Putting Kingston on the Wine World Map

Living in Ottawa, we know that an easy weekend getaway is a roadtrip to Kingston. With its small city vibe, historic limestone buildings along the waterfront, boutique hotels, restaurants featuring local cuisine and talented chefs, I ask you . . .What’s not to love about Kingston!

Here’s a yet another reason to hit the highway bound for K-town, Corks & Forks — Kingston’s International Wine Festival. Taking place from April 12 to 14, 2019, this first-of-its-kind weekend-long event will put this charming city onto the wine world map.

Whether you are a curious novice, a wine enthusiast or an avid collector, this inaugural festival is a great opportunity to explore the world of wine, both Canadian and international.

All of us at Savvy Company have been working for the past year designing Corks & Forks. The weekend festival is focused on events that will be educational experiences with a dash of entertainment factor. After all, discovering wine should be an enjoyable learning experience.

During the day, seminars and classes will be led by winemakers, professional sommeliers, renowned wine writers such as Tony Aspler, and top-notch instructors from Niagara Teaching College who are hands-on involved in the Canadian hospitality and wine industries.

Friday and Saturday evenings will be punctuated with Discover the Wine World, a wine tasting tour where ticketholders talk with winemakers from around the world while sampling fine wines.

The grand finale will be the Vintner’s Brunch on Sunday that will treat ticketholders to a meal like no other. Every dish will be eloquently paired with a wine showcased at the event. There will even be a People’s Choice Award for the top voted food & wine pairing.

“We’re excited to work with Savvy Company to showcase Kingston’s culinary culture and hospitality industry,” said Megan Knott, Executive Director, Tourism Kingston. “I can’t wait for the wine world to discover Kingston.”

The events will take place at various hotels and restaurants throughout the city. Residence Inn by Marriott Water’s Edge has been selected to be the ‘central hub’ for the weekend with satellite events at Delta Kingston Waterfront Hotel, AquaTerra, Bayview Farm Restaurant and other locations to be announced.

“There is an incredible food and wine scene in Kingston. Corks & Forks is the perfect way to showcase the culinary talent locally, regionally and introduce a global scale too,” said Donna Gillespie, Chief Executive Officer, Kingston Economic Development Corporation.

With Canada’s fastest growing wine region, Prince Edward County, less than an hour away from Kingston, there will be special wine tours available to see the bursting of spring in the vineyards and sample newly released wines or be treated to some barrel samples.

Corks & Forks festival passes, individual event tickets and special hotel accommodation packages are available for sale at corksandforks.ca.

See you in Kingston — with a glass of wine in hand.

Debbie Trenholm is a sommelier and the founder of Savvy Company.