The Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET), the largest global provider of wine and spirits qualifications, is celebrating its milestone 50th anniversary with the first ever global Wine Education Week.

Wine Education Week takes place September 9 – 15, 2019 and celebrates the diversity, taste and culture of the world of wine with a programme of interactive events. The events are focused on learning about and enjoying wines from across the globe.

Wine Education Week will kick off on Monday, September 9 with food and wine pairing launch events across the world starting at 6 pm local time in 24 countries.

Beginning with Auckland, New Zealand and ending with California, USA, WSET is aiming for a continuous 24-hour global food and wine tasting session.

In the UK, the launch event will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for wine lovers to help break a Guinness World Record – for the largest ever recorded sommelierie lesson.

In Canada, there will be a launch events in Toronto (hosted by IWEG Drinks Academy) and Vancouver (hosted by Statera Academy).

Following the launch, Wine Education Week will continue with more than 450 fun, educational events in 46 countries to encourage consumers to learn more about wine and to drink ‘better’.

With sessions ranging from ‘Deciphering Wine Labels’ to ‘Matches Made In Heaven’ – and ‘World Wine Monopoly’, the events will help attendees make wiser choices when choosing a bottle and to discover the delights of lesser-known wines they might not have tasted before.

In Canada, WSET course providers are organising 15 events in five locations over Wine Education Week.

Calgary, AB: CO.OP Wine Spirits Beer

• 12/9/19: Finding the perfect match
• 13/9/19: Deciphering wine Labels
• 14/9/19: Vine to glass

Toronto, ON: IWEG Drinks Academy

• 9/9/19: Wine Quiz                                          
• 11/9/19: Cabernet and red blends
• 12/9/19: Ontario wine masterclass

Vancouver, BC: Statera Academy

• 9/9/19 Secrets to great food & wine pairing

Guleph, ON: University of Guelph

• 10/9/19: Finding the perfect match
• 11/9/19: Vine to glass
• 12/9/19: Deciphering wine labels

Burnaby, BC: VinoZen

• 10/9/19: Finding the perfect match
• 10/9/19: Deciphering wine labels
• 10/9/19: Vine to glass
• 10/9/19: Mastering maturation
• 10/9/19: Wine trivia night

Full details about Wine Education Week and the events taking place can be found at www.wineeducationweek.com 

Attention wine lovers, mark your calendars!  The 41st Vancouver International Wine Festival returns for an eight-day celebration of wine and food February 23 to March 3 at the Vancouver Convention Centre and other venues around Metro Vancouver. 

Vancouver International Wine Festival 2019 festival features 160 wineries from 15 countries, including 53 wineries from California, this year’s featured region. They’ll be joined by 107 wineries from around the world, pouring 1,500+ wines at 54 events.

Each participating winery will be represented by a winery principal who come to Vancouver every year to share and discuss their wines with festivalgoers.

The festival is headquartered at the Vancouver Convention Centre; in addition, more than 20 other restaurants and venues around the city will host winery dinners, lunches, seminars and wine minglers.

The sumptuous Bacchanalia Gala Dinner + Auction, benefiting Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival, kicks off the festival on Saturday, February 23 at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver; tickets and tables are on sale now.

The heart of the festival is the Tasting Room, where all 160 wineries will gather for four International Festival Tastings.

Festival week will feature 20 California events, including vine star seminars, vintage tastings, winery dinners, a wine party to kick off the week, and a spectacular Saturday lunch featuring all 53 wineries.

How To Buy Tickets

Online: VanWineFest.ca
Phone: 604-873-3311, toll free 1-877-321-3121 (Monday to Friday, 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m.)
In person: 202-162 West 1st Avenue, Vancouver (Monday to Friday, 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m.)