Tofino Food & Wine Festival – Splendour in the Gardens

I can’t say I’m really the outdoorsy type. I’m a west coast girl, revere our natural environment and its inhabitants and think the shores of Ucluelet and Tofno are heaven on earth. That said, I’m also a city girl, creature for comforts (like showers, internet and flush loos) and appreciative of the finest things in life – wine.

The Tofino Food & Wine Festival is the one event annually where my west coast and urban halves unite as one complete whole. Now in its 9^th year, the festival is a weekend long event, and this time the culmination of a months’ worth of feasts: tastings and events celebrating what is local and good. The main event – Grazing in the Gardens – is entirely en plein air, rain or shine (though trust me, it’s always sunny). Guests make their way through the meandering rainforest paths of Tofino’s Botanical Garden, happening upon surprise sustenance stations. I found Blue Mountain past the hippy bus. La Stella and Le Vieux Pin were next door to the giant monkey head. Rocky Creek and Lake Breeze were sheltered in the shadow of the shipwreck. I kept my eye out for alligators while loading up on freshly shucked oysters, and shimmy shaked to wandering minstrels while balancing my bbq’d slider.

The hot sun shone down on the happy crowd – a mix from curious tourists to surf chasers to fine-things-in-life following west coast wineos, like me.

**The Tofino Wine & Food Festival is centered around Grazing in the Gardens, but there are also dinners, lunches and other tasting events planned throughout the weekend.  If you can catch a spot at The Wickaninnish Inn’s Wine Dinner, do, as their culinary team showcases a different local winery (this year was CedarCreek) and sells out every year. If you want to enjoy both the luxuries of peace and a resort, book into Ucluelet’s Black Rock Resort, a stunning, coast caressing architectural achievement. A shuttle conveniently runs between here (plus other Tofino locations) and the main event at the Gardens.