Calling all wine lovers!
If you’re looking to take your passion for vino one step further, there is an event coming to the South Okanagan that you won’t want to miss.
The first edition of the Sensory Symposium Wine Education Series will conquer the Okanagan College Penticton campus on Sunday, April 28. The one-day event welcomes all for an afternoon of education, socializing, sensory science and, of course, wine!
“I have always wanted to do an event that focuses on the overall sensory experience of wine,” said event producer Laura Milnes.
“It’s not just about what you smell and taste – there are other factors like what the label looks like, who you’re with, what the temperature is and so on.”
The symposium will feature more than ten wines from winemakers across the province during three seminars focusing on different topics.
The Women in Wine seminar will focus on female winemakers in the province, featuring a lineup of wines while the panellists discuss their personal approach and style.
Currently trending, the topic of natural wines will also be explored. Attendees will sample “minimal intervention” wines which have had nothing added or removed during the production process, to see if something like their visual appearance will affect how tasters enjoy them.
Finally, the sensory diversity seminar will discuss how geography and soil can affect how different wines taste.
During the seminars, attendees will taste blind to remove bias – which Milnes hopes will be able to broaden horizons and help attendees offer genuine opinions to be discussed with the winemakers.
“I really want to open people’s minds and expand their mode of thought, which can be really challenging in the wine industry as people tend to live within this small box — there is a whole world of wine out there that I want to help people discover,” said Milnes.
Attendees won’t just be verbally sharing their thoughts with the winemakers, but with the local wine community at large, as Milnes has partnered with sensory scientists to gather data that will be presented to local wineries following the event.
Representatives from wineries like Rigour and Whimsy, Liquidity, Tight Rope, Echo Bay and more will be available following the seminars for one-on-one discussions with attendees during the wrap-up social.
Once you’ve sipped and sampled your way through, you can even take home your favourite bottle as Cask & Barrel will be onsite with their pop up shop.
For those of you interested in delving deeper into all things wine, tickets are available online for $75.
Proceeds from ticket sales will be going on to support Vancouver-based app Eco Eats as they work to abolish food waste in the province.
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