Cornucopia, now in its 19th year, is back this November with 10 days jam packed with wine seminars, chef demonstrations, fine dining evenings and much more. The festival this year kicked off last Thursday 5th November and will be running until Sunday 15th November so there is still a chance to head on up to Whistler and purchase some tickets!

Sponsored by Blue Shore Financial, Cornucopia brings talented winemakers, established chefs and entrepreneurs altogether for one of the best food and wine festivals in Canada.

Despite the rain and grey skies I headed up to Whistler last Saturday to spend the weekend at Cornucopia. Saturday and Sunday were both bursting with events throughout the day, it was hard to decide which ones to pick. I opted for the The Outsiders Guide to the Inside: Portuguese Wines, The Outsiders Guide to the Inside: Spanish Wines, and the Top 25 Celebratory Reception for the Saturday and for the Sunday I had a ticket for Foxtrot Winery: A Passion for Pinot.

The first drink seminar kicked off at 2p.m and was a lot of fun! Presented by Paul Watkin and Chris Funnell the pair bounced off each other with their extensive knowledge of Portugal and the wines from the different areas. There were 12 glasses of different wines to try, each accompanied by a tapas item which were both locally sourced and some quite difficult to get as Paul & Chris aimed to source portuguese food to accompany the wine.

The highlights were the José Maria da Fonseca Alambre Moscatel de Setúbal (smooth and beautifully sweet), the Quinta do Crasto late bottled vintage port and the Ramos pinto Duas. Paul & Chris spent several minutes describing each wine and the prices were offered at the end as they did not want this to be a focus of the seminar. Continue reading →