Tickets go on sale for Bristol Wine & Food Fair 2009
Wednesday, 1st April 2009
Advance tickets for this year’s Bristol Wine & Food Fair go on sale on Thursday 2 April 2009. The public can either buy online by logging on to www.bristolwineandfoodfair.co.uk or by visiting the Bristol Ticket Shop, 26 Union Street in Bristol.
The three-day festival will take place on Bristol Harbourside from 10 – 12 July. It will offer enthusiasts the chance to sample, enjoy, learn and discover more about fine wine and good food bringing together top quality wines from around the world, with the best in regional food and fine dining.
The 2009 ticket price includes a free Wine & Food Fair ISO tasting glass and the full event programme. Opening times have been extended with public sessions on Friday evening (5.30pm – 10.30pm) and two on Saturday (11.30am – 4pm and 5.30pm – 10.30pm) and one session on Sunday (11.30am – 6pm). As well as single session tickets, priced £8 in advance or £10 on the door, there will be a new weekend pass costing only £15, which will allow entry to all public sessions throughout the three days.
At the fair, visitors will be able to browse amongst more than 40 selected wine producers and exhibitors, tasting different wines from all over the world, which they can then buy by the glass, bottle or case. New exhibitors signed up so far include Yalumba, Australia’s oldest family winery, Finca Las Moras winery from Argentina and Wines of Chile. Wines from two of Bristol’s twinning links will also be represented through Vini Portugal and Gaumarjos from Georgia.
Food lovers will enjoy the Chef’s Theatre, sponsored this year by Clarke Willmott, which will be hosted again by Barny Haughton from Bordeaux Quay. Meanwhile the wine and cheese pavilions will showcase some of the acclaimed UK cheese producers and small independent wine importers, with a further selection of the region’s best produce on sale in the popular food and drink market.
New features for 2009 include longer opening times with a dedicated Business Hospitality Day session on Friday, additional wine marquee space and an extended wine and cheese tasting programme. Some of the country’s top wine experts will be leading the wine tasting lectures including Susy Atkins who writes a weekly column for the Sunday Telegraph, is wine editor for Delicious magazine and a regular on BBC’s Saturday Kitchen and Market Kitchen. She will be joined by Tim Aitkin, wine writer for the Observer, Fiona Beckett an award-winning food and wine author and local celebrity John Avery who is the fourth generation of family at Averys wine merchants and one of the country’s senior Masters of Wine.
At the centre of the fair, there will be a large covered restaurant and bar area, where visitors can try a range of dishes matched with selected wines or enjoy a tasty bit of tapas and a drink from the bar. Some of Bristol’s hottest Jazz DJ’s will be on hand, to play a selection of cool summer sounds.
Event organiser Chris Scholes, from Bristol Event Management said: “Last year’s event proved a great success attracting more than 11,000 visitors. Plans are going well this year and despite the difficult financial climate, we have already recruited two thirds of our projected exhibitors. We’ve also brought in some exciting changes and improvements including extending the opening times, introducing new features, such as the new bar and restaurant area and the Wine Forum Tastings, and also enlarging some of the most popular areas of the event to make sure our visitors have an enjoyable memorable experience”.
