Trade Taste Event

This British Columbia wine tasting is available to approved members of the food and beverage industry*. This year, you do not need to register in advance. When you arrive at Crystal Garden, we would be pleased if you would support our beneficiary with a minimum $10 cash donation. Please register at the door with your full name and place of business for your nametag to be worn throughout the tasting.

Vancouver Island & BC wines, spirits, and cider

The Main Event: a cuisine and wine tasting

An array of island food products and produce
Island fish and seafood
Vancouver Island cuisine
British Columbia Wines

A Chocolate Expert & A Tea Master Tempt Your Palate

Join Tea Master Daniela Cubelic for an intriguing tea and chocolate pairing following a guided chocolate tasting with chocolate and cacao expert David Mincey. This is a perfect way to indulge a love for chocolate given that tea and chocolate are a match made in heaven! Similar flavours are layered to create even greater intensity while contrasting flavours are unexpectedly delicious. This is a unique opportunity to enjoy and learn from two incredible experts in their fields.

Sustainable Seafood: Taste and Learn at Finest At Sea

Sips and Seafood

Inn at Laurel Point extends a personal invitation to their renowned summer seafood event, Sips and Seafood. Join Executive Chef Takashi Ito and members of his team as they prepare a seafood feast right before your eyes. Wander through their backyard, glass of BC wine in one hand and tasting plate in the other. New this year... bring out your inner rock star and purchase VIP tickets which will earn you access to Chef Ito’s Pre-Party in Inn at Laurel Point’s ultra-lux penthouse.

Band, Bubbles and Bennys

Pinot Noir Challenge

One of the most challenging and finicky grapes to work with, Pinot Noir has been nicknamed the heartbreak grape and it would be hard to find a winemaker or grape grower who didn’t agree. There are a few select places on the planet that are known for producing some of the best Pinot Noirs. Our tasting will showcase Pinot Noirs from these regions as well as Pinot Noirs from Vancouver Island to see how they compare and how Vancouver Island shows as a premier region to grow Pinot Noir. Join Sommelier Pamela Sanderson and taste wines blind to prevent any preferences or biases in this intriguing, interactive seminar.

Sommelier Pamela Sanderson  
a selection of Pinot Noir from Vancouver Island and around the world

Swine and The Vine

Wine Access presents BC Bubble!

Not only does British Columbia share the same 49th parallel with the Champagne region of France, there's a host of quality sparkling wine being made right here in our own backyard! Join Wine Access Magazine contributor Kurtis Kolt as he guides you through various local sparklers ranging from 'Traditional Method' brut to a quirky spin on Prosecco. With wines from the Okanagan to the Gulf Islands and right here on Vancouver Island, we'll uncork plenty of cheer in this fun and informative session.

Attendees of this seminar will receive a year's subscription to Wine Access Magazine!

Kurtis Kolt Sommeiler  
a selection of British Columbia bubbles

Wine Access presents 'Bang For Your Buck' B.C.

Sure, you can always count on a good bottle of wine when you're dropping a lot of cash, but what are the best local options when your mid-week budget caps out at $20? Wine Access Magazine contributor Kurtis Kolt will take you on a virtual tour of British Columbia, offering plenty of BC wine styles and selections for under twenty bucks. Whether you're looking for aromatic whites, dry rosés or rich reds, discover many new favourite bottles that won't break the bank!

Attendees of this seminar will receive a year’s subscription to Wine Access Magazine.

Sommelier, writer & independent wine consultant Kurtis Kolt, and Tom Firth,
wine consultant, judge, & Wine Access Magazine Tasting Panel member
a selection of British Columbia bubbles

Sea Cider Farm and Ciderhouse

Stay tuned for a fun event of chef demonstrations with the BC Shellfish.

ABC: All 'Bout Chardonnay

Is Chardonnay made in the vineyard or the winery? Is place or person the greater influence of what's in your glass? Join Sharon McLean, Master of Wine candidate, and Harry Hertscheg, Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival executive director, to hear - and taste - all sides of this vinously-delicious argument. And given the ABC theme, there'll...'Also Be Champagne'!

Sommelier Sharon McLean and Harry Hertscheg, Vancouver
Playhouse International Wine Festival 
a selection of Chardonnay from around the world

Land and Sea Harvest on the Family Farm