Events

Our season begins in September and goes through to June with between 6-8 events. Our next event is: Title & Link to Karelo

What you can expect at a typical event 

For dinner events, the evening begins by mingling with fellow members and guests while sampling canapés from the host restaurant. Prior to the dinner, the Cellar Master selects wines and creates tasting notes for the chef to reference. The chef then pairs the menu to the wines for a bespoke 4-5 course wine and dine experience. We generally taste between 7-10 wines per event. The Cellar Master and AWAS President usually give informal talks and fun facts about the wines. Vegan/pescatarian/gluten free meals are available upon request.

We sometimes do more informal walkabout style tastings with light snacks.

Event Venues

We have been lucky enough to have events at many of the best restaurants in Vancouver, and consider our home base to be the Listel Hotel with dinners custom paired with our wines by Forage Restaurant.

Some notable past events include: Wine makers dinner at Glowbal with Jaysen Collins of Massena Winery, Intimate tasting of sur-lie wines at The Listel Hotel, Australian Day Gala at Black & Blue featuring 10-year-old wines, Tramonto at the River Rock featuring wine from Jane Ferrari & Yalumba.

Season Opener at The Listel Hotel

Every year we start our season off right with a welcome back dinner at The Listel Hotel Robson. This multi-course dining experience is catered by Forage. The dinner features a chef curated menu paired with extraordinary wines from Australia and New Zealand. It is a perfect way to connect with members past and present.

Wine Makers Dinners

Since AWAS’ creation in 1982, we have built strong relationships with wineries from across Australia and New Zealand. Over the years we have been in the presence of world-renowned vintners such as Stewart Blackwell from St. Hallett, Michael Twelftree from Two Hands, Jane Ferrari from Yalumba, and Peter Gago from Penfolds and many others.

Wine Tastings

Walkabout style gathering with light snacks. We typically taste between 8-12 wines depending on the format of the event. There is often a theme to each of the tastings based on region, varietal, and vintage. Some tastings compare Australian and New Zealand wines with those from other parts of the world.

XX “Barbie”

To close out the season, we end it with our notorious “Barbie” with handpicked wines from the AWAS cellar. It is an amazing evening with great food, incredible wine, 50/50 raffle, silent auction and draw items and lots and lots of laughs.