IN BRIEF… The Bacchanalia Gala Dinner + Auction kicks off the 39th Vancouver International Wine Festival on February 11 at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver with the one of the most impressive collections of vintage wines to be auctioned in British Columbia. Tickets are available online or through gala@vanwinefest.ca.
VANCOUVER, BC (January 25, 2017) — The Vancouver International Wine Festival is pleased to announce that the wine auction at this year’s Bacchanalia Gala Dinner + Auction will include one of the most impressive collections of vintage wines ever to be auctioned in British Columbia. The auction is held during the Bacchanalia Gala on February 11, at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, and features hundreds of different wines.
Highlights include the stunning 1989 Château Pétrus, valued at nearly $7,500, a dozen bottles of the 1988 Château Margaux to take home to your cellar, and a rare vertical from cult winery Harlan Estate. The amazing collection includes famed French wines from Bordeaux Premier Cru properties and Burgundy Grand Crus, as well as Italian Super Tuscans Ornellaia and Sassicaia, and an incredible assembly of wines from across Canada, the festival’s 2017 theme country.
The Bacchanalia Gala wine auction is the province’s premier opportunity for wine collectors to obtain rare and older vintage wines. The auction is a charitable fundraising event with proceeds benefiting the Bard on the Beach Theatre Society. Tickets for the Bacchanalia Gala Dinner + Auction are available online or through gala@vanwinefest.ca.
AUCTION WINE HIGHLIGHTS
1989 CHÂTEAU PÉTRUS (one bottle) – Estimated Value: $7,435
The 1989 Château Pétrus is superb and Robert Parker awarded it a perfect score of 100 points. He wrote: “This is another stunningly opulent, rich, full-bodied, amazingly concentrated, exotic, flamboyant Pétrus that remains remarkably youthful…the 1989 looks to be another 30-year wine, with extraordinary equilibrium between all of its component parts. An amazing effort!” Château Pétrus is one of the most famous – and usually the most expensive – wines of Bordeaux and represents the pinnacle of Pomerol. British wine writer Michael Broadbent finds this wine to be “perfect.”
1990 CHÂTEAU MOUTON ROTHSCHILD (12 bottles) – Estimated Value: $9,250
An iconic collectible wine from one of Bordeaux’s most famous first-growth producers. The wine has a clear, glittering colour with a slightly brackish tint while the open and expressive nose offers well-developed aromas of blond tobacco and game together with some very pleasant mineral notes. The fruit, relatively discreet on the nose, comes into its own on the palate in flavours of macerated fruit and prunes in alcohol. An attractive, acidulated and airy finish.
HARLAN ESTATE VERTICAL (six bottles) – Estimated Value: $13,400
This vertical includes the 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 Harlan Estate vintages. Founded in 1984, Harlan Estate is a winegrowing estate in the western hills of Oakville, California – in the heart of Napa Valley and has been described as the “ultimate cult winery.” The flagship Harlan Estate is one of the most sought-after Californian wines on the market. Robert Parker states that “these wines possess all the elements of greatness – individuality, power combined with elegance, extraordinary complexity, remarkable aging potential and compelling richness without ponderousness.”
1988 CHÂTEAU MARGAUX (12 bottles) – Estimated Value: $12,150
The very deep colour, the rich, intense nose and the magnificent structure on the palates are very reminiscent of the 1986. They have the same powerful, ripe tannins, with perhaps a little less concentration, but also less austerity. An iconic collectible wine from one of Bordeaux’s most famous first-growth producers.
In addition to this once-in-a-lifetime auction, Bacchanalia Gala Dinner + Auction offers the most spectacular wine and food pairing experience in Vancouver, with 10 outstanding wines from around the world matched with a five-course dinner imaginatively created by Fairmont Hotel Vancouver’s executive chef, Cameron Ballendine.
Tickets & Info:
· Ticket sales close Monday, February 6.
· Gala Event Tickets: Buy online or contact gala@vanwinefest.ca
· Gala Raffle Tickets: A 1-in-200 chance to win two business class tickets anywhere Delta Air Lines flies, valued at $30,760 USD (~$40,000 CAD). Purchase through Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival.
· VanWineFest Tickets & Info: Visit VanWineFest.ca/
Stay in Touch:
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Twitter: follow @VanWineFest for news on tickets and sold-out events. Join the conversation at #VIWF.
ABOUT VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL WINE FESTIVAL
Canada’s premier wine show marks its 39th edition of pairing wine, food and the performing arts from February 11 to 19, 2017. The festival features The Wine World Celebrates Canada as the theme. The festival will showcase 180 wineries from 16 countries (including 76 wineries from Canada) pouring a projected 1,700 wines at 54 events to a projected 25,000 admissions. The Bacchanalia Gala Dinner + Auction opens the festival on Saturday, February 11 at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. The Trade Days Conference, presented by Sysco, takes place Wednesday, February 15 to Friday, February 17. The festival has been named the #1 Food, Wine & Hospitality Industry Event in Canada by New York’s BizBash for four years running.
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 $8.7 million for the performing arts. Major sponsors are Delta Air Lines and the Vancouver Sun; major industry partners are the BC Liquor Distribution Branch, Canadian Vintners Association and the Import Vintners & Spirits Association. The festival is made possible through the gracious support of our participating countries’ consulates and embassies.
ABOUT WINES OF CANADA
Wines of Canada is a collaborative initiative of the Canadian Vintners Association and regional wine associations – British Columbia Wine Institute, Wine Marketing Association of Ontario, Vignerons indépendants du Québec and the Winery Association of Nova Scotia – to bring the country’s best wines to the world. Partial funding for this project has been provided by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the AgriMarketing program through Growing Forward 2.
ABOUT BARD ON THE BEACH SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL
Celebrating its 27th season in 2016, 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. Bard on the Beach offers Shakespeare plays, related dramas and popular special events in two performance tents every June through September. In 2016, attendance exceeded 100,000 and more than 1.4 million patrons have experienced Bard since its inception. This year’s festival dates are June 1 to September 23, 2017 and the lineup includes Much Ado About Nothing, The Winter’s Tale, The Merchant of Venice and The Two Gentlemen of Verona, plus a special limited-run presentation of Shylock. Bard also offers a range of education programs, including Young Shakespeareans Workshops for 8 to 18-year-olds at its Vanier Park site during the summer, and Riotous Youth for 19 to 24-year-olds. During the school term, Bard also offers workshops for educators and youth in schools and community centres throughout BC’s Lower Mainland, as well as at its new administrative home, the BMO Theatre Centre (162 West 1st Avenue). Full details and education program information are at bardonthebeach.org.
