The longest running wine and food festival in Canada is getting ready for their 30th anniversary.
“We’re telling attendees that it’s our birthday but we’re giving out gifts to them,” says Joan Culliton, producer of the Ottawa Wine and Food Festival.
The festival, which runs from Oct. 30 to Nov. 1 at the Shaw Centre, has a history of success for both patrons and exhibitors. A week after the first edition in 1985, the event’s organizers decided it would become an annual event.
In those days, $5 would buy a day’s admission and a wine-tasting glass. This year, tickets for the final day of the festival are being sold at a discounted price of $19.85.
The first show was attended by 17,000 people. Thirty years later, organizers are expecting more than 23,000 customers.
Culliton offers a warm welcome to those who have never been to the festival.
“We want to celebrate with old friends and meet new ones who’ve never experienced the biggest and longest-established wine and food festival in eastern Ontario,” Culliton stated in a press release announcing the highlights of this year’s event.
Culliton took over the festival after founders Halina and Robert Player gave up organizing duties in 2008.
Culliton adds that the festival “will continue to challenge and educate palates” through international flavours. She says that Ottawa residents have developed sophisticated tastes in food and wine, and that the festival has contributed to this.
“Our exhibitors hands-down cite the Ottawa market as being the most educated wine and food market and the most sophisticated attendees,” she says.
Beau’s Brewing Company is one of the many local companies that have been part of the festival over the years.
Beau’s co-founder Steve Beauchesne says that when the company started in 2006, the Ottawa Wine and Food Festival was the only show in town for breweries to showcase their independently produced beer. While this is no longer the case, Beauchesne says the festival is a “truly unique and special” part of the downtown food and drink scene.
Beer has become a significant part of the festival, as organizers say Ottawa’s growing appetite for beer has caused the show to adapt.
“It’s great to have great beer, wine, spirits all sharing the space together with great Ottawa restaurants,” Beauchesne says, “and I get a real kick out of the fancy dresses and formal attire the audience wears.”
The festival has become about more than just the dishes and beverages, as visitors see it as an opportunity to dress up and spend a night on the town enjoying special offerings such as caviar and sparkling wine.
Since the festival takes place over Halloween, the show will feature a Haute Halloween Red Carpet Welcome, where visitors are encouraged to dress in outlandish costumes in front of a panel of judges.
Culltion says this year’s show will not only pay tribute to the festival’s history, but will put “the world on the tip of your tongue.”
“You can travel from Barbados to Italy to Australia in one afternoon,” Culliton says. “We’ve really remained committed to offering an international focus, and have innovative programming that focuses on education as well as entertainment.”
Celebrity chefs Anna Olson and David Rocco are among the experts hosting 12 “edutainment” seminars at the festival.
For those hoping to simply indulge in the show’s delicacies, the Expanded Tasting Alley offers more than 50 wines and an assortment of fresh meats, seafood and vegetarian options.
With so many different tastes at the disposal of visitors, Culliton stresses the importance of striking a balance between local and international. While she says there is appeal in the global scope of the festival, the show also features restaurants that are four blocks from the Shaw Centre.
On top of everything, Culliton says the festival is a great opportunity for visitors to learn about the art of food and drink.
“I think that when they leave, they’ll have learned the difference between what a mixologist does and what a sommelier does,” she says. “They’ll understand food and wine pairings and I think that’s got lots of appeal.”