The Matchmaker Between Those Who Love Wine and Those Who Craft It!
The Okanagan Wine Festivals Society (OWFS) is one of the largest not-for-profit wine industry festival and marketing organizations in Canada. They bring wine lovers and wine producers together to celebrate the timeless craft of winemaking.
OWFS began in 1980, during the infancy of the Okanagan Valley wine industry. Since then, they‘ve grown alongside the industry itself and now produce four seasonal festivals with over 100 events annually. Additionally, they produce the two major yearly wine award competitions in BC: the Best of Varietal Wine Awards in the spring and the BC Lieutenant Governor’s Wine Awards in the fall.
New and Exciting: The WINETHUSIAST Club
For the first time ever, the 40-year-old society has launched an innovative, varietal-specific wine club––the WINETHUSIAST Club!
“I wanted to create a new opportunity for our winery members to connect directly with wine-loving consumers,” said OWFS general manager Elan Morris. “What makes our wine club unique is that WINETHUSIASTs will be able to view ‘Varietal of the Month’ videos and learn about the wines included in the monthly wine packs prior to purchasing shipments.”
Morris continued, “These wine shipments will include wines from many different wineries. So, for those who just can’t get enough of their favourite varietal and want to learn the differences brand to brand, this club is for them.” From winethusiastclub.com, members will be able to:
• learn from BC winemakers through educational “Varietal of the Month” videos that speak to what makes their wines unique and extraordinary;
• purchase optional monthly, varietal-specific wine shipments delivered to their door;
• receive discounts to OWFS Signature Events
• register to attend complimentary pre-event VIP wine tastings;
• access discounts and giveaways from Okanagan Valley businesses;
• learn about BC wine through Spotlight!, a curated collection of wine-related content including articles, podcasts and videos;
• and more!
Committed to BC Wineries and Communities
Presented by Valley First, OWFS is a membership-based society that exists to directly connect consumers with OWFS members, tourism partners and Okanagan Valley communities via festivals, events, trade tastings, wine competitions, and the WINETHUSIAST Club. In 2019, they connected over 11,000 consumers to their members, sponsors, and Okanagan Valley communities.
OWFS will celebrate its 41st Fall Wine Festival this year. Through the last 40 years, OWFS is proud to have stood beside wineries, partner businesses, and communities to promote and grow the BC wine industry. They join Food & Wine Trails in celebrating this magazine’s 30th anniversary!
Connect with OWFS at thewinefestivals.com, by emailing info@thewinefestivals.com, or by calling 250-861-6654.