Vancouver International Wine Festival (VIWF) the much loved annual event is adapting for 2021. Due to ongoing pandemic restrictions preventing the full scale festival from taking place, VIWF and Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival are partnering to present a unique new online event, the Bacchanalia Online Auction.
The Online Auction replaces the long-running Bacchanalia Gala Dinner + Auction, annual in-person VIWF event, synonymous with sensational wine and food, including one of the most exclusive wine auctions in North America.
The Bacchanalia Online Auction will offer exclusive wines and wine experiences while raising crucial funds for both festivals. Between April 27 and May 1, 2021, the virtual Auction will offer an opportunity to bid on an array of wines and wine experiences that will appeal to those who love wine, collect and invest in it, and look for unique winery stays and tours.
The Auction will host over 120 lots, including a rare 15-litre (called a Nebuchadnezzar)
bottle of Champagne Taittinger Brut Reserve (valued at $3,000); a highly sought-after bottle of 1994 Pétrus (valued at $4,000); and private wine-tasting sessions at Vanessa Vineyards & Nk’Mip Cellars (with a 2-night stay at Spirit Ridge Resort) and the Mission Hill Family Estate Winery, all in the Okanagan. As well, there will be exclusive Bard-themed packages focused on the Festival’s extensive costume collection and an opportunity to spend dedicated time with Artistic Director Christopher Gaze.
“The Bacchanalia Gala Dinner + Auction has earned a reputation for offering an unparalleled opportunity for wine collectors and serious wine aficionados to stock up their cellars with unique and rare wines,” says VIWF Executive Director Harry Hertscheg. “Bacchanalia Online aims to keep that valuable experience alive. And it will serve as a vital cornerstone in our efforts to ensure a robust return for both our Festivals.”
“The in-person Gala and Auction has been a key fundraiser for Bard on the Beach in recent years,” notes Artistic Director Christopher Gaze. “We are honoured that Bard is the official charitable beneficiary of the Wine Festival and we are incredibly grateful that their team is working with us to sustain their annual financial support, even though their full festival and Gala event couldn’t go ahead this year.”
The Bacchanalia Online Auction’s virtual catalogue will go live this Sunday, April 25 on IronGateAuctions.com; bidding access opens Tuesday, April 27. Full advance details on the event are available at vanwinefest.ca and bardonthebeach.org
Successful bidders will pick up their purchases at the The Vancouver Club in downtown Vancouver. On April 29, The Vancouver Club is also hosting a related online event Uncorked! a lively, accessible tasting experience with select wines and foodstuffs pre-delivered to ticket-buyers’ homes, and wine experts animating the online gathering.
A portion of the proceeds from this special Uncorked! event will benefit Bard on the Beach.