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Savour Australia! - Vancouver International Wine Festival 2015

Another year of the Vancouver International Wine Festival (the 37th annual!) has come and gone, and all those who attended were definitely informed, educated and entertained as their mandate hopes.

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Another year of the Vancouver International Wine Festival (the 37th annual!) has come and gone, and all those who attended were definitely informed, educated and entertained as their mandate hopes.

With events from dinners to seminars and tastings throughout the week, there was more than one person could possibly hope to attend (not that I didn't try!), and so much wine to be sampled.

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For the tasting room I usually I have my trusty sidekick, and fellow VIA blogger, Anne Cottingham, at my side to help document it all, but this year I flew solo (with her notes) and dove head first into the chaos. Luckily I had been photographing some of the events for the festival (some pics from that to follow) already during the week and had some favourites, so a combined effort produced this list of our picks from the regional theme: Australia.

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left: Longview Vineyard - Nebbiolo - - -  right: Shaw + Smith - Sauvignon Blanc

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left: McGuigan Wines - Expressions Pinot Grigio - - - right: Yalumba - Viognier

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left: Penfolds - Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz - - - right: Brothers In Arms - No 6 Shiraz

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left: 3 Rings Shiraz - - - right: Wonderwall - Sauvignon Blanc Semillon

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above: Howard Park - Flint Rock Shiraz

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Over the course of the 8 days of the festival there were 14 countries participating, 170 wineries, and 53 events at 29 different venues!

Here's a brief overview of some of them...

Savour Australia: Theme Country Lounge Party - The opening night shindig was an introduction into the regional theme of Australia and #ShirazWeek; the Savour Australia Lounge Party was busy from start to finish. Food from Dirty Apron Catering, music, and beautiful decor set the stage for an evening of wine and mingling among the local scene and new friends from out of country.

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Winery Dinner at COAST: The Age Of Semillon - COAST hosted a delicious looking dinner that showcased both BC seafood staples and Australian favourites. The food was paired with 8 different wines that Bruce Tyrrell of Hunter Valley's Tyrrell's Wines presented, including several Semillons.

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Winery Dinner at Hawksworth: The Penfolds Collection - DLynn Proctor, Penfolds Ambassador, took diners through the Penfolds collections while the feasted on five courses from Hawksworth restaurant, ranging from risotto to striploin.

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Vintners Brunch - Sixteen delicious dishes from some of the best restaurants in Vancouver, each paired with wineries from around the world. Food, wine, entertainment, and good company, was a great way to end off the festival. The winning dish was a Laksa (poached prawns and local chicken, cilantro shoots & pickled chili, with a crispy wonton) from Farm 2 Fork, paired with Hardy's Sauvihnon Blanc 2013 - image below.

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Aromatics Kitchen Party - Held in the Miele appliance show room, this wine mingler ended the festival the way most good parties do: migrating to the kitchen.

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All photography by Christine McAvoy