Vancouver Wine Interviews

Trish Metcalfe and Visnja Vukelich - 

I had the opportunity to sit down with Trish Metcalfe and Visnja Vukelich, two of the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival's dedicated organizers. With the 2009 Playhouse Wine Fest rapidly approaching, both Visnja, the festival administrator, and Trish, the operations manager, are fully immersed in preparations. They laugh when talking animatedly about the year round effort that goes into planning the annual week long event, and the astounding logistics and coordination necessary to make each event, tasting, seminar, and dinner appear seamless. Just over a month away now, Visnja informs me that they are already pulling fourteen hour days, and working weekends just to complete all the planning and organization that make the wine festival possible.

Both are aware of the astounding logistics behind pulling off a successful festival, and pride themselves on the reputation and class of the Vancouver Playhouse Wine Festival as one of the marquee wine fests internationally. They glow with pride as they speak of the global reputation the festival has garnered; modestly informing me that some have even compared it to international hallmarks like the London Wine & Food Show. It is undoubtedly one of the world's foremost wine shows, showcasing over 1,700 wines from a myriad of fifteen different wine producing countries, and nearly two hundred producers.

The festival is in its 31st year, with this being Trish's eighth year of involvement, and Visnja's third. Besides themselves, there are two other full time employees with the Playhouse Wine Festival, and they depend on the involvement of over three hundred and fifty volunteers, as well as the commitment of the wine selection team, presenters, producers, and numerous other working parts that go into bringing the festival to life. Both organizers speak reverently of the festivals executive director, Harry Hertcheg, accrediting his involvement and professionalism as the primary reason for the festival's ability to raise the bar year after year, creating new standards of excellence. Trish states; 'Harry has progressed this festival into the international realm.'

When the topic of British Columbia being the focus wine region of the 2009 Playhouse Wine Festival arises, it is clear that both Trish and Visnja are strong supporters of the producers and their wines coming out of the Okanagan and British Columbia. They speak a little about the past regional spotlights, as well as the friendly competition to become the regional focus for next year's festival, and despite my attempts to uncover the regional theme for 2010, their lips are sealed until the unveiling in March.

They do speak to the strategy of focusing on B.C. in 2009, the pre-Olympic year, by no means a coincidence, but rather a way of highlighting the local wine industry during a time when the media spotlight is fully shining in British Columbia's direction with the rapid approach of the Olympics. When questioning the accountability of B.C.'s wines on an international playing field, both are quick to defend and support the B.C. wine industry, with a fire and passion that clearly drives their love for wine. Without cynicism, they argue that British Columbians are strong supporters of our local wines and products in general, and this regionalism fuels the strong sales of B.C. wines in our restaurants and liquor stores, in turn expanding B.C.'s wine production, and elevating the region to international wine recognition. It is certainly a testament to the quality and evolution of our local wine industries ability to carry the torch as 2009's regional focus.

Trish adds some extremely humorous anecdotes about the realities of working full time operating Vancouver's foremost acclaimed wine festival, while simultaneously supporting a family. At one point she triumphantly acclaims, 'I can fold laundry & negotiate a purchasing contract at the same time!' She has certainly mastered the art of multitasking, a skill she also puts to use during the week of the festival darting from one event to the next while embarking on the arduous task of ensuring that all the appropriate wines, glassware and supplies are there before proceeding to the next venue.

While discussing events for the 2009 Playhouse International Wine Festival, they inform me that ticket sales are going strong, though there still remain limited spots for many of the prime events. This includes a small number of tickets for the main tasting room; open Thursday through Saturday night, with the option of the gold pass tasting lounge for the true connoisseur. Purchase your tickets fast as these events sell out annually, leaving hoards of disappointed sippers.

They recommend the Gaga for Gewurz! wine mingler on the Saturday as an excellent introduction to food pairings with Gewürztraminer in a fun environment, with top class wines, plus some educational insight to boot. Limited tickets are also available for the vertical tastings of Osoyoos Larose, and Oculus, providing the rare opportunity to taste back vintages of prized, limited production B.C. reds, which will never again be available in our market. They cringe when I ask about the dreaded R word& recession, so prevalent in these struggling economic times, assuring me that numbers are surpassing those of previous years, and this is just the kind of fun, relaxed, social event everyone needs to escape from the cold Vancouver March rain. Describing the tasting room Trish jokes, 'Thursday night is the serious crowd, Friday night the after work crowd, and Saturday night's date night!'

When asked about a wine savvy tip, Visnja informs me to look out for blue dot wine products in the international tasting room and throughout the festival. This blue dot marker, displayed on the wine bottle, indicates that the wines are not listed at the general British Columbia Liquor Distribution (BCLD) stores, and are not available for purchase outside of the festival. Not only are these limited wines available for purchase at the onsite BCLD stores during the duration of the festival, but they will deliver your purchases to your local liquor store at no cost to the consumer. They both recommend you purchase these blue dot products while you can, as they are wines we may never see in our market again, and will sell out quickly.

We speak briefly about the preparations for next years Playhouse International Wine Festival 2010, and it is clear they intend to continue pushing the festival to new heights. They talk anticipatorily about the new Convention Centre as their future venue, and further expansion, with no signs of slowing down. We end the evening with a glass of Veuve du Vernay Brut Rosé to toast the success of the upcoming 2009 Playhouse International Wine Fest, and Visnja jokingly croons, 'Too much wine!' Off for a couple of hours of shut eye, these two dedicated, hard working, talented women are part of a small group of wine loving professionals who make the annual Playhouse International Wine Festival possible, and deserve the thanks and appreciation of our entire city for bringing us such a celebrated, fun, internationally recognized wine event.

When did you both get your start working with the Playhouse International Wine Festival?
Trish (T)-2000, but I only worked pre-festival that year as I gave birth to my first child the first day of the festival which was April 25th, 2000

How has the Playhouse wine fest evolved since you both began working with the annual event?
T-The festival has evolved a lot in the last 8 years. Thanks to our dedicated executive director Harry Hertcheg, and a dedicated staff that has been with us for several years we were able to raise the bar and increase the level of professionalism. Now we are enjoying accolades from winery producers around the world but always striving to improve

What events and aspects of the upcoming Playhouse International Wine Fest 2009 are you most excited about?
T- I think we have a fantastic line up of events for both the novice and the wine professionals. We have many educational events that I think are fantastic like Gaga for Gurwurtz where we pair eight flavour profiles with twenty four different producers of Gurwurtz.

With a specific focus this year on British Columbia's blossoming wineries and regions, could you ever have imagined the Okanagan being the prime spotlight of the festival, and starting to create wines that are garnering international recognition?
T-Yes it is fantastic to see. I am a big fan, and it is great to see as we head into our pre-Olympic year.

What wineries and wines are you both most excited to taste at this years wine festival?
T- Unfortunately we do not taste at the Festival as we are busy working, but personally I think we have a great line up of Napa Valley, Burgundy, and B.C. producers

For personal consumption, what wines do you always have stocked at home and enjoy sharing with friends?
T-I love Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, and Riesling. I enjoy Australia for its price point, but have been drinking more California Pinot Noirs these days

What is one savvy wine tip you can provide to novice wine consumers intimidated by all of the selections present while shopping for a wine?
T- I would say select a different wine region when you are having guests for dinner or going for dinner, otherwise you get into a rut of purchasing the same things. Also, put reds in the fridge for a few minutes before serving them, and take whites out a few minutes before serving too.

If you had to pick one single wine region as the only wines you could consume for an entire calendar year, which region would you pick and why?
T- If price was no option, then I would certainly pick Burgundy, as they produce the epitome of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Otherwise, I think New Zealand as it gives me the best of the white and red I love. The wines of New Zealand tend to be approachable upon purchase, with wonderfully fresh Sauvignon Blancs, and Pinot Noirs, as well as interesting Shiraz and Chardonnay.

As festival administrator and coordinator, do you both get the opportunity to taste the wines featured prior to the actual wine fest?
T-Unfortunately we do not, but we are invited to many trade tastings throughout the year where we are able to taste.

What happens to all the left over wine that has not been consumed after the festival is completed?
T- At the Festival we spend hours reviewing capacities and wine quantity to ensure the correct amount is ordered. After the Festival, what is left over is returned to the respective consulates that sponsor the Festival by providing duty free status for the wine.