Vancouver Wine Festival Events

The Vancouver International Wine Festival features dozens of special restaurant dinners, wine tastings, seminars and other wine-themed events.

In 2025 the festival runs from February 22nd to March 2nd and the theme is the United States. Celebrating its 46th anniversary, this year the festival features 15 countries, 122 wineries, around 1,000 wines and 44 events over the course of its eight days.

This article describes just some of the events that take place in 2025. Keep reading to learn about the biggest events, and for the full list of what happens during the festival visit vanwinefest.ca.

For tickets and the event’s official website, click Vancouver International Wine Festival.

Wine Festival Dinners, Seminars & Other Events

The Vancouver Wine Festival has a number of events between February 22nd and March 2nd in 2025. Some of the events are for the public. Others are for people in the wine industry only. There are over 120 wineries from 15 different countries participating at the festival this year.

Below we list some of the festival’s various public events. As you’ll see, there is a wide selection of wonderful wine-related activities to choose from. They sell out fast though, so if you see one you like, book your tickets soon!

The International Festival Tastings are the festival’s biggest events. In 2025 they take place daily from February 27th to March 1st at the Vancouver Convention Centre (VCC West). Hours are typically from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm on all three days, but exact details are to be confirmed as of early October. Tickets for each event cost between $109 and $135.

(Note: Events are for adults ages 19+. Event times, locations and other details are subject to change, so check the official Vancouver International Wine Festival website links for exact details.)

Signature Wine Festival Events

Below are examples of signature events with more information about the various days of the festival. NOTE: Our list is just a sample of the many events that happened in 2024. As of early October, there aren’t yet exact details for most 2025 events.

For the most up to date information about the festival, see the vanwinefest.ca website.

Saturday, February 24th, 2024

Bacchanalia Gala at the Fairmont Hotel (Sold Out)

In 2024 the Bacchanalia Gala took place on February 24th at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. The event started at 6:00 pm and ran until 11:00 pm at 900 West Georgia Street. It was a formal event that featured a five-course meal with eight different wines to try. There were also auctions (both live and silent) that took place throughout the evening. Tickets cost $600 per person or $4,800 for a table of eight people.

Click Bacchanalia Gala for more information.

Monday, February 26th, 2024

A Night with Robert Mondavi (Sold Out)

This winery dinner event was held at the Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar at 845 Burrard Street in Vancouver. It started at 6:30 pm and ran until 10:00 pm. The event featured some of Napa Valley’s finest wines. It was led by Eugene Mlynczyk and included a curated dinner. Tickets cost about $225 each. For more information see A Night with Robert Mondavi.

Tuesday, February 27th, 2024

A Taste of Ruffino (Sold Out)

A dinner featuring several award-winning Ruffino wines took place at The Roof at Black + Blue, located at 1032 Alberni Street in Vancouver. The brand’s global ambassador Beppe d’Andrea discussed the history and traditions of Ruffino. The event ran from 6:30 pm to 10:00 pm. Click A Taste of Ruffino for more information.

Discover delle Venezie DOC (Sold Out)

A wine tasting and walk-about event that featured Pino Grigio. The wines were from Italy and there was also sushi, charcuterie, and other dishes to enjoy. This event was held at The Loft at Earls Yaletown, located at 1095 Mainland Street. It started at 6:00 pm and ran for two hours. Tickets cost about $69 per person. To learn more click Discover delle Venezie DOC.

To see what a Vancouver International Wine Festival event looks like at The Loft at Earls in Yaletown, check out the following video. It shows scenes of an event last year when the theme for the festival was South America. As you’ll see, there was lots of wine as well as food and live music to enjoy. It was similar this year.

(Note: The musician in the video performing at the event at The Loft last year is Michael Fabro. In the video, towards the end, you’ll notice that he stops playing momentarily, but the music continues. That’s because the music is looped, where Michael is playing multiple parts, almost like a duet with himself. What you hear when he pauses briefly to adjust his guitar is what he was playing moments previously. He’s a talented musician!)

Dine with Inama (Sold Out)

This event with Stefano Inama took place at CinCin Ristorante at 1154 Robson Street. Featured wines were by the Azienda Agricola Inama winery, while dinner was provided by the team at CinCin. Tickets cost $225 per person. The event started at 6:30 pm and concluded at 10:00 pm. For more information click Dinner with Inama.

For tickets and the event’s official website, click Vancouver International Wine Festival.

Wednesday, February 28th, 2024

California Wines Sun Fest

A celebration of California wines happened from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm on February 28th in 2024. The event was held at The Pipe Shop at the Shipyards at 115 Victory Ship Way in North Vancouver. Wines were paired with various snacks and bites. Tickets cost $69 and were on sale as of January 10th. For more information see the California Wines Sun Fest page.

Vancouver Wine Festival at Granville Island — California Wine Beach Party in 2022

Gusto d’Italia (Sold Out)

A five-course dinner at the La Piazza Dario restaurant located at 3075 Slocan Street in Vancouver. Each course was matched with wines by Medici Ermete and Montresor from different regions in Italy. The event ran from 6:30 pm to 10:00 pm on February 28th. Tickets cost $175 per person. For more information about the dinner, click Gusto d’Italia.

Thursday, February 29th, 2024

The Shape of Wine (Sold Out)

This event was a guide through the different shapes of wine glasses and the effects they produce. It was run by Alysha Harker, and guests sampled a variety of fine wines. The event took place at the Terminal City Club at 837 West Hastings Street from 5:15 pm to 6:45 pm. Tickets cost $115 and included a set of glasses to take home. To learn more about the event, click The Shape of Wine.

Vancouver Wine Tasting Workshop — Wine Tasting Seminar

International Festival Tasting at the Convention Centre

This wine-tasting event took place at the Vancouver Convention Centre (VCC West) at 1055 Canada Place. It was one of the festival’s largest and most popular events.

In 2024 this event ran from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm on the Thursday, Friday and Saturday of February 29th to March 2nd. There was also an additional afternoon session on the Saturday. At this event there were about 150 wineries in attendance to provide samples of their specific wines. Admission ranged from $109 to $115 for this night. For more information click International Festival Tasting.

For tickets and the event’s official website, click Vancouver International Wine Festival.

Friday, March 1st, 2024

Golden State Vineyard Visions

A Master Class about eight different wines from California. The event was moderated by DJ Kearney, who provided interesting insight into the work behind each wine. The seminar was held at the Vancouver Convention Centre (Meeting Room 109 in VCC West). It’s located at 1055 Canada Place. The event started at 5:15 pm and ran for 90 minutes. Tickets cost $55 each. For more information see the Golden State Vineyard Visions page.

International Festival Tasting at the Convention Centre

This wine-tasting event took place at the Vancouver Convention Centre (VCC West) at 1055 Canada Place from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm (as well as on Thursday and Saturday). At this event there were 149 wineries in attendance. Advance tickets for this evening cost $119 and regular tickets cost $125.

For more information click International Festival Tasting.

Saturday, March 2nd, 2024

The Global Cru

The Global Cru was a seminar based on the term “Cru” which means “growth” in French and refers to the quality or classification of a vineyard. At this event participants learned about the word and sampled some of the world’s best wines. The event ran from 5:15 pm to 6:45 pm at the Vancouver Convention Centre (VCC West) located at 1055 Canada Place. Tickets were on sale as of January 10th and cost $95 each. For more information about the seminar and to register, click The Global Cru.

For tickets and the event’s official website, click Vancouver International Wine Festival.

International Festival Tasting at the Convention Centre

This wine-tasting event took place at the Vancouver Convention Centre (VCC West) at 1055 Canada Place from 2:30 pm to 5:00 pm in the afternoon and then again from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm in the evening (as well as on Thursday and Friday evenings). At this event there were about 150 wineries in attendance.

Advance tickets cost $119 for the afternoon and $129 for the evening. For more information about the afternoon event, click International Festival Afternoon Tasting. To learn more about the evening event click International Festival Night Tasting.

To see what the International Festival Tasting event looks like, check out the following video. It’s of the event in 2020.

Sunday, March 3rd, 2024

PICA Kitchen Party (Sold Out)

Vancouver’s top chefs took you on a tour of various kitchens in which each chef prepared food to pair with select wines. Participants learned why each pairing was so extravagant. The event took place from noon to 2:00 pm by Granville Island at the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts at 101-1505 West 2nd Avenue. Tickets cost $125. Click PICA Kitchen Party for more details.

WINE FESTIVAL CONNECTION TO SHAKESPEARE

Did you know that the Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival is a charitable beneficiary of the Vancouver International Wine Festival? It is, and every year Bard on the Beach receives a large cheque from the festival which helps the theatre organization to do what it does, which is provide first-class theatre to Vancouver folks and tourists each summer.

For details about the theatre company, see our article about Bard on the Beach.

For tickets and the event’s official website, see the Vancouver International Wine Festival website.

LOOKING FOR A DOWNTOWN HOTEL?

StayVancouverHotels.com is a sponsor of the wine festival and a website where you’ll find competitive rates on downtown Vancouver hotels. Through its website you’ll also get a bonus gift when you make a reservation. To learn more see our article about StayVancouverHotels.com or click the above icon.

Other Information

To learn more about the festival and its various events, check out our main article about the Vancouver International Wine Festival or see the official Vancouver International Wine Festival website.

Other articles that might be of interest include the following:

Other Lower Mainland wine and other adult beverage-themed events include the following: