Whether you consider yourself a sommelier or you make a bee-line for the cheapest bottle of wine with a screw-on cap at the liquor store, this event welcomes you.
The inaugural Peppered Grape Wine Festival is set for Saturday, Feb. 4th, 2023, from 7 to 10 p.m. in Quest University's Multipurpose room.
Local Marlies Jakob, who has been in town for about a decade, said she has been interested in the world of wine since she took a course on it in her 20s.
"I just found that I really had an affinity for it. And a good visual and sensory memory for the things I was tasting, and really enjoy … deconstructing the tasting itself," she said, adding she later branched out to hosting at-home wine tastings.
"My mission was to have them take away at the end of that something that [they] did not know about wine or change the range of perspectives."
At the beginning of any tasting, folks often have their clear favourite wines they typically buy and order, but that can change throughout an evening of blind tastings, she said.
The aim is the same for this festival, which she aims to make an annual event that will grow over time.
This local festival is a passion project come true for her, she said.
"I think it's a good starting point. I think Squamish is ready for a wine festival. I really do. I think they're ready. And I think keeping it as a smaller, more boutique-sized festival [this time] will allow us just to get the word out there and have a really good quality festival," she said.
She stressed that anyone interested in wines is invited (attendees must be over 19 years old, of course).
For anyone who has never attended a wine festival, Jakob said to consider giving it a (s)whirl.
"Rather than committing to a $20, or $30, or whatever, bottle of wine, you can go there and have a small tasting. It's not a big commitment, but I think it hopefully will open up a lot of people's eyes to a lot of different varieties. And I think, also, it's nice for Squamish to have something else to do in the winter.... It will be nice to have a really fun dress-up kind of event to attend, she said, though noting dressing up is not mandatory.)
In addition to wine tastings, there will be local food and non-wine beverages, live music — Vancouver artist Leela, who will be performing cover songs folks will recognize — a silent wine film by Vineyard Videos, and a silent auction.
All the funds raised from the silent auction for this year's festival go to the Sea to Sky SPCA.
Tickets are $68 and are now available on Eventbrite.
Go to www.thepepperedgrape.com for more information.
