The New Year brings a plethora of hospitality events to Vancouver. Dine Out Vancouver Festival is celebrating its 24th year from January 21-February 8 with more than 300 restaurants participating. Lots of wineries and craft breweries are involved plus 13 Food Trucks at the Vancouver Art Gallery Plaza from January 22-25 for Street Food City 2026. The inspiring Chefs’ Table Society of BC is an expanding force of influence with their newly opened Culinary Commons for the revived Chowder Cup on February 3, AGM & Marketplace on February 23, and Curry Cup on March 30 in addition to the later dates for Spot Prawn Festival in May & CooksCamp in September. So many more exciting food & wine events too detailed to list here. The oldest and arguably the most instrumental hospitality event going since 1979 has been the Vancouver International Wine Festival (#VIWF and @VanWineFest) now with the 47th edition scheduled from March 7-14 with a spotlight on France. This year features 114 wineries from 14 countries at 33 events.

Lots of activities planned from the International Festival Tastings to Restaurant meals, and a Gala dinner/auction. A key focus has always been the important educational wine seminars and Trade events. Over the years the Wine Festival has been an important catalyst in getting younger demographics interested in the art of wine and learning about its complexities. Hopefully this will continue. However, any event where lots of alcohol is available will be under a detailed fine microscope especially this year as Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol and Health reports there is no safe amount but low risk is limited to only two or fewer standard drinks per week. This 47th Van Wine Fest has a very good record for responsible wine tasting and it is not a simple booze-up event but this could be a key crossroads for it. Your scribe has been involved actively with the #VIWF since day one and is probably the only person to have attended all of them so obviously I am biased. However the emphasis has always been on education first and foremost. The system in place still requires a knowledgeable winery principal to be at their wine tasting booth explaining their product. Thinking back to day one in 1979 the feature event was purely educational where Michael Mondavi conducted a component tasting of Robert Mondavi Winery acid, tannins, and oak influences on fruit – not wine drinking. Van Wine Fest is an easy target because it lasts a whole week. Early on it nearly was changed to the now more common one night fundraiser format but in a very close vote (I was a part of) we retained the one week length for the unique valuable educational features it provides. In these times it would be prudent to reemphasize these most important educational goals of Van Wine Fest. Also provide even more easy access containers for proper wine tasting spitting etiquette and encourage tasters to spit. A good thing!

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Question: I like drinking Washington state wines and wonder which region was the first one recognized?

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A very happy and healthy 2026 to all followers of this educational wine & food Blog. Hope the New Year ahead will have some wonderful memorable experiences for all of you. Reflecting back on last year your scribe was fortunate to enjoy many outstanding wines most worthy of a near perfect score or at least in the high nineties. Most of them were spotlighted on your IWFS Blog. Thought it might be fun to pick out an unranked Top Ten for you with some other contenders thrown in as well. You can obtain more detailed information on all these wine listed by using the Search engine on blog.iwfs.org. Here goes:

SPARKLING; This has to go to the unique classic old vines Champagne of still youthful 2012 BOLLINGER VIEILLES VIGNES FRANCAISES BLANC DE NOIRS. Close runner-up was the fantastic vintage 2008 ROEDERER CRISTAL.

CHABLIS: A tie between two structured LES CLOS GRAND CRU from the outstanding vintage of 2014 by DOMAINE CHRISTIAN MOREAU & DOMAINE WILLIAM FEVRE. Also an excellent 2008 VAULORENT PREMIER CRU DOMAINE WILLIAM FEVRE.

WHITE BURGUNDY: Amazing balanced 2014 MEURSAULT PERRIERES BOUCHARD PERE still improving plus their presently perfect drinking 2010. Medal to the lovely 2014 CHASSAGNE MONTRACHET LES CAILLERETS CAROLINE MOREY.

DESSERT: Remarkable at age 50 the 1976 HUGEL GEWURZTRAMINER SELECTION DE GRAINS NOBLES (Selection FUT 20 par Jean Hugel) and the rich 1990 CHATEAU D’YQUEM SAUTERNES.

PORT: Many mature VINTAGE PORTS from 1970, 1966, and 1963 plus old delicious diverse TAYLOR TAWNY but very special fifty-five year old 1970 QUINTA DO NOVAL NACIONAL.

RED BURGUNDY: Gold to DOMAINE MEO-CAMUZET for sublime 2003 RICHEBOURG GRAND CRU and Silver to their elegant 2005 VOSNE-ROMANEE AUX BRULEES.

RHONE: The tasty smooth blackberries of 1990 HERMITAGE LA CHAPELLE DOMAINE PAUL JABOULET brings back fond memories of their legendary 1978 and 1961. Some classic CHAVE.

CANADA: World-class wines led by so many wineries, but a standing ovation for 2020 OCULUS MISSION HILL FAMILY ESTATE, CHECKMATE CHARDONNAY, and MARTIN’S LANE RIESLING & PINOT NOIR.

WHITE BORDEAUX: Many excellent entries led by ripe 2015 CHATEAU SMITH HAUT LAFITTE BLANC, dependable 2011 DOMAINE DE CHEVALIER BLANC, and classy LA CLARTE DE HAUT-BRION.

RED BORDEAUX: Fortunate to try a plethora of Bordeaux Château verticals and vintage horizontals during 2025. Difficult to pick a winner among so many worthy candidates. Perhaps at the top of a long list are 1989 PICHON BARON, 2000 LYNCH BAGES (matched 2000 Petrus), 1986 LEOVILLE BARTON, AND PICHON LALANDE & LEOVILLE LAS CASES (BOTH IN 1996 AND 1990), classic 1986 MOUTON, and young impressive 2022 MARGAUX. Lots close by with 1970 PALMER, 1986 & 1982 GRUAUD LAROSE, 2000 DUCRU BEAUCAILLOU, 2000 SMITH HAUT LAFITTE, 1982 GRUAUD LAROSE, 1986 & 1982 TALBOT … What was your most memorable wine consumed in 2025?

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Thanks again for your thought-provoking questions during 2025 for the Ask Sid Wednesday feature on IWFS. Your Top Ten analytics showed a really diverse selection of interesting wine and food topics. Everything from current wine vintage updates to more esoteric grape variety names. Your scribe liked the postings on USA wine tariffs and Crafted in British Columbia 2024 wines, which didn’t show quite as popular. Please put on your thinking cap in 2026 for what you want to enquire about concerning wine & food, and I look forward to trying to assist. A fun challenge for me this year. A very Happy New Year to all of you kind followers on the blog.iwfs.org.

1. How is the 2025 Bordeaux vintage looking?

2. What’s up at Laughing Stock?

3. Has the 2025 Grape Harvest started?

4. Another grape similar to Blaufrankisch?

5. Best new BC 2024 wine label?

6. What is Pugnitello?

7. With global warming what is happening with grape growing in Scandinavia?

8. Would you kindly recommend an interesting Rosé for me to drink this Summer?

9. Which wine did golfer Rory McIlroy drink to celebrate his 2025 Masters win?

10. What are your thoughts Sid for this Summer on the best BBQ wines?

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Another year has quickly passed with each Monday providing a dependable posting by your scribe on our IWFS Blog. Delighted to learn that a spotlight on the excellent red wine Oculus 2020 from the Okanagan in British Columbia was the analytic #1 winner. Not sure the reason is really being the most popular. It may be the interest shown of Vancouver local followers or merely globally the most curiously unknown wine. Nevertheless, it is still encouraging for our local wine industry where your widely followed Top Ten was full of detailed tastings on best Bordeaux (#2, 4, 5, 8, and 9) and best Burgundy (#6, 7, and 10). Only the Quinta do Noval Vintage Port vertical at #3 broke the chain. Surprised some of my favs from Bordeaux on Gruaud Larose, Leoville Barton, and 2010 & 2005 classic vintages plus Burgundy features on Chassagne-Montrachet Paulee & Seeking Better Value White Burgundy didn’t make it. Even more surprisingly was that an educational food feature on the delicious Muhammara and travel recommendations for restaurants in Montreal & San Francisco couldn’t break through. Hope you have enjoyed the Blog in 2025 and will check back using the valuable search engine for wine & food topics of interest to you. These 2025 stats provide information to think about for 2026. Happy New Year!

1. IMPRESSIVE 2020 OCULUS RED WINE FROM THE OKANAGAN VALLEY BY MISSION HILL FAMILY ESTATE

2. 2000 RED BORDEAUX AGING WELL & DRINKING BRILLIANTLY AT 25 YEARS!

3. QUINTA DO NOVAL VINTAGE PORT VERTICAL FROM 1997 TO 1963

4. TOP RED BORDEAUX FROM VINTAGES 1986, 1983, 1982, 1979, AND 1975 ARE MELLOW WITH MATURITY

5. CHATEAU PICHON BARON LIVING UP TO CLASSIFIED SECOND GROWTH STATUS

6. MEURSAULT PERRIÈRES BOUCHARD PÈRE VINTAGES SHOW EXCELLENT HIGH QUALITY

7. CHABLIS LES CLOS VERTICAL SHOWS THE MAGICAL TERROIR UNIQUENESS!

8. INTENSE 2022 RED BORDEAUX VINTAGE SURPRISES WITH VERSATILITY

9. ANOTHER CHÂTEAU PICHON BARON PAUILLAC VERTICAL CONFIRMS TOP QUALITY AGEABILITY

10. VOSNE-ROMANEE AUX BRULEES DOMAINE MEO-CAMUZET VERTICAL SHOWS A QUALITY TERROIR OF REFINED INTENSITY

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