The Cowichan Wine and Culinary Festival Announces 2010 Festival Dates
Cowichan Region announces that September 18 to Sunday September 19, 2010 will be the festival dates.
The Festival offers an assortment of the area’s best wines and ciders, unique farm-fresh delights from organic farms, live entertainment, green Earth seminars, and hand-blown glass ware. To spend your day at the festival simply follow the detailed map available on the official website, or pick up the festival brochure at local businesses and tourist info centers.
During the festival purple ‘wine route’ roadside signs will make it easy to find participating properties. All the exquisite festival locations will offer at least one complimentary activity or tasting.
“A tradition of the festival is to be as free as possible to encourage visitors to indulge in the full variety of bounties the festival has to offer. ” says Kellie Turner, Festival Chair.” In addition to exciting free opportunities, visitors can also choose to purchase tickets to premier events, including Winemaker’s dinners at some of our participating venues. “
This year’s Festival launch, a fun evening of sampling ‘what’s to come’, will take place Friday evening, September 17 information contact Cherry Point Estate Wines 250-743-1272.
For more information visit The Cowichan Wine and Culinary Festival Committee is pleased toth Cowichan Wine and Culinary Festival will take place Saturdayth, at Cherry Point Estate Wines For tickets and more www.wines.cowichan.net
Victoria’s North Saanich Flavour Trail
On August 21 and 22, 2010, the 4th Annual North Saanich Flavour Trail will take place in Victoria, BC. North Saanich, one of the newest and fastest growing Agritourism regions on Vancouver Island, is located 25 minutes north of downtown Victoria. Surrounded on three sides by ocean shores, North Saanich is known for its agriculture, as evidenced by its large number of farms and road side produce and flower stands. Flavour Trail festivities focus on the importance of agriculture in the area by highlighting the farms, wineries, and nurseries that showcase North Saanich food production. Victoria visitors interested in going behind the scenes of the island’s local gastronomy will enjoy meeting the farmers and shaking hands with the vintners whose products are found on the menus of many of Victoria’s finest restaurants. The North Saanich Flavour Trail invites visitors to taste their way through markets and participate in hands-on activities at many of the local farms and producers. For more information visit www.northsaanich.ca.
Comox Shellfish Festival – Oyster Shucking and Beer Gardens
Sunday, June 20th things get shucking Festival Day at Comox Marina Park
The party continues on Sunday, June 20th at Comox Marina Park with tasting booths featuring shellfish delicacies as well as desert treats, a beer garden and the much anticipated Oyster Shucking Contest. Festival runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is open to the public. No entrance fee.
Celebrated home grown musician Des Larson will be lighting up the stage with his truly eclectic repertoire of groovy Island influenced music.
The Pacific Kiss Oyster Shucking Competition will be taking place at 2 p.m. at the oyster shucking booth. If you are interested in putting your skills to the test it could be worth a cool $500 to you. Please click here for more information.
Schedule:
11 a.m. Festival opens
All food vendors open
11 a.m. Surgenor beer garden opens
12 p.m. Des Larson performs on the main stage
2 p.m. Pacific Kiss Oyster Shucking Competition on the main stage
2:30 p.m. Des Larson on the main stage
4 p.m. Des Larson on the main stage
Fresh seafood sales off the Comox dock weather/availability permitting.
Participating food vendors include:
Sugar Mamma’s – will be featuring oyster burgers on potato bun with Gomashio coleslaw
Tria – organic strawberry and cream crepes
Fanny Bay Oysters – Clam chowder
Mac’s Oysters – Barbecued oysters
Pentlatch Seafoods – Steamed clams and mussels
Stellar Bay – raw oysters on the half shell
In addition:
Aquatec Seafoods – will be vending their seafood
Steamweavers – providing an array of regular and specialty coffees
Surgenor Breweries – running the beer tent
Island Scallops – selling frozen scallops
There will also be some information booths hosted by Comox Valley Economic Development, the Vancouver Aquarium’s Oceanwise program, the BC Marina Mammal Response Network and others.
Rocky Creek Winery’s Pig Roast
July 1 Pig Roast in the Vineyard
Canada Day – July 1 at 6 PM, $100 Per Person, everything included!
I’m hoping for a wonderful sunny day, but am prepared in case….. We will have you come ready to eat in the vineyard so please no heels that day. It’s a casual but elegant picnic. So wear clothes for outside.
Sean O’Connell from Equinox Catering is coming back after our Valentine’s dinner so show you how everyone can have great fine food even outside! We will be roasting the pig from Quist Meats with the help of our friends at Damali Lavender Farm, Dave and Marsha. They have everything set up and will start early in the morning so that when you arrive, things should be well under way.
Start off the evening with our wines paired with canapés to start:
Smoked Salmon
Chicken Liver Pate
Brushetta
When the meat is ready, Sean will carve and serve on the tables. The service will be Russian service or Family style. The sides will be:
Tabbouleh Salad
Rustic Potato Salad
Roasted Vegetable Salad
The wines will be available as you like to drink them this time because it is in the vineyard as a picnic style.
We end the meal with our famous Wild Blackberry served with Petite Fours. There will be coffee and tea available.
My vision of this event will be very much a day in the vineyard enjoying the weather and ponds. I will have the gingham tablecloths and jugs of water with the wine. I hope it be very much what you see in the movies and the same camaraderie as what we had for our other dinner. Look forward to seeing you all there!
Sea Cider Farm & Ciderhouse Celebrates 2 Silver Medals & 3rd Anniversary
Sunday, June 13th, 11am to 6pm
Sea Cider Farm & Ciderhouse in Central Saanich has won recognition for its organic ciders from the judges at the 2010 Northwest Wine Summit. Held this year in Hood River, Oregon, the Summit is the oldest, largest and most prestigious wine competition in Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest. 1,129 wines were entered in this year’s competition from Washington, Oregon, British Columbia, Idaho, Montana, Alberta and Alaska. Sea Cider was awarded Silver Medals for Pippins, an organic, aromatic and juicy sparkling cider, and for Pomona, a sweet ice-cider crafted from organic crabapples.
Cidermakers Kristen and Bruce Jordan are extremely pleased with this result given the stature of this wine competition and the fact that they have been open for only three years. They hope that these results help cider to begin regaining the popularity it enjoyed as North America’s favourite drink prior to the Prohibition era in the last century. The Jordans invite everyone to come to their cidery and raise a glass of their award winning ciders at an open house celebrating Sea Cider’s 3rd birthday on Sunday, June 13th.
Sea Cider Farm & Ciderhouse is located in Central Saanich at 2487 Mt. St. Michael Road.
For more information on the event, contact Alix Baldwin, Sales Coordinator at 250 544 4824 ext. 2 or alix@seacider.ca, or visit www.seacider.ca.
For high resolution photos for printing, visit: http://www.seacider.ca/press/
