Moncton's annual World Wine and Food Expo now under way
Published Monday November 2nd, 2009
Moncton's annual World Wine and Food Expo now under way
About 6,000 wine lovers will ask their taste buds to guide them this week as they attend the seminars and tastings of the 19th annual World Wine and Food Expo.
The six-day taste-a-thon will be highlighted by Friday and Saturday's Grand Tastings, where more than 360 wines from around the world will be available to sample and buy.
Festival co-ordinator and sommelier Bill Vance calls it the main event.
"It's for everyone. It covers every walk of life," said Bill, who has been the chairman of the wine festival since 2003. "Expect the majority of people to have the same knowledge (about wine) as you,"
He said that comes as a surprise to some, who, at first, thought the event was reserved for expensive, exotic products reserved for those with the refined taste to appreciate them.
"There will be a few people who know a lot," Bill says, "but the majority just has a passing interest in wine and are looking for new discoveries."
And that's what they'll find at any of the four the Grand Tastings sessions, held at the Moncton Coliseum, which offer wines from around the world, highlighted this year by a wide selection of Chilean and Italian wines.
All tasting sessions are themed.
First, on Friday, there is an afternoon session for the "collector and the curious," to explore and discuss wines in a relaxed setting. Tickets for this session are still available.
On Friday night, a sessions entitled "The Italian Stallions" will feature special booths offering Italian Wines made from old and new wine-making regions of the boot country. This session is sold out.
The third grand tasting session takes place on Saturday afternoon, with a seafood and wine theme.
Food vendors will be offering seafood for that session and wines from France, Italy, Spain, Chile, USA will be featured. Tickets for this session are still available.
The final tasting happens Saturday night, with Chilean wine featured. This session is also sold out.
Bill said the vendors on hand are there to help, not judge. So don't worry if you're just getting into the game, because the judging is reserved for your taste buds.
"In the world of wine experts, the only expert that counts is you," he said. "No one knows what wines tastes like to you, but you."
On Saturday, the first official day of the wine festival, Bill hosted a seminar as an introduction to the world of wine. It's just one of a slew of sessions, offered in both French and English, that take place throughout the week, leading up to the Grand Tastings.
"We're not just producing a party," Bill said. "It's an opportunity for people to learn more about something they have a passion for."
It's a passion he feels has growth substantially throughout the Maritimes since the expo first opened its doors 19 years ago.
Bill said the age of wine lovers has gotten lower and lower as the years have passed, and now it's not uncommon to see people under 25 years of age taking a serious interest in wine.
"There will be wines (at the festival) they haven't see before or heard of before," he said. "It's an opportunity to pull out a bottle of wine during a special occasion, that noone else will have tried before."
He stressed that just because a wine is rare does not make it expensive.
In fact, he said the price of good wine has gone down in recent years.
"The quality of wine you can purchase for $10 a bottle, or $20, has grown significantly," he said. "It's different from other products, in that the quality has increased but the price hasn't."
While many of the seminars are already sold out, some openings are still available. Bill encourages anyone with even the slightest interest to go to the afternoon tasting session Friday or Saturday. It's a perfect atmosphere to mingle and learn, he said.
"Don't go with a closed mind," he said. "If you go and say, 'I hate Merlot,' your going to miss an awful lot of good wines and grapes you've never heard of. Keep your mind and your mouth open and you'll get an experience that might really surprise you.
"What people are going to see is the most international weekend in Moncton of the whole year," said Bill.
Experts and winemakers from all the major winemaking countries including Australia, South America, New Zealand Spain and Southern America.
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