NEWS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CARAQUET’S FESTIVIN IS BIGGER THAN EVER Caraquet, Tuesday, May 2, 2017 – The FestiVin in Caraquet released the full schedule for its 21st edition this morning. There are lots of new things on the schedule, and the organizing committee was very happy to announce that fine cuisine evenings will be hosted throughout the Acadian Peninsula. Caraquet, Paquetville, Lamèque, Shippagan and Tracadie will host these evenings, which are highly popular among devotees of wine and culinary adventures. CHAMPAGNE ! People who adore champagne will be in for a treat during the GALA event, as none other than Guénaël Revel, Monsieur Bulles himself, will present Moët and Chandon champagnes to accompany a gourmet meal prepared by Chef Benjamin Cormier and Michel Savoie, the owner of renowned res- taurant Les Brumes du Coude in Moncton. WHO IS MONSIEUR BULLES ? Teacher, author, radio and television host in Montréal, Guénaël Revel is the author of the Guide Revel des champagnes et autres bulles (Revel’s guide to champagnes and other sparkling wines), the only French-language work dedicated to all sparkling wines. He has already written three books on champagne, and then in 2009, he co-wrote and co-hosted the only television show that focused on the king of wines: Champagne!, on the Quebec channel Évasion. A historian and sommelier by training, he moved to Quebec in 1995 and worked as a sommelier is several Montréal establishments. ON THE SCHEDULE… One thing is for certain: the full schedule for the 21st edition of Caraquet’s FestiVin has something for everyone! Whether it’s an evening with Sébastien Roy from the famous Distillerie Fils du Roy, at the Pub St-Joseph, Old World wines presented by Mario Griffin at the Panaché Resto-Pub-Terrasse, a foray into the Land of the Rising Sun with the Mitchan Sushi team and the wines of Terra Firma, or even a seminar lunch with Nicholas Parisi and the wines from Pelee Island; all these places in Caraquet will be showcased during the week before the Grand Tastings. To these can be added other restaurant owners from the Acadian Peninsula to round out the schedule in a delicious way. The Kabernet Gourmet-Pub in Lamèque will host guests for an evening of country-style cooking with Mario Griffin, who will present 150 gems of Canadian wine to highlight the 150th anniversary of our country. Chef Benjamin Cormier, from the restaurant Les Brumes du Coude in Moncton, will be the guest along with Sommelière Sonia Jalbert at the Pinokkio Pizzeria-Resto-Bar in Shippagan for an evening of Italian cuisine. A duel between beer and wine will be fought at the Bistro Le Crépuscule in Tracadie, with comments by Robert Noël, an elite Canadian sommelier. The Nuovo Caveau in Paquetville is also back this year for an evening of fine dining with New Brunswick Chef Jonathan Morrison, and Sommelier Jean-Philippe Turgeon will present wines from Gérard Bertrand Wineries. There is plenty to whet the appetite and tempt the senses! All details on the schedule are available at www.festivincaraquet.ca THAT’S NOT ALL! Naturally, the FestiVin will conclude with the Grand Tastings, which will take place on June 2–3, 2017, in the Caisse populaire Acadie room of the Carrefour de la Mer. People who have tickets for Friday night will be able to take part in a free seminar on port with Guénaël Revel (Monsieur Bulles) and end with an evening of music with Adam and Martin Robichaud at the Cave à vin at no additional cost. Another new feature this year: people will be able to get a ticket for the seminar on Saturday afternoon with eminent sommelier Robert Noël, where the Chardonnay from the Chablis region will be showcased. For $53 (fees included), guests will be able to attend this seminar and also participate in the Grand Tasting on Saturday afternoon, which all starts at 1:00 p.m. The regular cost of $27 (fees included) for this Grand Tasting in the afternoon also gives access to a free seminar on champagnes with Guénaël Revel, as well as a workshop with Marie-Claude Dilillo on the new reality show Foodies and how to incorporate wine in everyday life. Tickets are still available through Billetterie Accès. Once again this year, the winning wines of FestiVin 2017 will be awarded during the Les Vinalies, competition, which is held before a panel of experienced sommeliers and experts during a blind tasting. The winning wines will be listed on the FestiVin website as soon as they are chosen. Tickets for the seminars will be on sale this Thursday, May 4th at 11:00 am. For more information on ticket prices or for a detailed description of the activities, please visit festivincaraquet.ca or billetterieacces.ca to purchase your tickets online. –30 – Source : Geneviève Lanteigne, Communications and Public Relations Consultant 506.724.3857 | [email protected].