The 13th Annual Okanagan Spring Wine Festival presented by American Express occurs May 2nd-6th throughout the Okanagan Valley in SuperNatural British Columbia. This year there are over 90 events to entice visitors to Okanagan Wine Country.
Heather Schroeter, President, The Okanagan Wine Festivals Society and General Manager, Manteo Resort Waterfront Hotel and Villas in Kelowna states "With a record 75 member wineries participating, we are excited to start the wine tourism spring season with this Festival. We encourage all wine and food lovers to check out our website at www.TheWineFestivals.com for all event listings. Last year, we had over 47,800 consumer visits in 4 days and a direct revenue contribution of over $811,000 to the Valley in 4 days. We are confident that wine tourists from across North America will continue to be attracted to our Valley for the Spring Wine Festival. The addition of increased air services into Kelowna will also aid in the marketing efforts as we know more and more Albertans seek the Okanagan in spring for short getaways."
This year, the Okanagan Spring Wine Festival has made some significant additions in addition to welcoming a record number of wineries. Blair Baldwin with the Okanagan Wine Festivals Society advises "Due to high consumer demand, we are pleased to announce that consumers can come to the WestJet Wine Tastings in Kelowna at the Laurel Packinghouse on both Friday May 4 and Saturday May 5. Consumers asked and we will offer both a Friday night wine tasting at a slightly reduced price that is expected to attract more regional residents and a Saturday night Wine Tasting that has sold out for 6 consecutive years. We will be featuring over 30 wineries and 150 wines starting at 6:30pm. All our guests receive a free taxi ride home sponsored by Yellow Pages and the BC Liquor Stores, a complimentary souvenir wine glass and will be able to taste many new releases from the outstanding 2006 vintage." Tickets are available through Ticketmaster online at www.ticketmaster.ca or by phone 250.860.1470.
For residents of the Southern Okanagan, the Okanagan Spring Wine Festival's main event is Bacchanalia held at the Penticton Lakeside Resort on Saturday May 5 from 7pm-10pm. Over 40 wineries will be present pairing their wines with an outstanding menu of food from the culinary team at the Penticton Lakeside Resort. Tickets are available only through the hotel at 250-493-8221.
For more information on the 13th Okanagan Spring Wine Festival, contact the Okanagan Wine Festivals Society at info@TheWineFestivals.com or tel 250.861.6654 fax 250.861.3942. You can pick-up your complimentary 52 page events guide at any winery, chamber of commerce or BC Liquor Store in the Okanagan. Events can also be downloaded from the website.
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