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Wine and cheese support charities

Whistler Winetastic raises money for great causes
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Here's a combination that's hard to match: live music from Ali Milner, wines from home and abroad, micro brewed beer, appetizers from some of Whistler's best restaurants and fine cheese.

This is the lineup for Whistler Winetastic, one of the events making up the 2013 edition of the Telus Winter Classic.

For the last 20 years the Winter Classic has been one of Whistler's largest fundraising events featuring ski and snowboard racing, parties, great food and fabulous drinks.

The entire weekend is sold out so for those who were planning to partake but didn't move quick enough there's always the option of planning now for the Golf Classic in September.

The socializing, wine, food, racing and golf are all great but the objective of these events is to raise money for great initiatives between Squamish and Pemberton. The $115,000 raised from the golf event in September went to support the BMX track Pemberton and the snow skills park at the track along with a long list of other causes. Over the last two decades the foundation has granted money to more than 100 Sea to Sky organizations from the Association of Whistler Area Residents for the Environment to the Get Bear Smart Society and Whistler Community Services along with the Zero Ceiling Society.

"The foundation is committed to enhancing and helping organizations in the Sea to Sky Corridor with an emphasis on those that benefit children, youth and families," says the foundation executive director, Mei McCurdy.

Partaking in wine and cheese means the foundation can support arts and culture, human services, environmental initiatives, recreation programs, health and education.

Between 7:30 and 10 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 25 those who planned ahead will gather at the Westin Resort and Spa for the sold out Whistler Winetastic to enjoy the event knowing their great evening out is contributing to the next round of community organization grants to be announced later this year.

The wine-drinking, cheese-eating fans of Whistler's own Ali Milner who attend the event are doing so to continue the Whistler Blackcomb Foundation tradition of raising money to be redistributed around Whistler. Since 1993, the WB Foundation has provided more than $7.5 million in grants.

The wine will flow and so will the giving at one of Whistler's favourite wine events of the year.