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10 years of food, wine and friends

Cornucopia celebrates anniversary

By Nicole Fitzgerald

What: Cornucopia

When: Thursday, Nov. 9 to Sunday, Nov. 12

Where: Whistler

What started out as a vehicle to promote Whistler’s dining scene has grown to a village-wide celebration of food, wine and friends with wine tastings, winemaker dinners, parties and seminars. Cornucopia, Whistler’s biggest wine and food festival, is celebrated Thursday, Nov. 9 to Sunday, Nov. 12. This year, Cornucopia uncorks a decade of celebrations, and like all good wines, the festival just gets better with age.

“I think it has grown from a small regionally focused festival to a festival showcasing North Americas best wines and Whistler’s best culinary scene,” said Darlene Small of Tourism Whistler. “When you look at how 13 fine dining restaurants are able to host such high caliber winemaker dinners, it really shows how both the festival and the culinary scene has grown.”

Although community driven, the festival’s outreach has traveled down the Sea to Sky corridor and overseas as more and more food and party revelers catch on to this bustling festival centralized in the buzz of Whistler Village. Visiting media has grown from 40 to 90 this year with foodies flying in from Calgary, Toronto, L.A. and New York to see what Whistler’s fine dining scene is all about.

There is something for everyone’s palate and pocketbook at the festival with cocktail dress events overlapping with jeans-fare affairs. Pay as much as $300-plus for a winemaker dinner or $30 for a community party. There is no excuse not to join in the fun. Whether you are a swish and swirl first timer or veteran connoisseur, there is plenty to discover and celebrate.

Most seminars and wine tasting events take place at the Telus Conference Centre. See www.whistlercornucopia.com for details.

 

Wine tastings

The rumours are true. Cornucopia’s signature event, Crush!, is sold out. Already newspaper classified ads are running with people begging to buy spare tickets. With more than 75 wineries showcased alongside finger foods from Whistler’s finest restaurants, you can see why. However, all is not lost. Wine Gallery: Meet the Vintners Thursday, Nov. 9 is a wine tasting of the same 75 wineries minus the food and music — nothing to distract you. Tickets are half the price of Crush at $55.

Cornucopia’s Varietal Series Tastings Saturday, Nov. 11 is new this year, shedding light on three popular grape varieties: Riesling, Pinot Noir and Syrah/Shiraz. You can participate in one or all three tastings hosted by different wine educators who will provide comment during the informal, stand-up, 40-minute session. Tickets are $20 per session or $50 for all three.

 

Seminars

Learning has never been more fun and tasty with Friday and Saturday food and wine seminars between 9:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. at the Telus Conference Centre.

Some of the new seminars to look out for this year include It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere, Mocha Mix: Chocolate and Coffee, Oysters and Champagne, B.C. Wines and Asian Flavours, Tehr-wahr, Afternoon of Decadence, Chateauneuf du Pape Icon Tasting and Evolution of Amarone.

Also, new this year, Viking hosts a series of free seminars over the weekend, including everything from latte art and chocolate to cheese and Australian wines. Seats are filled on a first-come-first-served basis. Admission is by donation to the Whistler Arts Council.

 

Parties

The evening soirees are definitely the most talked about component of the festival.

The festival warms up guests with the House Party Thursday night at the Telus Conference Centre. This year the party showcases the wines of Washington State with Pacific Northwest cuisine. A great place to catch up with the Joneses, the social evening with live DJs on deck is a great value for $35.

Stumble over to the Taxi loop to catch the Arty Farty Bus at 9 p.m. shuttling festivalgoers to the 11 th annual ARTrageous cultural extravaganza Nov. 9 at Dusty’s at Creekside. The community event packs in everything, including an 18-artist exhibit, live performance art, live dance music from Five Alarm Funk (a 15-piece Afro-funk band) and DJ Vinyl Ritchie, as well as food and wine. Tickets are $30. The bus is free.

The Bearfoot Bistro after party Masquerave moves to Friday with a Moulin Rouge theme promising a naughtier night than ever. The party has reached international acclaim with Andre St. Jacques pulling out all the stops, including wine, bubbly, caviar, body-painted servers, live music from Abbacadabra and food from Vancouver’s hottest hangouts, including Lumiere, Vij’s, Bin 941 and Tojo’s. Don’t forget your mask. This wicked and sexed up party is not for the faint of heart. Tickets are $250.

From chaos to classic, Araxi’s after party Bubbles, Jazz and the Sea: the 25 th Anniversary Edition promises a night of elegance, non-stop bubbles, live jazz and exquisite seafood Saturday night. It’s class all the way with lobster, freshly shucked oysters and award-winning sushi toasting a dozen champagne labels and a martini bar. This event has got plenty of style, so feel free to dress the part for a beautiful night out. Tickets are $120.

Higher Ground’s after party Divine Soul is new this year, playing on women’s weaknesses by pairing a decadent oasis of chocolate with R&B stylings, wines and live performance on the Saturday night. Young, decadent and happening, there will always be something going on, from yo-yo entertainers to circus performers entertaining the crowds. Tickets are $115.

 

Winemaker dinners

Wines are the stars of these dinners with executive chefs tailoring set menus to complement the wines showcased over the course of the evening. Wine representatives and chefs provide commentary throughout the evening with different wines paired with each course. Dinners have a festive feel with diners sitting at larger tables. The Après and Bearfoot Bistro winemaker dinners have already sold out, but there are plenty more to choose from. Restaurants participating this year include Araxi, Aubergine Grill, Cinnamon Bear Bar and Grille, the Den on the Lake, Elements, Fifty Two 80 Bistro and Bar, Hy’s Steakhouse, Il Caminetto di Umberto, La Bocca, Morgan’s, Quattro and the Wildflower. Tickets range from $133 to $350.