The Vancouver International Tequila Expo is back, bigger and better for 2013! We’ve moved to a new home at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver, with triple the floor space, more than double the capacity, and of course, more tequila brands!
The Second Annual Vancouver International Tequila Expo (VITE) is Western Canada’s largest festival dedicated to Mexico’s number one export spirit. The festival aims to increase the presence of tequila in Western Canada. British Columbia tequila sales in 2012 reached $24 million and are growing every year, especially in the high-end premium category. In fact, since our inaugural 2012 event, BC tequila sales have increased more than 9%. This year’s VITE, with the help of the Consulate General of Mexico, ProMexico, Mexico Tourism Board and the BC Hospitality Foundation as our Charity Partner, will fuel that growth even further. Our Main Event is a public Grand Tasting Hall (1500 tickets available) with an afternoon trade component to ensure maximum exposure to tequila products and a large customer base. During Vancouver Agave Week (May 20-24), we are holding tequila seminars, master classes, and pairing dinners at venues around Vancouver to further promote tequila and other agave spirits.
VITE 2013 will be held on Friday, May 24, 2013. The date places the Expo well after the Vancouver International Wine Festival and just in time for spring and summer when tequila sales increase. This timing will allow tequila brands and sponsors to place themselves before a large core of tequila aficionados, cocktail imbibers, and high-end spirits consumers. The afternoon trade tasting event will also draw buyers from across the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island.
http://www.vancouvertequilaexpo.com/about_expo.php
8:00 PM to 9:30 PM Sun, May 19, 2013
Venue: Harvest Table @ Legacy Liquor Store
$45/TICKET CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE
Tequila, the national spirit of Mexico, is in the midst of a renaissance. No longer is it considered merely a cheap way to get drunk, nor is it the headache/hangover/party drink that causes you one bad experience to be sworn off forever. Learn the difference between adulterated tequilas and 100% blue agave tequilas and enjoy sipping them like a fine Scotch or Cognac. Take a journey to the beautiful yet enigmatic blue agave landscape in the highlands, lowlands, and valleys of the tequila regions in the Mexican states of Jalisco, Nayarit, Guanajuato, Tamaulipas, & Michoacán. In so doing, you will connect with the culture and history of both ancient and modern Mexico. This session will provide a base of knowledge in history, culture, geography, production methods and more. A flight of six to eight 100% agave tequilas will be tasted.
8:00 PM to 9:30 PM Mon, May 20, 2013
Venue: Harvest Table @ Legacy Liquor Store
$45/TICKET CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE
Join Eric Lorenz of Lorenz Agave Spirits along with world-renowned mezcalera from Mexico City, Zaloren Gonzalez, for an entertaining and educational seminar and tasting featuring a selection of artisan-crafted mezcals from the Oaxaca – Mexico’s most culturally rich and biologically diverse state. You’ll learn about the history, culture, and production processes surrounding mezcal, plus the botany, lifecycle, & agriculture surrounding the agaves used for mezcal. Plus you’ll taste a flight of six to eight 100% agave mezcals from Pierde Almas, Fidencio, Agave de Cortes, and more, along with delicious mezcal cocktails created by Shawn Soole of Clive’s Classic Lounge in Victoria!
8:00 PM to 9:30 PM Tue, May 21, 2013
Venue: Harvest Table @ Legacy Liquor Store
$45/TICKET CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE
Join us for an in-depth analysis of the nuances of tequila barrel aging with Eric Lorenz of Lorenz Agave Spirits. In this seminar, you will taste six to eight premium and ultra-premium 100% agave tequilas, while analyzing differences in barrel toast, maturation time, French vs. American oak, the use of bourbon, scotch, sherry, and wine barrels for tequila aging, and so much more! The world’s only tequila-specific aroma kit, designed by Maestra Catadora Ana Maria Romero from Guadalajara (also the author of the seminal work on the topic – “Los Aromas del Tequila”), will be used by all participants for aroma detection and comparison. Don’t miss this epic sensorial journey through the maturation process of agave spirits!
8:00 PM to 9:30 PM Wed, May 22, 2013
Venue: Harvest Table @ Legacy Liquor Store
$45/TICKET CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE
Eric Lorenz of Lorenz Agave Spirits along with world-renowned mezcalera from Mexico City, Zaloren Gonzalez, present a tasting seminar featuring exclusively wild-harvested agaves. You won’t want to miss this as we’ll tasting mezcals made from six to eight different species of wild-harvested agave! Mr. Lorenz will be joined by world-renowned mezcalera from Mexico City, Zaloren Gonzalez, who has been researching agave species and indigenous mezcal production for the past decade. These two will lead you through the highlights of wild-harvested agave mezcals, produced by Zapotec master distillers at El Jolgorio, Pierde Almas, & Marca Negra, including agaves species such as Tobala, Madrecuixe, Tepeztate, Tobaziche and others. Along the way, you’ll learn more about agave botany, terroir, Oaxacan culture and mezcal production than you’ve ever been exposed to before.
8:00 PM to 9:30 PM Thu, May 23, 2013
Venue: Harvest Table @ Legacy Liquor Store
$45/TICKET CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE
This session is specifically designed to help you identify flavours and aromas found in tequila in preparation for the Tequila Expo’s Main Event. In this seminar, you will taste six to eight premium and ultra-premium 100% agave tequilas, while analyzing differences due to elements of terroir, the fermentation process, distillation, and barrel aging. By the end of the session, you’ll be able to distinguish between different herbal, fruit, and floral notes and more – you’ll be truly ready to tackle the Grand Tasting Hall of the Tequila Expo the following night! The world’s only tequila-specific aroma kit, designed by Maestra Catadora Ana Maria Romero from Guadalajara (also the author of the seminal work on the topic – “Los Aromas del Tequila”), will be used by all participants for aroma detection and comparison. We will be tasting a selection of six to eight 100% agave tequilas, and we’ll provide an educational foundation on the objective assessment of appearance, aromas, and taste.
Venue: Legacy Tasting Bar
Distilled from blue agave plants grown in the mineral rich soil of the highlands of Jalisco, Mexico. From harvest to barrel these tequilas are a labour of love and it shows. Don’t miss out.
Venue: Harvest Table @ Legacy Liquor Store
$60/TICKET CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE
May: Coastal Mexican Experience Sponsored by Onilikan
Bartender: Lauren Mote, Owner of Kale & Nori | Bittered Sling
“Bittered Sling Bistro” Season 3 – a bi-weekly food and cocktail pairing competition dedicated to pushing the boundaries of cocktail craft. Presented at the beautiful Legacy Liquor Store Harvest Table and hosted by Kale & Nori’s award-winning mixologist, Lauren Mote and Chef Jonathan Chovancek. This is Vancouver’s longest running and biggest cocktail and food-pairing competition, offering a high level creative event for apprentice and veteran bartenders across British Columbia. Proudly sponsored by the Canadian Professional Bartender’s Association.
Questions: 1. What is included in the ticket price 2. There is no ticket purchase showing for May 24. 3. If you purchase a ticket for one event, is it for all the events?
Thanks for reading! http://ticketstonight.ticketforce.com/eventperformances.asp?evt=2066 More information here. The May 24 ticket is for that night only. The other events are separate. Will you be going?