4 Events at Cornucopia That Are Worth The Drive to Whistler

The legendary Cornucopia Food & Wine Festival is back and again this year there’s two weekends (Nov 8-10 and Nov 15-17) to dig up, plus scores of events during the week. Here are a few that we’re psyched to check out.

We’re CRUSHing it

The CRUSH Grand Tasting (Saturday, November 8) is a bit of a no-brainer. Going to Cornucopia and not hitting this cavalcade of wineries (70+) and small bites is like going to Hawaii but missing the beach. It’s your opportunity to touch all the vino bases without the crushing crowds that afflict so many other wine festivals. Find your own faves, but please don’t miss CVNE for sublime Spanish Rioja and oily aged whites, Foxtrot for arguably BC’s Best Pinot, Harper’s Trail for sublime Riesling (from Kamloops!), Moon Curser for the Okanagan’s most adventurous winemakers and Winemaker’s Cut for under-the-radar Syrah. Tickets are $91, but hotel packages are the smoking deal: they start at $102 per person/per night and include two tickets to Crush.

Not a Drag

Sashay Fillet (Thursday November 14) is new this year and may be the most on-point offering in the two weeks. Here’s its description: Watch the creative minds of food and drag intermingle in front of your eyes as a line-up of talented west coast chefs pair up with equally talented Canadian drag queens for an unforgettable night of tasty food, drink, and mesmerizing performances.

Your hosts are drag royalty: Jaidynn Diore Fierce and Laila McQueen, from RuPaul’s Drag Race. The food will come from Dawn Doucette (Douce Diner, Vancouver), Luis Valenzuela (Carmen, Toronto), Shelley Robinson (executive chef, UBC Okanagan) and it will all be judged by an esteemed panel, including longtime WL contributor, Alexandra Gill.

15 Minutes of Fame

Parties at art galleries are the best, a sentiment proved last year by the inaugural shindig at the Audain Museum. This year, the gallery opens its doors again with the suitably arty theme of Warhol Factory Party. The thing is, even if you’re not down to party, think of it as an opportunity to wander the amazing Audain with a glass of wine in your hand.

One Cannot Live By Wine Alone

Think of Poured (Saturday, November 16) as CRUSH, but with beer, cider and spirits as well. You can still get your Foxtrot, but you can also dip into some Sheringham gin, some Hoyne beer, some Sea Cider Farm cider—all of which make for suitable toasting material to another year of Cornucopia!

All events are listed here.