Taste: Victoria’s Festival of Food and Wine to take place July 16

Food and wine lovers hungrily await the Taste festival just a few weeks away. In its seventh year, the annual Taste: Victoria’s Festival of Food and Wine, set to take place July 16 – 19, 2015 at Hotel Grand Pacific, introduces wine professionals and dedicated chefs leading interactive culinary events including chef, winemaker and sommelier seminars and dining adventures. Pure enjoyment – not just for the palate – this variety of events will entertain and intrigue.

Taste the Difference is the grand, opening night event with hundreds of B.C. wines to taste with winemakers and proprietors present to share their stories. Top island restaurants will be serving tastes of their locally influenced cuisine. Guests will meet the chefs and suppliers normally behind-the-scenes and will indulge in everything from line caught, local wild salmon and pork belly to maple bacon tarts and house-made gelato. www.VictoriaTaste.com/taste-the-difference/

A special wine tasting for local industry professionals will be held the afternoon preceding Taste the Difference on Thursday July 16th www.VictoriaTaste.com/trade All proceeds from this event go to the B.C. Hospitality Foundation, a group of food and beverage industry professionals who work together to help the hospitality community at time of need.

Events throughout the weekend are always intriguing with experiences and tastes available only once a year during the Taste festival. How often do you see a whole pig roasting along the inner harbour? A seafood boil also joins the fun this year with a special behind-the-scenes tour at Finest at Sea just steps from the wharf. Guests will see the operation and learn the incredible value of sustainability and 100% known-origin seafood before the boil on the terrace at Hotel Grand Pacific with DJ Primitive setting the beat.

Local sommelier and Cascadia Regional Manager, Pamela Sanderson, loves to baffle her audiences who are often surprised by the quality of Vancouver Island wines. This year, Pamela will explore the world of bubbles…not just for celebrations!

More in the theme of sparkling wine, “Band, Bubbles and Bennys” is a decadent, multi-course brunch hosted at Chateau Victoria’s Vista 18 Grill & Wine Bar with each course accompanied by an outstanding B.C. bubbly whether it be traditional method, as in Champagne, or Prosecco-style.

For more event and purchase information, visit www.VictoriaTaste.com. Tickets for Taste the Difference can also purchased in-person at Silk Road, 1624 Government Street, in Victoria www.VictoriaTaste.com/taste-events/.