The Vancouver International Wine Festival is one I look forward to every year, but especially this year since I was MIA last year as I was pregnant during the time!

I love festivals like these because there is something for everyone at the events that take place over the week. If you’re a food and drink lover, you’ll find some fantastic dinners that pair with the best wines. If you’re looking for your new fave bottle of wine, the Grand Tasting is always a hit and a must for me.

Every year I find something new and something I can add to my list of wines to keep in my rotation (or to impress when going to a dinner party!).

Here are some of the favourites I had from the recent media preview:

1) Robert Mondavi Fume Blanc Reserve 2016
One of the highlights of our evening, this wine had a nice, slight dryness to it while still being easy to drink and slightly sweet.This delicious wine could be paired with a nice dinner or sipped on it’s own.

2) Familia Zuccardi Julia Natural Sparkling Sweet NV
This lovely bubbly is sweet and has a nice creamy finish with a hint of pineapple and mango flavour.

3) Lake Breeze Vineyards Roussanne 2017
This local and great wine has a good balance of herbal and sweetness to it – perfect for a summer meal.

4) Lightfoot & Wolfville Vineyards Tidal Bay 2017
Hailing from Nova Scotia (!!) is this wonderful white that is crisp/dry but still nicely citrus. Definitely can be enjoyed alone or with a meal.

5) Cono Sur Vineyards & Winery Single Vineyard Pinot Noir 2016
Pinot Noir has fast become one of our faves and Nathalie had written about this wine during her time at Cornucopia – but we’ll say it again – one of our faves. It’s dry but has a nice fruity and spice flavour to it without it lingering too long.

6) Avanzi Romantica Franciacorta Saten Brut NV
This Sparkling Italian brut is beautiful and easy to drink. We bet it’d be great as a summer sangria.

7) Masi Agricola Canevel DOCG Xtra Brut NV
It seems like we’ve been hooked on the bubbly, but it’s always great to find a new one to enjoy! We enjoyed this particular Italian prosecco for it’s dry but crisp flavour.

8) Yealands Family Wines – Yealands Estate Single Vineyard Pinot Noir 2017
Another great red – we got a bit of herbal and berry flavours to it, but quite dry and some oak flavours left on the palate.

9) Aquilini Red Mountain Horse Heaven Hills Syrah Rose 2017

10) Felsengartenkellerei Besigheim Collection Schloss 2015
Rieslings are perfect for dinner and this is no different – this is beautifully balanced with a slightly fruity flavour and slight dryness that makes this particular wine dangerously easy to drink.

The Vancouver International Wine Festival runs from February 23- March 3, 2019.  You can get your tickets to the Vancouver International Wine Festival and read up on the fest right here: https://vanwinefest.ca/