If you wish to taste some wines from BC’s Okanagan, you don’t have to travel very far. I invite you to check out Vancouver Urban Winery. This operation is the brainchild of two young enterpreneurs, Steve Thorp and Mike Macquisten who were recently voted into Western Living Magazine’s 5th Annual 40 Foodies Under 40.
Vancouver Urban Winery is Canada’s first wine on tap operation, FreshTap. They repackage wines sent from wineries in pressurized 19.5 litre stainless steel kegs. This not only cuts down on waste, but is also environmentally friendly in that each keg equals 26 750ml bottles of wine. Once a bottle is opened in a restaurant, it loses flavor with oxidization quickly. Thus, a greater likelihood the wine will be tossed.
A side benefit for us Vancouverites, is that last summer Vancouver Urban Winery opened it doors to the public for wine tastings. The majority of the wines are from British Columbia with a few from other countries including their own brand of Roaring Twenties for sale by the bottle in their retail store on site. Wine tastings are 1 oz pourings which start at $2.50 per tasting or $3.50 for premium wines. You can choose which wines you’d like to try individually, or you can try the Sommelier’s Choice where they choose 5 flights of wine for you to taste for $12.00. There are various meats and cheeses available to nibble with your wine that you can purchase. We opted for the Sommelier’s Food & Wine Choice Pairing for $24.00 which included 5 flights of wine (2 whites & 3 reds) and a selection of local meats and cheeses paired with each of the wines.
Vancouver Urban Winery is located in a fairly non-descript building two blocks South of the docks and 2 blocks North of Oppenheimer Park. At the entrance you will find beautiful doors with intricate woodwork and stonework. On entering, the interior has a unique layout with 24 foot ceilings, wooden beams and beautiful ironwork from its predecessors. There are some long wood tables perfect for large groups, or there is the fireplace with 2 long leather sofas which make for a nice way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon or wind down after a day at work. The Vancouver Urban Winery is located at 55 Dunlevy Street (just 3 blocks North of East Hastings Street). They are open for tastings and tours, Mon. to Wed. 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., Thur. to Fri. 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. and Sundays from Noon to 5:00 p.m. They are closed Saturdays for private events and occasionally will book private events during their operating hours. They update their Facebook Page regularly with their operating hours, upcoming events and promotions. One current promotion is Thirsty Thursday which is a 2 for 1 tasting special from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. The Tasting Bar this month features Roaring Twenties Wine Co. Quails’ Gate, Noble Ridge Vineyards & Winery and Road 13 Vineyards. This is definitely a spot to check out. Cheers!
Photos by Patti Zazulak and CreatEveInVan
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Tags: East Vancouver, FreshTap, Mike Macquisten, Okanagan Wine, Roaring Twenties Wine Co., Steve Thorp, Vancouver Urban Winery, Wine Tasting
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