say that for those with a budget for both that there isn’t much more for the wine lover at the wine festival. Personal experience varies, I have attended some excellent, informative Trade seminars but I have also attended Trade seminars that deteriorate into a clash of wine reviewer egos where I take away nothing of value. My suggestion is to study carefully before jumping in.

Likewise for the many accompanying lunch, dinner and gracing events. Know your venue, be familiar with the establishment whose food you will be dining on and know the wines that will be paired. I have been to some exceptional wine pairing events but I did my due diligence before I put out my hard earned dollar.

** note: these wines are benefitting from the new designation rule which  allows more wines to be classified

*** note: these are some of my favourite BC wineries but by this time my main focus was on Italian wines and my tasting abilities had pretty much run their course so I had to forgo a tasting this time. I do enjoy and highly recommend both Meyer and Osoyoos Larose wines.