July 9, 2012

Leave the clutch at home: this is a two-handed event

And new this year, guests can start the party early and enjoy a little rock star treatment with the purchase of VIP tickets ($159 per person) for the Pre-Party which begins at 5 p.m. Pre-party favours include an intimate reception in Inn at Laurel Point's ultra-lux penthouse overlooking the Inner Harbour. The pre-party is co-hosted by n Chef Takashi Ito and Howard Soon - master winemaker with Sandhill Wines. Together they have matched seafood appetizers with select wines from the Sandhill Small Lots Collection. Pre-Party tickets include full access to the Sips and Seafood event including first in line access, following the tasting reception.

For the main event, which starts at 6:30 p.m., Chef Ito - and his dynamic culinary team at AURA - will once again prepare exotic, local seafood creations including smoked salmon, tuna and fresh oysters, as well as crab, scallops, hand-peeled shrimp, and mussels. Finest at Sea, a leading provider of seafood on the West Coast will provide the seafood for the event, which is 100 per cent wild and is caught through sustainable fishing practices.

Complimenting the seafood is a selection of Narmata Bench and Cowichan Valley produced wines, including varietals from Sandhill Wines, Serendipity Winery, Therapy Vineyards, Hillside Estate Winery, Red Rooster Winery and Averill Creek Vineyards. Phillips Beer, Silk Road organic teas and Victoria Spirits gin will round out the selection of locally-produced beverages.
To purchase tickets, visit www.laurelpoint.com or call 1-800-663-7667. Guests must be 19 years of age or older to attend any Taste: Victoria event. Inn at Laurel Point is also extending a "take the elevator home" rate of $199 for the evening.

"Over the past four years, we have seen both the Taste festival and Inn at Laurel Point's Sips and Seafood expand, not just our waistlines, but our culinary experience," said Ian Powell, general manager of, Victoria BC Hotel, Inn at Laurel Point. "Victoria is home to an amazing, collaborative group of chefs and producers who share a strong commitment to sustainable seafood. When you pair this seafood with BC wines, local craft beer, organic tea and even gin, there is no question why this event is a hot seller."

About Howard Soon (VIP Pre-Party Co-host)
Howard Soon became head winemaker at Sandhill Wines in 1997. He was the first winemaker in BC to release a series of single vineyard wines, receiving the Founder's Award from the Okanagan Wine Festival in 1998. In addition, Soon was the first BC winemaker to receive a Gold Medal at the Chardonnay du Monde in France and the first winemaker in history to receive all three top honours at the 2009 Wine Access Canadian Wine Awards.

About Inn at Laurel Point
Inn at Laurel Point, a Victoria BC Hotel, is an elegant, Pacific Rim-inspired waterfront hotel located downtown on Victoria's Inner Harbour. It was the first carbon-neutral hotel in BC and, Condé Nast Traveler has rated the Inn as one of the top 25 hotels in Canada. For more information about Inn at Laurel Point, visit www.laurelpoint.com.

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Sample tweet: Big fish to fry & best wines to try @ILPVictoria's Sips & Seafood event http://bit.ly/OCBIa8

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