Wine connoisseurs will be swirling and sipping Saturday, April 21 for the annual Rotary Wine Fest at the Qualicum Beach Civic Centre.
There will be 18 to 20 wineries represented with many fine imported wines as well as some great vino from B.C.
For those who want to hone their wine tasting skills, wine sommelier Carmen Spagnola of the The Bacchus Wine Group will be conducting a wine seminar from 6 to 7 p.m. The seminar is limited to the first 100 patrons.
Spagnola has helped hundreds of hospitality personnel boost their wine confidence and spirits savvy as a facilitator for the training programs of Canada’s most successful restaurants.
A career “foodie”, she has stomped grapes in Italy, fattened geese in France and catered feasts under the jungle canopy in Costa Rica.
Having grown up in the restaurant industry, Spagnola earned a Grande Diplome from Le Cordon Bleu, Paris, and worked her way home from Europe as a private chef on mega-yachts for the super rich.
Spagnola has represented some of world’s best-known estates including Chateau de Beaucastel, Ruffino, and Pol Roger, and was certified magna cum laude by the gold standard of the industry, the Wine and Spirits Education Trust, UK.
Tickets are $30 for the April 21 event which is a major fundraiser for the Rotary Club of Qualicum Beach.
Along with wine sampling there will be local and imported cheeses, hot and cold hors d’oeuvres including Fanny Bay oysters.
For those who sip and swirl too much, arrangements can be made for a safe ride home.
Tickets are available at the Qualicum Beach Medicine Centre, Mulberry Bush Book stores and from rotary members.