The 2012 Bordeaux Wine Festival in Québec City

09-14-2011

 

Québec City and Bordeaux celebrate their birthday!

 

Québec, September 9, 2011 – From September 6 to 9, 2012, Québec City will celebrate the wines of Bordeaux! This festive occasion will mark the 50th anniversary of the fruitful relationship between these sister cities.

“To celebrate the 50th anniversary of this most beneficial partnership, we are preparing a truly remarkable gathering,” stated the Honourable Mr. Régis Labeaume, mayor of Québec City. “During my 2010 visit to the Bordeaux Wine Festival, I immediately recognized that we had to repeat this event on this momentous occasion. I am looking forward to seeing local and visiting wine lovers strolling through our beautiful quays at Espace 400e and the Old Port, a glass of exquisite Bordeaux wine in hand!”

A celebration to bring people together

In 2010, Québec City was fêted as the guest of honour at the seventh Bordeaux Wine Festival, an international public event dedicated to the wines of Bordeaux and Aquitaine. Following this highly successful experience, Mr. Labeaume expressed his willingness to import and adapt this concept in his own city, specifically during the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec.

Open to all residents of the Capitale-Nationale, the 2012 Bordeaux Wine Festival in Québec City will be the focal event during the sister cities' 50th Anniversary celebrations. This festival will imaginatively pair the wines of Bordeaux with Québec City's regional gastronomic delights. Representatives of the City of Bordeaux will volunteer their experience and expertise to local organizers to ensure the success of this project.

A spotlight on wine, food and cultural activities

In September 2012, epicures will be invited to discover a variety of vintages from the Bordeaux region, including Médoc and Graves, sweet Bordeaux, Côtes de Bordeaux, Saint-Émilion, Pomerol-Fronsac, Bordeaux & Bordeaux Supérieur, and dry rosé and white Bordeaux. Nearly fifty vineyards will take part onsite.

Activities will be centred in the Espace 400e sector during this event. Pavilions featuring wine and gastronomic tastings will delight residents and visitors alike with new discoveries - the wines of Bordeaux and Aquitaine, as well as gourmet products and alcoholic beverages from the Québec City region. A festival tent decorated in the colours of Bordeaux will be devoted exclusively to our sister city. In addition, a wine school will offer a series of educational workshops to the public.

The dynamic and rich culture of the sister cities will be showcased at the Agora Port de Québec, where a number of live shows and large-scale happenings are planned. Master classes and exclusive activities round out the programming. Finally, restaurateurs across the city will introduce their patrons to the variety and uniqueness of the Bordeaux terroir.

“Wine is to cycling what beer is to hockey. Given the overlapping dates of these two events, it made sense to work closely together to ensure that the 2012 Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec will be the most dynamic, festive and colourful edition yet,” noted M. Serge Arsenault, president of the Grands Prix Cyclistes Québec – Montréal. “Over the coming months, we will take tremendous pleasure in working closely with the organizers of the 2012 Bordeaux Wine Festival in Québec City to develop a series of exciting activities and complementary initiatives during the 2012 Grand Prix.”

“This festive event held in late summer will attract many epicures to Québec City,” noted Mr. Gabriel Savard, Director of Québec City Tourism (QCT). “QCT will launch an enticing promotional campaign spanning the province of Québec, the Ontario market, the northeastern United States and even in France. It will be a golden opportunity to educate these markets on Québec City's unrivalled gastronomic expertise and reputation.”

A touristic, economic and festive connection!

Since 1962, the cities of Bordeaux and Québec have maintained close ties in numerous sectors of activity. Cooperation between the two cities has taken many forms, encompassing a wide range of areas such as economic development and tourism, culture, academia, etc.

Over the past 50 years, trade missions and exchanges have generated a variety of profitable and concrete projects benefitting both regions. The 2012 Bordeaux Wine Festival in Québec City will soon be added to this venerable list, a most appropriate way to mark the anniversary of such a prolific partnership!

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