Every year, in the calm before the storm that is the start of ski season in Whistler, a small food and drink festival takes place over a couple of weeks. You may have heard of it. It has the fanciful title of Cornucopia and for almost 20 years, people have been flocking up in droves to participate in bacchanalian feasts and epic wine galas. (As its name might imply, this is a festival about all things indulgent, imbibable and edible.)
If you’re thinking, however, that this is the sum total of what Cornucopia is all about—think again. Sure, in its early years, this was the festival known for such events as the infamous Masquarave, where terms like “party ‘til you drop” and “drunken rout” were fully realized. These days, though, Cornucopia places almost as much emphasis on healthy living and educational seminars as it does on wine and cocktail tastings.
The Nourish series encompasses everything from yoga-meditation sessions to healing foods workshops and how-to seminars on paleo and raw food diets. There’s even a four-day health and wellness retreat over the first weekend of the festival.
Looking to get educated? Vancouver-based DJ Kearney, one of the top wine educators and sommeliers in North America, is leading a WSET Level 1 course (because, what could be better than learning about wine during a food and wine festival?). You even get your own set of ISO-certified glasses and a free ticket to Cellar Door’s Grand Tasting Gala.
Sommelier certification a bit too intense for you? Try the less demanding tasting seminar with renowned Italian winery Masi, as they lead you through their unique blending system that uses both fresh and semi-dried grapes indigenous to the Valpolicella wine region. “It’s truly something unique and very special,” says Franz Zimmermann, sommelier at Fairmont Chateau Whistler, where the event takes place. “This method has been used for centuries in the area, and Masi has established their own institute – a university, really – to study and develop this technique.”
Other seminars during the festival include focused looks at specific varietals, like Chenin Blanc: Greatness in a Glass and the Grenache seminar led by Westender’s own wine writer, Michaela Morris. (Morris is also hosting individual seminars on the wines of southern Italy, Amarone, and Shiraz/Syrah, as well as co-hosting a seminar on special occasion wines with DJ Kearney, Sid Cross and Daenna Van Mulligen.)
Want to learn more about the art of mixology? The marTeani Party at the Chateau might be a great place to start. A classic afternoon tea is elevated with tea-based cocktails and incredible infusions. The bar staff at the Chateau, led by Guillaume Noel, manager of The Mallard Lounge, creates everything from old-style shrubs (a type of tincture) with strawberry-peach-thyme flavours to lemon oil syrups and bitters made from local ingredients found on the hotel’s roof garden, including the housemade honey from the rooftop apiaries.
Local writer and spirits expert Joanne Sasvari can teach you all about how to stock your home bar, create the ultimate hangover cures, as well as give you a history on the sometimes troubled (and often troublemaking) relationship between women and cocktails (and the women who make cocktails).
Beer and distilled spirits are also not overlooked, with seminars covering how to pair beer with cheese, beer and wine comparative tastings, how to start a distillery in BC, matching spirits with charcuterie (what, you thought wine was the only option?).
Even the extremely-indulgent winery dinners that make up the main focus of the festival have incredible learning opportunities attached to them. Araxi’s legendary Big Guns dinner features top-tier wines from around the world, and includes the people who make and sell those wines. The restaurant is also hosting a series of more intimate dinners with wineries from BC, Italy, California, Australia, and France. Fairmont Chateau Whistler is also hosting Masi for a special winery dinner that allows you taste and learn about the wines from the blending seminar (plus several others) in greater detail. Not to miss is their winery dinner with Craggy Range from New Zealand, makers of one of the finest Pinot Noirs I’ve tasted in a goodly while. The Chateau also has some good stay ‘n’ play packages, allowing you to combine hotel stays with event tickets.
Newcomer Basalt Wine Bar & Salumeria is hosting a winery dinner with Fairview Cellars from the South Okanagan that should make for an excellent night out, and a great chance to try this new restaurant’s excellent nosh paired with the Bordeaux-style varietals of this boutique winery.
Whatever your tastes, this year’s Cornucopia is fairly sure to leave you satiated in both mind and body, and with enough knowledge to make the upcoming holiday season a very happy one, indeed.
Whistler’s Cornucopia, presented by BlueShore Financial, runs Nov. 5-15, 2015 at multiple locations.
Listen to Anya Levykh every Monday on CBC Radio One’s On the Coast. Find her on Twitter @foodgirlfriday and Facebook.com/FoodGirlFriday.
