WEEKENDER | Vancouver International Wine Festival 2023

"The wine world is here."

Waterfront—(April 28, 2023) The 44th annual Vancouver International Wine Festival returned for eight wine-soaked days of fun. Known as "the largest wine festival in the Americas", VIWF wined and dined thousands of attendees at its various tastings, pairing meals, and signature events across the city.

Jamoneria by Arc

Anchored by its four International Festival Tasting Room sessions hosted this year inside Canada Place, VIWF is unmatched for the sheer breadth and variety of its wine offerings sampled. The Tasting Room remains a great and efficient way to try as many wines from around the world as you can handle.

Nakano Saké Brewery

Since 1996, VIWF has spotlighted a different wine-producing host region/country with this year's festivities being themed "Celebrating South America!" I was particularly enamoured by a few affordable red wines from Argentina and Chile.

AltoLandon Mil Historias Garnacha 2021

VIWF by the numbers:

• 18,000 admissions (25,000 in 2020 and 12,000 in 2022)
• 147 wineries from 17 countries
• 36 events (28 public and 8 trade-only) at 20 venues
• 25 participating restaurants, hotels, and caterers
• 1,150 wines including:
• 825 wines in the Tasting Room
• 325 wines at special events (dinners, seminars, etc.)
• 15,000 bottles poured and/or purchased
• Tasting Room size: 39,000 square feet

VIWF has three mandates:

• to provide an informative, educational, and entertaining wine experience for the public and trade;
• be a premier marketing opportunity for the wine industry and festival partners;
• and raise funds for the local arts.

Nakano Sakagura Umé

Starting with its inception in 1979, VIWF has raised nearly $9.9 million for its beneficiaries in the performing arts sector. Since 2012, the festival has raised $1.9 million for the annual summer Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival.


More | YVArcade / 2016 / 2017 / 2018 / 2019 / 2020 / Inside