Attending the annual Banff Mountain Wine & Food Festival is like being a kid in a candy store, according to festival representative Liz Horner, only it’s for adults.
This weekend, The Fairmont Banff Springs welcomes one of the premier wine and food events in the Bow Valley that allows those present to sample some of the finest wine, beer, spirits and dishes from local and worldwide establishments.
“It’s a great opportunity for a gourmet getaway,” Horner said. “It’s the grown up version of being a kid in a candy shop with all the bottles open for sampling and tons of different tastes and variety.”
The first trade tasting session kicks off Friday (May 10) at 7 p.m. followed by an afternoon session on the Saturday from 2-5 p.m. The evening tasting on the Saturday is soldout, but tickets are still available for the other two sessions.
“We recruit local restaurants from the area and they showcase mini-mains and desserts in exchange for sampling coupons consumers can buy,” the representative said about the festival, which is now it its sixth year.
“We do have a huge variety of wines, beers and spirits showcased as well,” she added. “We really encourage people to go, have fun and take advantage of the opportunity to try before you buy and find some new favourites.”
Taking place in three rooms within the hotel’s conference centre, the semi-formal event’s expected attendance is 4,300, which is roughly the same amount as last year.
“It’s a really fun and upbeat atmosphere. We do find it pretty classy, people have fun dressing up,” she explained. “Overall, it’s energetic and people get excited about trying new things.”
Some of the dishes Horner pointed out will be available include Korean pork tacos, shrimp and crawfish etouffee, Reuben sliders as well as several new beverages from countries you wouldn’t expect.
“This year we’re seeing a lot of sustainable, organic and kosher wine coming to the market,” she said. “We’re also seeing craft beers continue to prevail. We have a cool pineapple hefeweizen being served and a lot of gluten-free varieties.
“We’re also seeing beverages come from off the chart areas such as China and Moldova,” she continued. “Wine and vodkas are coming from those areas you haven’t typically seen before.”
In addition to wineries offering up their latest creations such as Oyster Bay’s new Pinot Grigio, some of the food samples for the festival will come from local establishments like The Bison Restaurant & Terrace and The Balkan.
“We do have more Banff restaurants than ever before,” she noted. “We do see a lot of people come to town to take advantage of the opportunity to stay in Banff and we highly encourage locals to come out as well.”
Tickets for the Rocky Mountain Wine and Food Festival can be purchased at the door or online at rockymountainwine.com
