VANCOUVER, BC (November 13, 2024) — Advance tickets are now on sale for the Vancouver International Wine Festival. Buy early and save up to $30 off your tasting experience. International Festival Tasting (IFT) tickets are $10 off for a limited time. Enhance your experience in the Delta Air Lines Tasting Lounge and save $15. If you can’t decide which IFT to pick, go to all four and can save $25 on the new IFT Pass; taste it all and save $30 on the Gold Pass. Want to taste for free? Book one of 43 downtown hotels available through StayVancouverHotels.com and receive a IFT ticket, a saving of up to $139.
The 2025 festival runs February 22 to March 2 and welcomes 121 wineries from around the wine world. All participating wineries and their principals gather in the Tasting Room (February 27-March 1) to showcase their wines. Advance price tickets are limited and savings are in effect while quantities last. After that, tickets are available at regular rates. The StayVancouverHotels free ticket offer is available through February 13, or while quantities last.
This year, the festival’s theme is West Coast U.S. Wines, with 50 wineries and their principals from California, Oregon, and Washington State travelling to Vancouver to share wines and their stories. They’re joined by 71 wineries from 14 additional countries. Overall, more than one out of four wineries are making their festival debut in 2024.
“It’s the season for savings, and we’re pleased to offer festivalgoers a deal on all our tasting room events and passes. We’re particularly thrilled to be bringing back the exclusive Delta Air Lines Tasting Lounge and our premium package, the Gold Pass,” said Harry Hertscheg, VIWF executive director. “This year, we’ve also introduced the IFT Pass to allow you to taste the world at your leisure. Tickets make a great gift for the wine lover on your list, and you can buy them online or by phone. Best of all, the ticket price you see is the amount you pay. No surprises upon check out!” The advance sale offers savings on International Festival Tasting tickets and associated events and passes. See details below.
ADVANCE SALE OFFERS
International Festival Tastings
Festivalgoers save $10 off the regular price of International Festival Tasting tickets (Thursday, February 27, Friday, February 28 and Saturday, March 1). Advance tickets for evening tastings, 7 to 10 p.m., are $109 for Thursday, $119 for Friday and $129 for Saturday. The Saturday matinee tasting from 2:30 to 5 p.m., with stunning daytime views of Coal Harbour and the North Shore Mountains, is available for the advance price of $119. Only a limited number of tickets are available at the advance rate for each of the four sessions. Once the advance allotment sells out, tickets may be purchased at regular prices.
Delta Air Lines Tasting Lounge
Back by popular demand! Amplify your tasting experience in the Delta Air Lines Tasting Lounge, sponsored by Delta Air Lines: sample an assortment of U.S. festival bottles and enjoy light bites in an exclusive lounge adjacent to the Tasting Room. Choose from three sessions: Friday evening, Saturday afternoon, or Saturday evening. Tickets range from $210-$235, depending on the session, but for a limited time save $15. The Delta Air Lines Tasting Lounge is graciously co-hosted by the U.S. Consulate General.
IFT Pass
New this year, the IFT Pass includes tickets to all four International Festival Tastings. Explore a different country, continent, style, or variety each session, or just explore the room at your leisure! The IFT Pass is available for $375 – a $516 value – but for a limited time, pay only $350 and save an additional $25.
Gold Pass
The return of the Delta Air Lines Tasting Lounge also brings back the popular Gold Pass. For those wanting the full festival tasting experience, Gold Passes are available for only $650, and include access to six tastings (four public IFTs and two Trade Tastings, presented by ContainerWorld), three of them including the Delta Air Lines Tasting Lounge, plus the exclusive Festival Toast VIP reception on Thursday evening. Purchased individually, the Gold Pass events are valued at $976. For a limited time, save an additional $30 and pay only $620.
BOOK A HOTEL, GET A FREE INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL TASTING TICKET!
Turn your tasting into a weekend trip! Book a stay at one of StayVancouverHotels.com’s 43 downtown hotels and receive a free International Festival Tasting ticket (a $119 to $139 value at regular rates) to the session of your choice. This offer is only available until February 13 or while allocations last, so book early for the best hotel rates and availability. The StayVancouverHotels.com initiative is an important cornerstone of the festival’s Don’t Wine and Drive program.
INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL TASTINGS HIGHLIGHTS
See the full list of participating wineries
The Tasting Room at the Vancouver Convention Centre is where all 121 participating wineries gather to pour ~700 select wines. Discover exciting new wines, or return to old favourites, sipping from premium wine glasses. The room will also feature tasting stations and wine bars showcasing wines from California, Taste USA, New Zealand, West Coast Chardonnays, sustainable wines, and sparkling wines from around the world. You can also find wine-friendly food and beverage exhibitors offering tasting samples, including ARC Iberico Imports, Caffè Umbria, D’Oro Gelato e Caffè, FIJI Water, Soft Crush, Sysco, and Terra International Foods. However, festivalgoers are encouraged to have a meal before attending as food quantities are limited. Other Tasting Room exhibitors adding value for attendees include BC Food & Wine Radio, ContainerWorld, Import Vintners & Spirits Association, and Riedel – The Wine Glass Company.
Theme Country: USA
This year, the festival is celebrating West Coast U.S. Wines, with 50 wineries from California, Oregon, and Washington taking centrestage in the Tasting Room. Explore the storied wine regions of the west coast, from Sonoma to Santa Barbara, Walla Walla to Willamette. The dedicated U.S. section of the room will also feature tasting stations from Taste USA and California Wines, where you can take a road trip down the West Coast.
Vine Stars
What makes VanWineFest unique is the presence of global “vine stars” – winemakers, proprietors, senior executives – who come to Vancouver every year to pour and discuss their wines with festivalgoers. Each winery will be represented at events by a principal, a senior representative from the winery. Seek out the royal blue lanyards at tastings and special events to meet our vine stars face-to-face.
More Room, Smaller crowds
Both the Thursday evening and Saturday afternoon sessions are guaranteed to have a lower capacity than Friday and Saturday evening, offering more room and more time to interact with winery principals.
BCLIQUOR Festival Wine Shop
Included in the price of each ticket is the opportunity to shop at the onsite BCLIQUOR store where exclusive wines from all participating wineries will be available for purchase. Take advantage of the bottle check – shop early to pick up your must-have wines, check your purchases, and then return to the Tasting Room to discover more wines. Whether you buy one bottle or 100, your wine purchases can be shipped at no cost to your nearest BCLIQUOR store anywhere in the province. This is an unparalleled opportunity to start or build a wine collection, with knowledgeable staff to guide you on which wines are best to cellar.
Don’t Wine and Drive
- Book a downtown hotel via StayVancouverHotels.com and get a free International Festival Tasting ticket (while supplies last or until February 13)
- Get a free transit ticket from BC Liquor Distribution Branch as you leave the tastings to Get Home Safe
- Grab a taxi, ride share, or limo home
HOW TO PURCHASE ADVANCE TICKETS
Online: VanWineFest.ca
Phone: 604-873-3311, toll free 1-877-321-3121 (Monday to Friday, 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.)
All ticket prices include wine, food (if a food event), gratuities, taxes and service charge.
SAVE THE DATES
- Advance tasting tickets and passes and StayVancouverHotels ticket offer are now on sale.
- Bacchanalia Gala Dinner + Auction goes on sale Wednesday, November 20 at 9:30 a.m.
- Trade Days Passes go on sale Wednesday, December 11 at 9:30 a.m.
- Winery dinners go on sale Wednesday, January 8 at 9:30 a.m.
- All remaining public events go on sale Wednesday, January 15 at 9:30 a.m.
- All trade events go on sale Wednesday, January 22 at 9:30 a.m.
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