Heads UP/VanWineFest/BC Cider Week/Wine &  Oyama Sausage/1000 stories

 Making plans for the run-up to Holidays or for  early 2019?

We have three stories for you.  A primer of the next VanWineFest, also advance notice on the 3rd BC Cider festival and a check in on the amazing December to be had at the wildly popular Oyama Sausage at Granville Market.  Joanne Sasvari editor of Vitis will pair wines with Oyama’s legendary offerings.

And we finish with Bob Blue, maker of a Bourbon aged Zin called 1000 stories.  Ready?

 

The SHOW

Harry Hertscheg  – (Executive Director of 41st Vancouver International Wine Festival)

 Vancouver International Wine Festival has been described as “the largest wine festival in the Americas” with 25,000+ admissions. It is Canada’s premier wine show and widely considered to be one of the best wine events in the world. At age 41, it is also among the oldest. Its slogan is “The Wine World is Here”. For the past six years, VIWF has been voted the #1 Food, Wine & Hospitality Event in Canada by New York’s BizBash.

41st annual (founded 1979)

8 days, Feb 23-Mar 3 (Bacchanalia Gala, Feb 23)

25,000+ admissions

16 countries

160 wineries; including 53 from featured region California

54 events (20 are California events)

1,500 wines projected, including an estimated:

42,000 bottles poured and/or purchased.

 

Harry Hertscheg is the perfect guy to guest here as he loves his WineFest numbers  plus he’s been on TRR many times and we seem to have developed a “shorthand” in getting through all the information the festival contains.

Most importantly, California is the featured wine region this year.  After all the fires, droughts then  floods they could use all the love we have to offer.

Remember, one of the ways we can help them recover from the disasters is to buy their wines and send our support.  California is the single most popular wine region in BC.  Now is when they need us most.

But first, you have to have a ticket to get in.  Harry has some ideas for you.

https://vanwinefest.ca

Shawn Pisio – (Organizer/Co-Founder of BC Cider Week)

 When he’s not organizing BC Cider Week, Shawn and his team run TXOTX – (pronounced Choech)  which is Basque for “to drink cider from a barrel”

One of my highlights of 2018 waas attending, tasting and doing interviews at The Pipe Shop, foot of onsdale in North Vancouver.

It’s one of the few shipbuilding rooms still standing.

30 plus cider makers all pouring their very best. So many stories and tales.

Cider has just exploded in popularity.  One of the people responsible is Shawn Pisio (and Rich Massey) who has a passion for cider than knows no bounds.

So, just like the VanWineFest, the BC Cider Week is fast approaching from April 26th to May 5.  The last day,  May 5th,  is the third gathering of cider makers at The Pipe Shop but Shawn also has info on  two cider  events in Kelowna and two on Vancouver Island at Tod Creek and Sea Cider.

300 Vancouver early bird tickets sold out in 45 minutes. BUT there’s more coming in January.

Shawn is here to tell you all about it.

http://bcciderfest.ca/

Christmas in Oyama

Jerome Dudicourt  (Manager of Oyama Sausage. Granville Market)

 

Joanne Sasvari (Editor of Vitis and Vancouver Eats cookbook)

For many of us, Christmas really doesn’t start until we stand in line at the Oyama Sausage Counter at Granville Market.

Most line-ups are a pain but at Oyama you need the wait time to check out every square inch of food displayed in the coolers..glorious cheeses, amazing sausages, pate to-die-for, smoked wild Boar, Porcini Mushroom pate, Toulouse Sausages, sweet ham, game everywhere. The signage is fun and informative.