The Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival pulls into town this week for an all you can drink buffet of booze. At least that’s how many will treat it, but wine tasting shouldn’t be seen as a free for all to get ‘faced. It’s a chance to get out, try new things, discover new blends and sip and savour from bottles you would never be able to afford at a restaurant.

Here are some tips to survive Wine Fest.

1. Respect the pourer. They’re not $10/hr hostesses, but actually knowledgeable sales reps, maybe the President of the company, or perhaps even the Winemaker
2. Respect your palate. Start with the light wines and finish heavy (ie save the Ports til last) If you’re going on 2 separate nights, do white one night, red the other
3. Leave your big purse at home. It’s tough to balance all that and a glass, a wristlet with your id and keys should be enough. That said …
4. Bring a journal or notebook to take notes on what you’re trying. Trust me, 5 glasses in you’ll forget what you had first
5. Try something different than what you always buy – here’s your chance to go on an adventure with minimal risk
6. If you like it, buy it. All wines poured on site, are available at the store on site, so if you really love something, pick up a couple bottles before you leave as many “show exclusives” are brought in for this event only
7. Don’t wear white. Even if you don’t spill, someone else might. Jen saw someone in a beautiful white suit one year, with a lovely streak of shiraz right down her back
8. There are no dumb questions, you’re there to learn, and the pourers are there to help
9. Spit spit spit spit! You’re going to be drinking a lot, so even if you’re looking to get your drunk on, spit
10. Don’t rinse your glass with the water at the table, people think they’re spittoons (see #10). Instead, ask the pourer for a splash of the wine you’re about to sample to rinse out your glass.
11. The good stuff will be gone by Saturday night, all the expensive bubbles etc are in limited quantities, so look for them Thursday and early in the night on Friday
12. Don’t brush your teeth right after drinking wine. The tannins in the wine soften your enamel, and when you brush your teeth with that stuff still on ‘em, you risk scraping the enamel!
[Insiders Guide to Wine Festivals]

The featured region this year is BC and there will be more than 60 different BC Wineries featured at WineFest.

Tags: events, insight