The Harrison Uncorked Wine Festival takes place at Harrison Hot Springs in April and features wines from over a dozen regional wineries.
Note: The last time this festival took place was in 2019. It hasn’t happened since the era of COVID. Whether it happens again in the future is to be determined. Fingers crossed that it can!
Harrison Wine Festival
In 2020 the Harrison Uncorked Wine Festival was supposed to take place on the Friday and Saturday of April 17th and 18th. However, the event was cancelled due to COVID-19. It is unlikely that the event took place in 2021 either. 2022 dates and details are to be confirmed.
In years when it does take place, the festival usually comprises two main events – wine pairings with special set dinners at a small number of local restaurants and wine tasting events on the Saturday afternoon.
2016 was the festival’s inaugural event and proved to be a great success, with the afternoon wine tasting on the Saturday sold out over a week in advance. The 2017, 2018 and 2019 festivals were just as popular if not more so. The 2020 event would likely have been just as successful had it taken place.
Evening Restaurant Wine Pairings
In 2020 Harrison Uncorked was supposed to include Winemakers Dinners at select local restaurants on Friday, April 17th, and Saturday, April 18th.
Restaurants and wineries participating in the event a couple of years ago included the Harrison Corner Cafe, Morgan’s Bistro and Rowena’s Inn on the River. Participating restaurants in 2020 were supposed to be the Harrison Corner Cafe, Morgan’s Bistro and The Copper Room at the Harrison Resort and Spa.
Harrison Corner Cafe is located at 310 Hot Springs Road. Its dinner was on the Saturday with the wine pairings from Langley’s Backyard Vineyards.
Morgan’s Bistro is located right in the heart of Harrison Hot Springs at 160 Esplanade Avenue. Its festival dinner was served in 2019 with wine from the Indigenous World Winery on the Friday and from Kettle Valley Vineyards on the Saturday.
The Copper Room at the Harrison Resort is located at the large resort at 100 Esplanade Avenue right beside the lake.
Details of the 2022 event are to be determined.
TIP: Make your reservations early as the restaurants book up well in advance.
Afternoon Wine Tasting
Similar to other years, the 2020 Harrison Uncorked Festival would have also included a wine tasting event on the afternoon of Saturday, April 18, from 1:00 until 4:30 pm. The cost was supposed to be about $55 per person.
In prior years afternoon wine tastings took place on both the Saturday and Sunday (and cost $45 each), but in 2019 they were only on the Saturday event.
The wine tasting event usually takes place at Harrison Memorial Hall at 290 Esplanade Avenue which is right next door to the Harrison Lake Resort.
Partial proceeds from the sale of tickets to the wine tasting afternoon benefit the Harrison Festival Society which hosts music and arts events in the town at various times throughout the year.
Participating Wineries
Okanagan wines at the 2018 event included 8th Generation Vineyard, Calliope Wines, BC Wine Studio, Kettle Valley Winery, Noble Ridge and Okanagan Crush Pad. Also at the event was wine from Harper’s Trail in Kamloops, as well as Indigenous World Winery which is another Okanagan wine and Canada’s first completely First Nations-owned winery.
Wines participating in the 2019 event included Bench 1775, Corcelettes Estate Winery, Backyard Vineyards, BC Wine Studio, Campbell’s Gold, Indigenous World, Kettle Valley, Maan Farms, Moraine, Okanagan Crush Pad, Orofino, Pentâge, Singletree, Wild Goose, Time Winery, Fort Beren’s, The View Winery, KISMET and Cassini Cellars.
TIP: Reserve your spot early as this event will likely sell out well in advance.
Other Information
For additional details about the Harrison Uncorked Wine Festival, check out the Tourism Harrison Events Calendar.
For more information about the area and other things to do, see Harrison Hot Springs and the Fraser Valley.
Other Harrison Festivals & Events
Being such a beautiful place and right on the water, Harrison Hot Springs is a fabulous town to visit any time of the year, but especially when there are events going on in town. In addition to the Harrison Uncorked Wine Festival, other events worth checking out at different times of the year include the following:
- Sasquatch Days – a small festival with First Nations war canoe races, cultural performances and a salmon BBQ in June.
- Harrison Festival of the Arts – a festival featuring an art market and performing arts performances in mid-July.
- Bands on the Beach – two days of music in early September.
- Harrison Beer Festival – an Oktoberfest-style beer festival featuring local BC-produced craft beers in late October.
