Vancouver International Wine Festival 2026 winners
The Vancouver International Wine Festival recognized some of British Columbia’s most influential wine professionals and hospitality leaders on March 13 during the 22nd Annual Celebrating Excellence Awards Lunch, part of the festival’s Trade Days programming.
Held at the Vancouver Convention Centre and presented by ContainerWorld, the event honours individuals and restaurants that contribute to the region’s exceptional wine and food culture.
Guests enjoyed a multi-course lunch prepared by Vancouver Convention Centre Executive Chef Nandakishore Rangan, paired with 19 wines from around the world, before this year’s award winners were announced.
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Spirited Industry Professional Award
The 2026 Spirited Industry Professional Award was presented to Carmen D’Onofrio, Managing Director of Vancouver-based Stile Brands.
The annual award recognizes an individual who has made a significant contribution to the sales, service, or promotion of wine in British Columbia.
D’Onofrio has long been a key figure in the province’s wine industry. In addition to leading Stile Brands, a family-owned agency that imports premium wines, spirits, and beers, he served on the Vancouver International Wine Festival Board of Directors for ten years and previously chaired the festival’s Planning Committee.
His community involvement extends beyond wine. D’Onofrio has served as Director of the Italian Chamber of Commerce and as President of the Import Vintners and Spirits Association. He is currently President of the Italian Canadian Sports Federation and has led the Commercial Drive Business Society for two decades.
Among his proudest accomplishments is helping establish Italian Day on The Drive in 2010, which has grown into one of Canada’s largest cultural street festivals.
Before entering the wine industry, D’Onofrio was also a professional soccer player who represented Canada at the U-19 and U-21 levels and competed internationally, playing for the Vancouver 86ers, Toronto Lynx, and Edmonton Drillers.
Sommelier of the Year
The 2026 Sommelier of the Year Award went to Vancouver sommelier Michael Littleford, who was selected through a hands-on competition organized by the BC Chapter of the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers.
The award recognizes sommeliers who demonstrate exceptional knowledge, passion for food and wine pairing, and dedication to hospitality.
Born and raised in East Vancouver, Littleford has spent the past decade working in some of the city’s leading restaurants. He began as a sommelier at Nightingale before going on to lead the wine programs at CinCin and later Published on Main.
Littleford holds the prestigious WSET Level 4 Diploma and is both an Italian Wine Scholar and French Wine Scholar through the Wine Scholar Guild.
Along with the title, he also received the 2026 Terry Threlfall Legacy Scholarship, which provides a multi-day educational wine experience in London designed to expand the winner’s international knowledge and exposure.
Wine Program Excellence Awards – International Wine Festival 2026 winners
The Wine Program Excellence Awards returned in 2026 with newly reimagined categories designed to celebrate the creativity, diversity, and leadership within the restaurant wine community.
Media sponsor for the program is Vancouver Magazine.
Wine Program Excellence of the Year
- Gold: Elisa
- Silver: Blue Water Cafe
- Bronze: Nightingale
Best Wine Program in an Upscale Restaurant
- Gold: Elisa
- Silver: Blue Water Cafe
- Bronze: Marilena Café + Raw Bar
- Honourable Mention: Hawksworth Restaurant
- Honourable Mention: Wild Blue Restaurant + Bar
Best Wine Program in a Contemporary Restaurant
- Gold: Nightingale
- Silver: Major Tom
- Bronze: L’Abattoir
- Honourable Mention: Osteria Elio Volpe
- Honourable Mention: Wind Cries Mary
Best Food & Wine Pairing Experience
- Gold: Mott 32 Vancouver
- Silver: AnnaLena
- Bronze: L’Abattoir
Best Wine Service
- Gold: AnnaLena
- Silver: Kissa Tanto
- Bronze: L’Abattoir
Best Wine Bar or Lounge Program
- Gold: Dear Gus Snack Bar
- Silver: Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar
- Bronze: Bacchus Restaurant & Lounge
Best BC Wine List
- Gold: Waterfront Wines Restaurant
- Silver: Sonora Resort
- Bronze: The Arbutus Room & Bar
Wine Retailer of the Year
The 2026 Wine Retailer of the Year Award, presented by the Import Vintners & Spirits Association and ABLE BC, was awarded to Marquis Wine Cellars.
The award recognizes a retail location that demonstrates exceptional selection, customer service, knowledge, and engagement in promoting wine within the community.
About the Vancouver International Wine Festival
Now in its 47th year, the Vancouver International Wine Festival runs March 7–14, 2026 and features 112 wineries from 14 countries across 33 events.
The festival is widely considered Canada’s premier wine show and consistently ranks among the world’s top wine trade events.
Produced by the Vancouver International Wine Festival Society, the event also raises funds for the performing arts. Since its inception in 1979, the festival has raised more than $10.3 million for Bard on the Beach, one of Canada’s largest professional Shakespeare festivals.
This article is based on a press release provided by the Vancouver International Wine Festival and has been edited and adapted for Good Life Vancouver with the assistance of AI.
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