Good News - a few Vancouver International Wine Festival 2024 events still have tickets available - but hurry!

It's good news for those of us who love wine - and a great time:  several of the Vancouver International Wine Festival 2024 events still have some tickets available as of February 18 - but you have to hurry to get them!  Click the link above to go to their available events and tickets page. 

All four International Festival Tastings still have tickets available - including Saturday March 2nd - to my surprise - from 7 to 10 p.m., as well as Thursday February 29th and Friday March 1st - also from 7-10 p.m., and the Saturday March 2nd matinee tasting from 2:30 to 5 p.m.

WineBarbarian.ca's Bill Tieleman at an International Festival Tasting

These wonderful tastings allow you to sample from about 1,150 different wines produced by 149 wineries from 12 countries - including 71 from Italy, this year's featured region.  There's literally more wine than anyone can possibly taste in one, two or more tastings - I know, I've been attending for over 30 of the Festival's 45 years! 

The Vancouver International Wine Festival is rightly described as the largest wine festival in the Americas - and with about 18,000 guests attending the 42 events - there's something for everyone who likes or loves wine. 

The other events still with tickets available also include:  

Discover Delle Venezie DOC - a Pinot Grigio Wine Mingler with delicious appetizers and some of Italy's tastiest glasses on Tuesday February 27th from 6 to 8 p.m.!  Details in link - tickets are $69 and the event is at The Loft in Earl's Yaletown. 

California Wines Sun Fest - from Orin Swift to Lange Twins to Trim to Harvey & Harriet and more, try some great California chardonnays, cabernets, roses, syrahs, zinfandels and more in North Vancouver's Shipyard District on Wednesday Ferbruary 28 from 7 to 9 p.m. Details in link - tickets are $69. 

Golden State Vineyard Visions - discover the essence of California's varied terroirs by tasting wines from across the state. Cabernet, Zinfandel, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and more from some of California's best producers and many single-vineyard offerings - including Louis M. Martini, Robert Mondavi, Jackson Family Wines and Francis Ford Coppola Winery will be served - and you will not be disappointed!  Tickets are just $55 and the event is on Friday March 1st from 5:15 to 6:45 p.m. at the Convention Centre. 

La Dolce Vita - life is sweet indeed when more tickets are made available for this delicious grazing lunch on Saturday March 2nd from 12 to 2 p.m. at the Convention Centre!  Several dozen great Italian whites, reds, roses and sparking wines will be featured from some of the top wineries, plus plentiful helpings of meat, fish, vegetarian and dessert dishes to match them!  Buon appetito! Tickets are $135. 

The Global Cru - last but far from least, a sit-down tasting seminar that features the wines that best exemplify some of the world's most famous wine regions, including Barolo, Chianti Classico, Napa Valley, Toro and more!  It's on Saturday March 2nd from 5:15 to 6:45 p.m. at the Convention Centre and tickets are $95. 

And for those in the wine, liquor or restaurant and hospitality trades, there are aslo some tickets left for those excellent events! 

Well, that's the best advice I can give you now on what's still available - I hope to see you at some of these and the other great events that are already sold out - Cheers! 

Bill Tieleman - the Wine Barbarian! 

The Fabulous Vancouver International Wine Festival - the Taylor Swift ticket of wine events - UPDATED winery dinner tickets - available Jan 3rd; tastings on sale now!

UPDATED - Vancouver International Wine Festival dinner tickets go on sale Wednesday January 3, 2024 - don't delay! MANY SOLD OUT!

Wine Barbarian Bill Tieleman at the Penfolds
wine dinner in 2022 with Penfolds Senior
Brand Representative David Nicolls   

One of the best features of the fabulous Vancouver International Wine Festival is the wine dinners - where a great winery and a great Vancouver restaurant combine forces for a fantastic dinner pairing wines and food! 

And every single year every wine dinner sells out! Fast! 

So when VIWF winery dinners go on sale Wednesday January 3 at 9:30 a.m., consider them to be the Taylor Swift tickets of the Wine Festival!

And with Italy as the VIWF focus region, you just know there will be great Italian wine dinners - and there are! 

Check the wine dinners website page and get your credit card out! For your convenience, here are the links to the VIWF wine dinners: 

UPDATE - Many of the dinners are already SOLD OUT as of Friday January 5 at 11 a.m. - see below - hurry, hurry! 

2024 Winery Dinners

Saturday, February 24 Bacchanalia Gala Dinner + Auction Fairmont Hotel Vancouver $600 Monday, February 26 House of Puglia  SOLD OUT Riley’s Fish & Steak $175   A Night with Robert Mondavi SOLD OUT Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar $225   Tuesday, February 27   Capturing Time in a Bottle SOLD OUT Bacchus Restaurant $225    Dine with Inama  SOLD OUT CinCin Ristorante + Bar $225   Frescobaldi: A Tuscan Dynasty SOLD OUT The Vancouver Club $225 Gérard Bertrand’s Languedoc The Keg Steakhouse + Bar $145   A Taste of Ruffino SOLD OUT The Roof at Black + Blue $225

Wednesday, February 28 32 Generations in Chianti GOING FAST Italian Kitchen $175   Carpineto: Explore Tuscany SOLD OUT La Terrazza $225   Ciao, Piemonte! SOLD OUT Giardino $225   A Family Tradition of Excellence Provence Marinaside $225   Gusto d’Italia La Piazza Dario Ristorante Italiano $175   Life’s a Masquerade The One Sixty Wine Bar & Cafe $145   Serata Italiana con Stile SOLD OUT Carlino $225   La Vita è Bella!  SOLD OUT Cioppino’s Mediterranean Grill & Enoteca $225

And here's the schedule for remaining tickets to go on sale:

Upcoming ticket on-sale dates:

• Winery dinners go on sale Wednesday, January 3 at 9:30 a.m. 
• All remaining public events go on sale Wednesday, January 10 at 9:30 a.m.
• Trade Days events go on sale Wednesday, January 17 at 9:30 a.m.

Tickets are currently on sale for the four International Festival Tastings, the Super Passand Trade Days Pass, and the Bacchanalia Gala Dinner + Auction, presented by National Bank Private Banking 1859.   

Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines of 2023 - which 11 bottles are available in British Columbia?

What Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines can you buy in British Columbia?  There are at least 11 and the Wine Barbarian knows - and tells you! 

Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines available in BC

The Wine Spectator magazine is perhaps the best-known and largest circulation wine publication in the world - so when it announces its annual Top 100 Wines, the world - and especially wine drinkers - take immediate notice!  

And here's the good news: at least 11 of the Top 100 - including at least 6 of the Top 10 - are available in BC!  

Above are 7 bottles I've purchased at multiple locations - public and private stores - so far from the Top 100 - and below are 2 more. 

The Astrolabe 2022 Sauvignon Blanc and Raen
2021 Sonoma Coast Royal St Robert Pinot Noir 

A few words of explanation about the Top 100: Wine Spectator isn't just taking the 100 highest scoring wines released and reviewed in 2023 and making that their Top 100 - not at all.

The Top 100 has multiple attributes - and here's the Wine Spectator's own words to say it best:

"Each year since 1988, Wine Spectator has released its Top 100 list, where our editors select the most exciting wines from the thousands we reviewed during the course of the year. These wines are a diverse group—ranging from emerging labels and regions to traditional estates exploring new directions—and all generate the excitement we call the “X-factor.”

In addition, our selection also prioritizes quality (based on score), value (based on price) and availability (based on the number of cases either made or imported into the United States). These criteria are applied to the wines that rated outstanding (90 points or higher on Wine Spectator’s 100-point scale) each year to determine our Top 100.

As many wines are made in limited quantities and not available in every market, our Top 100 is not a “shopping list,” but rather a guide to wineries to watch in the future—a reflection of the producers and wines our editors become particularly passionate about in each new year."  

For me, the Top 100 list has become a "holy grail" search for any bottles on it that I can find - and afford, as some are pricey - before they disappear from local shelves!

I'm happy to report that I have already found 9 great bottles of wine in BC at least - and tried a few of them! 

The Number 1 wine is Argiano 2018 Brunello de Montalcino from Italy is rated 95 points and I purchased it in the Victoria BC Liquor Store in Foul Bay.  It is listed at other stores and hopefully more stock will come in soon! It may also be at private stores.  Some also delicious Argiano 2017 may still be found. 

The Number 3 wine is Chateau Lynch-Bages 2020 from France's  Paulliac region of Bordeaux is rated at 96 points - and also available at BC Liquor Stores - pricey at $300 but a classic worth cellaring for a very long time - if you can resist! 

The Number 4 wine is Raen Sonoma Coast Royal St. Robert 2021 Pinot Noir from California - rated 95 points and only available in private stores like Everything Wine - retailing for about $121. 

The Number 7 wine is Marchese Antinori Chianti Classico Riserva 2020 - from Italy and rated at 95 points and available at BC Liquor Stores for $65 - another wine that needs a few cellar years but tempting to crack today!

The Number 8 wine is Chateau Baron Pichon 2020 - also from Paulliac - and rated 97 points.  It clocks in at BC Liquor Stores for a painful $375 a bottle - but a legendary wine! 

And the Number 10 wine which is also available in BC is Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc 2022 from New Zealand - rated 95 points but only $38 and widely available at BC Liquor Stores - it's simply delicious!

There are several other great Top 100 wines for sale in BC Liquor Stores and private stores, including these I've found so far:

Number 15 - Astrolabe 2022 Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand rated at 94 points and even cheaper than the Greywacke at $27 in BC Liquor Stores and Vancouver's Broadway Wines, Everything Wine and others.  I have to say it's equally impressive - some may even prefer it and its $11 cheaper! 

Number 29 also hails from New Zealand and is also a Sauvignon Blanc 2022 - this one is the Invivo X SJP from actress Sarah Jessica Parker and Invivo - and is rated 93 points.  It's available at Everything Wine and possibly other private stores for $32 - but limited quantities.

Number 52 is from Uruguay - yes Uruguay! - and is a delightful Bodega Garzon Albarino Reserva 2022 rated 90 points and retailing for just $32 at Broadway Wines and Everything Wine at least - quantities limited so hurry!  While Spain is the home of albarino wine, Uruguay is doing a fantastic job.

Number 68 is Flowers Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2021 - rated 93 points and available at BC Liquor Stores for $80 in limited quantities, possibly in private stores as well. 

Number 74 is from Spain - Clos Berenguer 2020 Clos de Tafall from the Priorat region - rated 92 points and available at Legacy Liquor Store at least recently - possibly others - for $38 - a bargain for a great bottle!

That's what I have found so far - always happy to hear from readers with tips on additional Top 100 Wine Spectator wines that are available in BC - do let me know and I'll pass it on! 

And don't forget to get your tickets to the Vancouver International Wine Festival - on sale now and coming soon - February 24 to March 3, 2024.  

As the Festival website notes: 

• Advance tickets (International Festival Tastings and Super Pass), StayVancouverHotels.com and Bacchanalia Gala Dinner + Auction are now on sale
• Trade Days Passes are also on sale for qualified industry members
• Winery dinners go on sale Wednesday, January 3 at 9:30 a.m.
• All remaining public events go on sale Wednesday, January 10 at 9:30 a.m.
• All Trade Days events go on sale Wednesday, January 17 at 9:30 a.m.

See you there!!