From www.eventpub.com
Wine fest just keeps on growing
By Lori-Anne Charlton
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Expect something old and something new at this year‘s Okanagan Fall Wine Festival, Oct. 2-12 at restaurants, wineries and other venues around the Valley.
While the 28-year-old festival has gathered a following for a number of its established events, there‘s always something new to experience for diehard oenophiles, as well as wine-tasting newbies.
“People are looking for change,” said Christina Ferreira, a wine festival administrator. “Those that have been coming for 10 years, their palates have expanded and grown with us. They‘re looking for something different that they don‘t get at all times of the year.”
One of the most unusual events this year is a wine and coffee-pairing seminar, offered by Starbucks at Manteo Resort, Oct. 5.
While Ferreira admitted there was some resistance when Starbucks approached organizers about the unconventional pairing – not as obvious a sell as wine and chocolate or wine and cheese – the idea soon caught on.
The education will be useful for that segue way between dinner and dessert, when there‘s still half a bottle of wine on the table but taste buds are transitioning toward coffee. Six roasts will be paired with six Okanagan wines.
Another new event will be Marche du Terroir, an outdoor market at Mission Hill Family Estate Winery, on the Westside.
“As soon as I heard about it I totally envisioned a farmer‘s market,” Ferreira said.
Set against a Tuscan-inspired backdrop, the market will feature cooking and local suppliers alongside inspired wine pairing.
“People are getting more creative with the types of dinners they‘re doing and events they‘re putting on,” Ferreira noted.
Other events that are heavy on the novelty factor include Harvest Luncheon in the Vineyard at Cedar Creek Estate Winery, Oct. 5; What‘s in the Bag, a blind taste testing of wine and cheese at the Keg Steakhouse and Bar, Oct. 8; and the 10th annual Grape Stomp at Penticton Lakeside Resort, Oct. 3.
Dog lovers might want to take in the Dog Days of Summer at See Ya Later Ranch in Okanagan Falls
Oct. 4, a canine friendly event with wine tasting and dog vendors. Those who are more fanatic about their vino might want to try the fifth annual Midnight Service at Blasted Church Vineyards, also in Okanagan Falls, on Oct. 11. Ruthie Foster and her folksy, bluesy, soulful gospel band will perform.
Closer to home, the Rotary Centre for the Arts presents WAM! Wine, Art and Music, Oct. 11. The mixed- medium event will feature a cross-section of the Kelowna Cultural District‘s artists, along with wine, chocolate, gelato, artisan breads and locally produced cheeses, with live entertainment and 50 WAM dollars towards the purchase of art from participating venues.
For those who don‘t like to miss the tried and true events, Ferreira says two of the most long-established and popular are the WestJet Wine Tastings at the Laurel Heritage Packinghouse, Oct. 3-4, with more than 35 wineries and more than 150 wines to try, and the American Express Grand Finale Consumer Tastings, Oct. 10-11 at the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre. That one is expected to draw about 2,000 wine lovers each evening for a 66-winery wine tour under one roof. Both events include a complementary taxi ride home.
Of course, with some 150 events on offer every year, even the established events can feel new after a while.
“Even if you come every year, if you go to five events you still have 145 left to try,” Ferreira said.
Then again, there are those who like to do nothing more than head out on the wine trail and visit the wineries, scooping up some of the wines that were held back earlier in the year for the crowds during the festival.
Ferreira reports that there‘s also been a noticeable shift in the past few years, of younger people coming in groups from Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary for a mini-break getaway that includes pampering and R&R.
The girls hit the day spa while the guys are on the golf course during the day, and then they join up for wine festival events at night.
“It‘s part of a shift,” she said. “We have more than just wine. The Okanagan now has so much more now, and they‘re doing it.”
It seems wine and the culture around it – however it evolves – just doesn‘t get old.
For more info, check out the Okanagan Wine Festival website at www.owfs.com/.
