Here are summaries of two of the many great public events at the 2024 Vancouver International Wine Festival - The Rethinking Food & Wine Pairing Lunch and The Challenge of the Red Titans Seminar - Don't miss out in 2025!
One of the best things about the Vancouver International Wine Festival is the wonderful set of public events in addition to the flagship International Festival Tastings.
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Filippo Bartolotta and Evan Goldstein MS at
Vancouver International Wine Festival 2024 |
In 2024 I was fortunate enough to attend several additional seminars, lunches and wine dinners - and the VIWF asked me to do a short write up summary of two of them for their use - they are below to give you an idea of what you can expect this year.
And all of this year's public events and dinners can be previewed at the VIWF events page. This year - 2025 - the regional focus is on the United States - but wineries from 15 countries will all be pouring their finest. [Last year's 2024 VIWF regional focus was on Italy.]
A few words of advice for those hoping to attend the special events - particularly the wine dinners - move quickly when tickets first go on sale! And don't forget you can buy International Festival Tastings tickets right now for a $10 per ticket discount!
Winery dinner tickets - which sell out instantly to very quickly - go on sale at 9:30 a.m. on January 8, 2025; all other public events tickets go on sale at 9:30 a.m. on January 15, 2025; and if you are in the wine or restaurant/hospitality business, trade event tickets go on sale January 22.
Here are my two write ups for two of last year's VIWF 2024 events:
Rethinking Food & Wine Pairing Lunch
Wednesday, February 28, 2024 at the Vancouver Club
"Those attending the Rethinking Food and Wine Pairings seminar, and keynote speech got more than just food for thought – they enjoyed a fabulous lunch with multiple and adjustable wine pairing options, led by Evan Goldstein MS.
And then a dynamic type from renowned wine and food writer, Filippo Bartolotta in "3000 versus 30" – Italy versus the Okanogan in Wine experience!
- Bill Tieleman, Wine Barbarian
Challenge of the Red Titans Seminar
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The Red Titans wineries principles
and hosts at the VIWF 2024 |
Friday March 1, 2024 at the Vancouver Convention Centre
"Heaven for wine lovers might look just like this: take nine of Italy's finest wineries from across the country, tell them to bring one of their best wines, and send one of their principals to talk about it in Vancouver – and let an audience taste them all, hear from each and judge the results!
That's what Challenge of the Red Titans did at the festival – and the results were both stupendous and highly entertaining. From Veneto in the north to Sicily in the south, and everywhere in Italy in between, the winds were spectacular!
And the explanations – and trash talk – from and between the winery principles were both illuminating and hilarious."
- Bill Tieleman, Wine Barbarian
Moderator: Filippo Bartolotta, Neal McLennan
Principals: Matteo Allegrini, Federica Boffa Pio, Thomas Cuni, Federico De Cerchio, Livia Le Divelec, Giovanni Mazzei, Francesco Ricasoli, Pierangelo Tommasi, Adam Verona
Featured wines:
Allegrini Amarone della Valpolicella Classico DOCG 2019
Famiglia De Cerchio Torre Zambra Villamagna 2019
Frescobaldi CastelGiocondo Brunello di Montalcino 2018
Marchesi Mazzei Doppiozeta Noto Rosso DOC 2019
Michele Chiarlo Nizza Riserva “La Court” DOCG 2020
Pio Cesare Barolo 2018
Ricasoli Colledilà Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Gaiole DOCG 2020
Tommasi Family Estates La Massa Rosso Toscana IGT 2020
Tua Rita Giusto di Notri 2017
