1. Enjoy all the finest things
There's wine, and plenty of it. Seventy booths of the palatable substance are available to guests over the course of three days. Tantalize your taste buds with beers from all over the world, from Canadian microbrewery flavours to imports from Ukraine, Austria and Germany. Exhibitors offer some of the best brands of scotch, with prices ranging from $200 to $400 a bottle; after tasting scotch of that calibre, you may find you agree with the Scottish saying, scotch is "the water of life." There will also be port, premium tequilas, vodkas and rums for the tasting, as well as food samples from ethnic, contemporary and specialty restaurants. "It's a neat chance to try little tasters of the best food and drink available," says festival director Cathy Miller.
2. Get to know your wines
The event showcases wine varieties from 14 different countries. Miller compares the experience of sampling from 500 different bottles to that of a winery tour: "[When] there are three different styles of white and three different styles of red [at a booth], and when you taste them in that fashion, you can really taste the difference, and that increases your wine knowledge." She recommends picking wines from a country that you've never tried before, like Africa or China, to expand your horizons.
3. Discover Edmonton's finest dining
There's wine, and plenty of it. Seventy booths of the palatable substance are available to guests over the course of three days. Tantalize your taste buds with beers from all over the world, from Canadian microbrewery flavours to imports from Ukraine, Austria and Germany. Exhibitors offer some of the best brands of scotch, with prices ranging from $200 to $400 a bottle; after tasting scotch of that calibre, you may find you agree with the Scottish saying, scotch is "the water of life." There will also be port, premium tequilas, vodkas and rums for the tasting, as well as food samples from ethnic, contemporary and specialty restaurants. "It's a neat chance to try little tasters of the best food and drink available," says festival director Cathy Miller.
4. Talk to the connoisseurs
"Ask them anything; it's fun, it's casual and it's friendly," explains Miller. The exhibitors serving food and drinks are all experts, and they can probably answer any question you have, no matter how entry-level or advanced. While some people in attendance are food and wine judges, others may never have tried a bottle of wine over $20 before.
5. Mingle with like-minded folks
Whatever the reason that takes you to the Edmonton Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival, there are others in attendance for the same reason, whether you be a foodie, a socialite or a friend of one or the other just tagging along. The three-day event, which draws about 10,000 people, is casual, "without any stuffiness," says Miller.
The 8th annual Edmonton Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival consumes the Shaw Conference Centre from November 5 to 7, 2009.
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