Vancouver International Wine Festival 2015 Tasting tickets Now On Sale!

Discounts on International Festival Tasting tickets, Gold Pass Tasting Lounge & Gold Pass also available; sale starts Nov. 4

VANCOUVER, BC (November 3, 2014)—The 2015 Vancouver International Wine Festival, presented by The Vancouver Sun, and the Vancouver Hotel Destination Association are making it easy for you to sip, save and stay safe this festival. Book one of 36 downtown hotels during festival week through beVancouver.com and receive a free ticket to the International Festival Tastings (regular value $89 evening or $68 matinee). Quantities are limited (and the inaugural program last year was very popular), so book early. The 37th annual festival runs February 20 to March 1 and features 170 wineries from 14 countries participating in 53 events over eight days. The theme country is Australia and the global focus is on Syrah.

Advance tickets to select VanWineFest events also go on sale Tuesday, November 4 at 9:30 a.m. until December 31, or while quantities last. Festival tickets make a great holiday gift for the wine lover on your list and you won’t have to battle any Black Friday crowds to get these bargains.

Festivalgoers can save $10 off the regular price of International Festival Tasting tickets (February 26, 27 and 28). Advance tickets for the three evening tastings (7-10 p.m.) are $79, while the Saturday matinee tasting from 3-5 p.m. is available for the low advance price of $58. Only 300 tickets are available at the advance rate for each of the four sessions. Once they sell out, tickets can be purchased at the regular price.

For those wanting the full tasting experience, Gold Passes go on sale for only $455, a $25 savings. Gold Passes include access to all six tasting room sessions (four public and two trade tastings), the Gold Pass Tasting Lounge and exclusive Curtain Raiser VIP reception. Tickets for the Friday and Saturday evening Gold Pass Tasting Lounge, which includes IFT admission, are available at a $10 savings (advance rate $159, regular rate $169).

The beVancouver.com initiative is an important cornerstone of the festival’s Don’t Wine and Drive program.

“We are thrilled to offer this free ticket promotion with the Vancouver Hotel Destination Association, enticing people to stay downtown while enjoying Canada’s premier wine show,” says VIWF executive director Harry Hertscheg. “By working with tourism and hospitality partners like the VHDA and our participating restaurants, hotels and wine agencies, this wine festival plays a vital role in developing Vancouver’s reputation as a top destination for outstanding wine and food.”

HOW TO PURCHASE ADVANCE TICKETS:

Online: VanWineFest.ca
Phone: 604-873-3311, toll free 1-877-321-3121 (Monday to Friday, 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m.)
In person: 305–456 West Broadway, Vancouver (Monday to Friday, 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m.)

SAVE THE DATES
All public events go on sale Tuesday, January 6 at 9:30 a.m.
All trade events go on sale Tuesday, January 27 at 9:30 a.m.

ACURA INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL TASTING ROOM
The Acura Tasting Room at the Vancouver Convention Centre is the heart of the festival, where all 170 participating wineries gather to pour their select wines. In all, 14 wine producing countries from around the world will be participating, pouring 750+ wines. Discover exciting new wines, or return to your favourites, sipping from premium wine glasses. The room will also feature Regional Tasting Stations from Australia, British Columbia, first-time participant New York State, New Zealand and South Africa, as well as many wine and food-related exhibitors.

THEME COUNTRY: SAVOUR AUSTRALIA

This year’s theme country offers a dynamic look at the history, evolution and revolution of Australia through 55 award-winning wineries in the tasting room. Attendees will sip and savour their way through regional zones, Shiraz intensives and an interactive tasting station themed around cool-climate, modern Australia and the Chardonnay revolution. Throughout festival week, winery dinners, wine seminars with iconic flights, the “Savour Australia” lounge party, a gourmet “Restaurant Australia” grazing lunch and trade events will take festivalgoers on an epicurean journey across Australia.

ABOUT VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL WINE FESTIVAL, PRESENTED BY THE VANCOUVER SUN

Canada’s premier wine show will mark its 37th edition of pairing wine, food and the performing arts from February 20 to March 1, 2015. The festival features Australia as the theme country and Syrah as the global focus. The festival will showcase 170 wineries from 14 countries (including 55 wineries from Australia) pouring 1750+ wines at 53 events to a projected 25,000 admissions. The Bacchanalia Gala Dinner + Auction opens the festival on Friday, February 20 at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. The festival is produced by the Vancouver International Wine Festival Society, which has three mandates: provide an informative, educational and entertaining wine experience for public and trade; be a premier marketing opportunity for the wine industry and festival partners; and raise funds for the Bard on the Beach Theatre Society. Since inception in 1979, the festival has raised $8.3 million for the performing arts. Major partners are the BC Liquor Distribution Branch and the Import Vintners & Spirits Association.

For more information about the Vancouver International Wine Festival go to VanWineFest.ca.

ABOUT BARD ON THE BEACH SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL
Celebrating its 26th season in 2015, Bard on the Beach is one of Canada’s largest not-for-profit, professional Shakespeare festivals. It is presented on the waterfront in Kitsilano’s Vanier Park, adjacent to Vancouver’s downtown core. The Festival offers Shakespeare plays, related dramas and several special events in two performance tents every June through September. In 2014, festival attendance exceeded 100,000 and more than a million patrons have experienced Bard since its inception. The Festival’s dates are June 4 to September 26. The lineup features King Lear, The Comedy of Errors, Love’s Labour’s Lost and the world premiere of C.C. Humphrey’s Shakespeare’s Rebel.