Another successful year at the 42nd Annual Vancouver International Wine Festival
The 42nd annual Vancouver International Wine Festival wrapped on March 1 leaving wine lovers and industry well sated with fully exercised palates.
This year, 162 wineries and 16 countries participated in 57 events, sharing 1,450 wines with 25,000 participants and attendees. 42 wineries joined the event from this year’s featured country France and #RoséAllDay was the theme of Canada's premier wine show.
Awards were also given to deserving industry members. Dana Lee Harris is the 2020 Spirited Industry Professional, an award presented by VanWineFest to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the sales, service or promotion of wine in British Columbia.
After many years in wine sales and management, Harris started her own consulting business in 2005. She is currently working with several clients, including Wines of Argentina and Wines of South Africa. She has also volunteered much of her time as a board member of the B.C. Hospitality Foundation, as a member of the B.C. chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier, and as a fitness instructor at the YWCA. Dana is currently the Executive Director of the B.C. Hospitality Foundation.
This year's Sommelier of the year winner, Peter Van de Reep, wine director and bar manager at Campagnolo Restaurant, was selected through a hands-on competition organized by the B.C. Chapter of the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers. Peter received Delta Air Lines vouchers worth $2,000 USD, courtesy of VanWineFest.
Peter Van de Reep is the wine director and bar manager of Upstairs @ Campagnolo and Campagnolo Restaurant. Peter started with the company in 2012 at Campagnolo Roma after working for Elysian Coffee and completing studies in Geology at the University of British Columbia. He is a certified sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers and is writing his advanced examination with the CMS later this year.
Congratulations to the recipients of the B.C. Hospitality Foundation Sommelier Scholarships, which offer an opportunity for hospitality workers to increase their wine knowledge through further education. The scholarships were presented at the awards lunch on Friday, February 28. Recipients are: Andrew Forsyth, L'Abattoir; Carley Freeman, Cascadia Liquor; Diana Claxton, Authentic Wine & Spirit Merchants; Ian Casterton, Botanist Restaurant; Jamie Wheeler, Chambar; Jessica Klose, AmoVino Wine + Spirits; Nick Bertoia, L'Abattoir; Peter Van de Reep, Campagnolo; Scott Mitchell, AnnaLena; Tiago de Souza Jensen, Nightingale
Mark your calendars for February 20-28, 2021 for the 43rd annual Vancouver International Wine Festival celebrating the wines of South America.
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