BC Uncorked will keep its lid on this season.
Instead of concentrating on provincial wineries, West Coast Experiences will go global to feature an array of international wine and food pairings at its Coquitlam festival this fall.
“We want to keep things fresh and interesting,” John Gerum said of his company’s two wine bashes, held at the Westwood Plateau Golf and Country Club this weekend.
Representatives from more than 50 wineries — highlighting 10 countries — will pour samples at the inaugural event, he said.
And Italy will be in the limelight thanks to support from the Italian Chamber of Commerce, the EU Chamber of Commerce and Marquis Wine Cellars.
Among the two dozen Italian liquids to flow, in the Club’s lower floor tasting rooms, will be from Rocca delle Macie, Ruffino, Masi and Valdo.
And, upstairs, in the international theme rooms, about 80 European selections will be offered to guests from agencies such as Barcbees Fine Wines, Crush Imports, E&J Gallo and Empson Wines Canada.
Still, North American vineyards won’t be cut out.
Gerum said there’ll be a couple of B.C. wines to round out the list such as from Narrative (a new Okanagan winery) as well as from the William Hill Estate Winery of Napa, Cali. “The idea is to have lots of selection,” Gerum said. “Local is great but we’ve been wanting to combine our festival with an international element, too.”
Gerum said he plans to return with BC Uncorked on March 10, 2018.
Meanwhile, West Coast Experiences is returning this weekend with the Coquitlam Craft Beer Fest, also on the Plateau. Some 40 craft breweries and distilleries such as the Tri-Cities’ own Mariner Beer, North Paw Brew Co. and West Coast Cider — plus food pairings from Tri-City eateries — will be available.
New for this season’s beer fest is a matinee edition on Saturday. “We had a lot of comments in the past where people weren’t able to attend because of conflicts with their work schedules,” he noted.
What will be a constant for the bi-annual events is the charity component, he said. Once again, partial proceeds will be donated to Team Taylor, which is cycling for the Ride to Conquer Cancer in aid of the BC Cancer Foundation.
As well, like in past years, drink tokens won’t be used. “We find that’s a real bonus,” Gerum said. “People don’t like them so we have them as part of the ticket price.”
• The Tri-City International Wine Fest is on Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m.; the Coquitlam Craft Beer Fest is on Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at noon. Visit westcoastexperiences.com.
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