Back in 2016, Jeremy and I attended the Vancouver International Wine Festival for our first time. When we received an alert letting us know it was coming back, we immediately jumped online to ensure we would be able to attend again. Last year at the Vancouver International Wine Festival, the spotlighted country was Italy and this year it was Canada. As a Canadian girl, I found this super exciting and couldn’t wait to try some incredible wines from all over Canada. In total, this year’s Wine Festival had 180 wineries from 16 countries, and 76 of those wineries were from British Columbia, Ontario and Nova Scotia.
5 Wineries We Loved
Queylus
The first winery we visited that really blew us away was Queylus. One thing we loved about Queylus was that they just offered 3 vintages of Pinot Noir. It was a unique experience to try 3 Pinots in a row, each of which was fantastic but had their subtle differences.
Poplar Grove
The second winery booth that caught our attention and taste buds was Poplar Grove. We had read to ask for their rosé and immediately understood why once we tried it. Their rosé was simply incredible and although it may not be currently for sale, it is one that you need to note down to try if you have the opportunity.
Haywire
In 2016, Haywire was one of my very favourite wineries we tried. This year, I still enjoyed their wines but wasn’t as taken as I had been. Instead of being a fan of all of their wines, I was mostly a fan of just two: The Switchback Pinot Gris and Pink Bub. The Switchback Pinot Gris is refreshing and light, which makes it perfect for a hot summer day. The Pink Bub seems like a party-pleasing choice that would be great for a bachelorette party or picnic as it is also light, refreshing, and crisp.
Whitehaven
At one of our final stops, we tried the Whitehaven Pinot Rose and Sauvignon Blanc. These were definitely our favourite white and rose wines we tried that day. They were very crisp and light, yet packed with flavour. It was such a hit with people at the festival that day that while we waited to try, a few people we chatted with let us know that they had returned to the booth for a second time because they loved the wine so much.
Carpineto
While we absolutely loved the wines at this booth, we also adored the wine-maker. He was extremely friendly and informative and walked us through each of the wines we tried. At the end of the day, we ended up making a quick trip back to say goodbye to our favourite wine-maker of the day and re-tasted a few of our favourites from Carpineto.
Thanks for sharing! I don’t drink wine but it was still interesting to see your experience.