I don’t really write about wine events or tastings anymore, mostly because so many of them suck. But, today is an exception. I’m writing to let you know about what I think will be a truly exceptional wine tour of Oregon from which you will bring away far more than a hangover. Matt Sherlock, formerly of Kits Wine, is running a tour of some of Oregon’s best producers, and will be exploring the entire process of turning Oregon’s famous Pinot Noir vines into the wines we love.

Oregon is one of the most exciting new regions in the world right now (perhaps along with New Zealand), and Matt’s tour will be hitting both the major players and some amazing lesser known producers that I know from my own tasting experience to be amongst the best. Matt has also ensured that attendees will be meeting and learning from the owners and wine makers themselves rather than sales reps, which can often happen on your own visits. I also believe that Matt has personally selected some outstanding restaurants for the lunch and dinner portions of the tour.

I can vouch that this will be an awesome time as I have personally learned from and sipped wine with Matt in the past and he is a truly outsanding and ridiculously enthusiastic teacher. I can’t think of a better person to design and lead a tour of Oregon’s best wineries and to take a tour as a serious opportunity to learn and indulge in the passion of wine in all its facets. The tour takes place this summer in August. For more information, visit the tour’s website.

This is a public service announcement to support what is going to be the most important and best craft brewing event in Canada: Vancouver Craft Beer Week. The events taking place during the week support all the local craft brewers and even bring up some stars from California and Oregon. There are beer dinners, tastings, cooking classes, a women in beer seminar, and specials at venues across the city.

The week is from May 10-16 and is being endorsed by Major Gregor Robertson and the Vancouver City Council. Events are selling out. Get your tickets to support the great craft brewers of BC and sample some of what is going on in the province and beyond. Tickets are available at http://vancouvercraftbeerweek.com/

This press release seemed worth reporting here. I think the Nk’Mip Cellars project has been a perfect example of economic development gone right for an aboriginal community. And the event itself sounds fun, interesting, and tasty. Here’s the release:

In Short:

Nk’Mip Cellars is proud to announce that is has partnered with Kanata Cuisine and the BC Aboriginal Culinary Team to provide the world with gourmet Aboriginal dining experiences during the 2010 Winter Games. As North America’s first Aboriginal winery, the award-winning Osoyoos Indian Band venture winery is excited to share their passion for excellence in modern Aboriginal wine and cuisine.

More Information:

The event takes place at the Native Education College’s Longhouse, located at 285 East 5th Ave in Vancouver, near the trendy Main St. district. The Longhouse a place of positive energy, teaching and sharing is the perfect venue to host this unique opportunity highlighting Aboriginal cuisine. The 14 days of feasting will begin on February 14 and will run the duration of the Games. This intimate gathering has two seatings per evening, allowing 80 people per night to share in the experience.

The night will begin with a traditional welcome song that greets patrons in the longhouse’s firelit
gathering hall. Entertainment will be provided by Tzo’kam, an acclaimed family of performers
from the Lil’wat Nation. The songs of Tzo’Kam share their culture and heritage.

The entertainment will be followed by an authentic seven course aboriginal feast by Kanata Cuisine with wine pairings from Nk’Mip Cellars. The fine dining menu features delicious pairing such as braised bison short ribs with watercress and parsnip puree served with Nk’Mip’s 2006 Qwam Qwmt Meritage. Chef Ben Genaille, an instructor at Vancouver Community College’s Aboriginal Culinary program, and Theresa Contois of Kanata Cuisine explain that they “have developed a well balanced menu that showcases local and traditional ingredients prepared and plated for the gourmet palate.” This exclusive and unique event displays the best of Aboriginal pride and passion.

Partial proceeds from this venture will fund the Aboriginal Culinary Team’s journey to the IKA
Culinary Olympics being held in Erfurt, Germany in 2012. Kanata Cuisine’s goal is to demonstrate the elegance of Aboriginal food and wine as well as showcase our talented Culinary Team to the world.

Transform your taste buds and come taste all that Canada has to offer! Tickets for this event are
$245.00 excluding gratuities. Tickets can be purchased online through www.ticketweb.ca or
over the phone at 1.888.222.6608.

I love petite sirah. I first discovered the grape several years ago on a trip to Napa. It can sometimes be overblown, but it really has great potential. I’ve wanted to go to this tasting, put on by the Petite Sirah advocacy organization PS I love you, for some years but haven’t had the chance. If you are at all into big, tannic, and extracted wines, but wines that can also be rustic and brambly, Petite Sirah could be for you. So, whether you are new to the grape or already a convert I recommend entering this contest to get a chance to attend the tasting in Alameda (just outside Oakland). Oh, and this tasting is supposed to have some of the best food around for a wine tasting, with some top notch gourmet food purveyors and restaurants in attendance.

Event Details

PS I love you Petite Sirah Tasting

Friday February 19, 2010
6pm-9pm
Rock Wall Wine Company
Alameda, CA

http://psiloveyou.org/dd10/

$140 value

Contest

To have your name entered into the draw to win two free tickets, here’s what you have to do:

1. join the Just Grapes Wine Blog facebook fan page,
2. follow me on twitter (@justgrapeswine), and
3. tweet something about this contest with a link to the contest page and @justgrapeswine in the tweet,

then you are entered in a draw to win the tickets. The draw will take place on February 14th.

Good luck!

I just received a press release about tickets to the upcomming international wine festival. Here it is:

Tickets to the wildly popular Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival go on sale Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010. Tickets to trade events will be on sale February 9, 2010. The 2010 Festival will be one of the largest to date in its thirty-two year history. With 197 wineries and not one, but two theme regions of New Zealand and Argentina, attendees to the 2010 Festival will have the opportunity to sample a diverse array of wines, while the global focus of Rosé will bring a selection of these highly quaffable summer wines to many a tasting booth. Tickets to the Playhouse Wine Festival can be purchased online at PlayhouseWinefest.com or by phoning the Playhouse Box office at 604-873-3311.

The Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival, Canada’s premier wine show, runs from April 19 to 25, 2010. The Playhouse Wine Festival is one of the biggest and oldest wine festival events in the world. In 2010, the global focus will be rosé. The festival features a week of special events including a gala auction, wine seminars, wine minglers, winery dinners, lunches and brunches at fine restaurants and hotels. The Playhouse Wine Festival is produced by the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Society, which has three mandates: provide an informative, educational and entertaining wine experience for consumers and trade; be a premier marketing opportunity for the wine industry and festival partners; and raise funds for the Playhouse Theatre Company. Since its inception in 1979, the festival has raised over $6.8 million to enable Western Canada’s leading theatre company to mount 209 productions and develop extensive community outreach and educational programs.

This may be a wine blog, but there is not that much separation between appreciation for great wine and appreciation for great craft beer. The craft beer movement faces similar challenges to the wine industry in terms of battling big corporate entities and fighting for fair regulation.

CAMRA BC, a local consumer advocacy group for craft beer is hosting a screening of the movie Beer Wars, a documentary on the battles that the craft brewing community has experienced in the United States. If British Columbia is to join the ranks of the craft  beer elite, it needs to learn from the fight of our cousin brewers in the U.S.  I should also mention that your ticket price includes the cost of all the beer you wish, being poured by some of BC’s top craft brewers.

Here are the details:

Beer Wars Movie

Date: Sunday, January 31
Time: 4:00pm
Venue: District 319, 319 Main Street, Vancouver, BC
Cost: $30.00, $25.00 CAMRA members (includes entry & all beer)
Tickets: only 150; advanced purchase only

Local breweries will be on-hand serving a diverse selection of craft beer, including Steamworks, Yaletown Brewing, Granville Island’s new limited release Chocolate Stout, and Red Truck Limited Release Porter.

District 319 is an exclusive venue that is only available for private functions. It was an abandoned Asian movie house that has been renovated into a stylish, state-of-the-art multimedia facility.

No minors.

Click here to buy tickets.