Media Releases

May 29, 2019

Kelowna, BC – Renowned as the must-attend event of the summer, the third annual Chef Meets BC Grape Taste of the Okanagan returns to spectacular See Ya Later Ranch in Okanagan Falls on Saturday, June 8.

BC’s largest outdoor wine and food festival, the 2019 event will see more than 50 wineries from Kelowna to Osoyoos in attendance showcasing their summer favourites, including new 2018 releases which have been described as excellent quality with pure, classic fruit expression.

At a recent preview tasting of 2018 BC VQA wines, Master of Wine Barbara Philip was wowed by the quality and versatility of the 2018 vintage. “For those who love wine and food, these wines are juicy and lean with great flavour concentration. It’s a very special vintage that allows each region to show what they do best.”

In addition to sampling from more than 200 BC VQA wines, guests will also enjoy dishes from 12 top chefs from BC and Alberta, including the winners of the Chef Meets BC Grape events held this spring in Vancouver and Calgary.

“This event is a truly amazing showcase for the Wines of British Columbia, highlighting the diversity of our regions and the exceptional food friendly nature of our wines,” remarks Miles Prodan, President & CEO of the BC Wine Institute. “Guests can sip their way across the Okanagan as they mingle with local winemakers and enjoy spectacular seasonal dishes from top chefs, all while taking in breathtaking panoramic views of BC wine country.”

The 2019 Chef Meets BC Grape Taste of the Okanagan event will also feature three wine seminars led by Sommelier Mike Lee, chef demonstrations hosted by Master of Wine Rhys Pender and live music from Josh and Bex. Shuttle options are also available to pre-book via Top Cat Tours. For more details and to purchase your tickets to the nearly sold-out event, visit WineBC.com.

The BCWI’s Vintage 2018 Report here.

Images available upon request.

Funding support for Chef Meets BC Grape Taste of the Okanagan provided by Destination BC and Save-On-Foods.

Suggested Tweet: More than 50 BC VQA wineries and 12 of Canada’s top chefs set for BC’s largest outdoor wine and food festival June 8 at spectacular @SeeYaLaterRanch. https://bit.ly/2EBUwqp @WineBCdotcom #ChefMeetsBCGrape

 

PARTICIPATING CHEFS:
Stacy Johnston, Ocean Wise (Vancouver, BC) | Best Dish Winner, Chef Meets BC Grape Vancouver
Jeffrey Van Geest, Miradoro Restaurant at Tinhorn Creek Winery (Oliver, BC) | Best BC VQA Wine Pairing Winner, Chef Meets BC Grape Vancouver
Wesley Young, PiDGin (Vancouver, BC) | Consumer Choice Winner, Chef Meets BC Grape Vancouver
Matthias Fong, River Café (Calgary, AB) | Best Dish Winner, Chef Meets BC Grape Calgary
Roy Oh, Anju (Calgary, AB) | Best BC VQA Wine Pairing & Consumer Choice Winner, Chef Meets BC Grape Calgary
Roger Sleiman, Old Vines Restaurant at Quails’ Gate Winery (West Kelowna, BC)
Matt Martin, Liquidity Bistro (Okanagan Falls, BC)
Neil Taylor, Home Block Restaurant at CedarCreek (Kelowna, BC)
Simon Bouchard, Sonora Room at Burrowing Owl Estate Winery (Oliver, BC)
Matt Allen, See Ya Later Ranch (Okanagan Falls, BC)
Rod Butters and Bernard Casavant, Terrafina by RauDZ (Oliver, BC)
Brock Bowes, CrAsian Food Truck / Provisions Kitchen & Catering (Kelowna, BC)

 

PARTICIPATING WINERIES:
8th Generation Vineyard
Bench 1775 Winery
Black Hills
Bonamici Cellars
Burrowing Owl Estate Winery
Calliope
C.C. Jentsch Cellars
Cedarcreek Estate Winery
Checkmate Artisanal Winery
Clos Du Soleil Winery
Crescent Hill Winery
Culmina Family Estate Winery
Da Silva Vineyards & Winery
Dirty Laundry Vineyard
Eau Vivre Winery & Vineyards
Evolve Cellars
Heaven’s Gate Estate Winery
Hester Creek Estate Winery
Hillside Winery
House of Rose Winery
Indigenous World Winery
Inniskillin Okanagan
Jackson-Triggs Okanagan Estate
Kismet Estate Winery
Lake Breeze Vineyards
Lakeside Cellars
Laughing Stock Vineyards
Liber Farm and Winery
Maverick Estate Winery
Moon Curser Vineyards
Mt. Boucherie Winery
Nk’Mip Cellars
Noble Ridge Vineyard & Winery
Okanagan Falls Winery Association
OkanaganVilla Estate Winery – The Vibrant Vine
Osoyoos Larose
Play Estate Winery
Quails’ Gate Winery
Ricco Bambino Wines
River Stone Estate Winery
Rust Wine Co.
See Ya Later Ranch
Singletree Winery
Sperling Vineyards
Stag’s Hollow Winery & Vineyard
Sumac Ridge Estate Winery
The View Winery
Thornhaven Estates Winery
TIME Winery
Tinhorn Creek Vineyards
Upper Bench Estate Winery
Wild Goose Vineyards and Winery

About British Columbia Wine Institute:
Since 1990, the BC Wine Institute has played a pivotal role in taking BC’s wine industry from a vision to an internationally-recognized niche region producing premium wines and providing exceptional wine tourism experiences. The BC Wine Institute markets the wine and regions of BC; delivers quality trade, media and consumer tastings; and acts as the voice of BC’s wine industry by advocating to government on behalf of industry that contributes $2.8 billion in provincial economic growth annually.

The BC Wine Institute represents all wineries in British Columbia to grow the premium market share for the  Wines of British Columbia , while driving awareness of our world-class wines and tourism product – currently drawing 1,000,000 visitors with $600 million in tourism and tourism employment related economic impact every year. For more information about BC Wine Institute’s programs and services, please visit:  WineBC.com .

For details on BC VQA Wine and the Wines of British Columbia, go to WineBC.com, like the Wines of British Columbia Facebook page and follow @WineBCdotcom on Twitter.