Westman wine fest returns for 21st year

The Rotary Club of Brandon is back with its annual showcase of wines from around the world for a good cause this week.

The Rotary Westman Wine Festival hosts a gala dinner tonight and a public tasting event on Friday evening, with proceeds going toward the Elspeth Reid Family Resource Centre.

Festival board co-chair Tracy Baker told the Sun on Wednesday that while the 140 tickets set aside for the gala have already been sold, $39.95 tickets for the public tasting events are still on sale at Brandon’s four Liquor Mart locations and will continue to be available until the event starts at 7 p.m. on Friday.

“The gala dinner is my favourite part, but the fact that we’re able to donate the proceeds back to the Elspeth Reid Family Resource Centre is very important because they don’t feel there’s enough other fundraising activities for them in the city,” Baker said of the event, which has run for 21 years.

The gala features a five-course meal with wine served during the reception and with each course. At the tasting, 27 tables will be set up by representatives with each table offering about four wines each.

The ticket for the tasting comes with a passport listing all the different varieties of wine available to try. Guests can either try them in the order listed in the passport or choose their own order, using a pencil to mark down which products they liked the most.

“That allows you to sample wine and find out which ones you do like so you don’t have to buy the whole bottle you’re sampling,” Baker said. “You have a discussion with the wine rep, being educated on that wine and what you can serve it with. When you find your favourite, you can go to the store and be a little bit more aware as to what you want to buy.”

There will be all sorts of wine available to sample. That includes red, white and rosé as well as products from both Manitoba, other parts of Canada and other countries.

Complimentary bread will be served at the tasting as a palate cleanser, with cheese and fruit plates available for purchase.

While wine can sometimes have a reputation as a fancy drink, Baker said the representatives offering samples won’t be showing off their really expensive wines.

“They’re showcasing the wine that they want everyone to have access to or have on the shelves in our stores here locally,” Baker said. “There’s still a little bit of a range in price, but for the most part we stick pretty close to the idea that they’re manageable. If someone wants to have a $10 bottle of wine, you can have a really tasty bottle.”

Baker said she’s typically a white wine drinker and is interested in going out of her comfort zone and trying some reds this year. Her advice to the 400 to 450 people projected to attend this year’s event is to try something new and to not be afraid to ask questions.

The tasting goes from 7 to 10 p.m. on Friday. While a few tickets will be available at the door, Baker recommends attendees buy theirs in advance at a local Liquor Mart.

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