Last month we took a look at the World’s Top 15 Beer Festivals, as rated by BarWhiz, and today we are going to share with you a list of our most favourite wine festivals.

So without further adieu, here are the World’s Top 17 Wine Festivals:

#1 – The Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada – February 27 – March 4, 2012

By far the best wine festival in North America, the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival is host to over 180 wineries, who pour an astounding 791 different kinds of wine to thousands of guests each year. With winery experts on hand, you can learn about your favourite wines, discover new ones or try rare wines from wineries all over the world.

#2 – BB&T Charleston Wine and Food Festival
Charleston, South Carolina, USA – March 1-4, 2012

The four-day March event is now into its seventh year. Praised as one of the top wine festivals in the U.S., the BB&T Charleston Wine and Food Festival is a combination of home-grown cooking infused with the talent of celebrated chefs and winemakers from all over the world.

#3 – Russian River Wine Road Barrel Tasting Weekend
Healdsburg, California, USA – March 2-11, 2012

This event is all about sampling straight from the barrel. With over 100 wineries participating, that’s a lot of barrels to taste. All you need is a $40 wristband, your trusty tasting glass, and you are off to the races… I mean cellars.

#4 – Melbourne Food and Wine Festival
Melbourne, Australia – March 2-21, 2012

With more than 200 events centred on wine education, this 17-day long Food and Wine Festival has been keeping Australian wine drinkers happy for the last 20 years. Wine lovers can experience over 250 tasting events and interact with international sommeliers, chefs and wine producers from around the world.

#5 – World of Pinot Noir
Shell Beach, California, USA – March 2-3, 2012

World of Pinot Noir will bring together over 100 Pinot Noir producers from around the world for a 2-day event featuring wine tasting and education seminars in Shell Beach, California. This is a must attend event for all the Pinot Noir lovers out there.

#6 – Cincinnati International Wine Festival
Cincinnati, Ohio, USA – March 8-10, 2012

Celebrating its 22nd year, the Cincinnati International Wine Festival has been one of the Midwest’s largest annual wine events since 1991. Hosting over 130 wineries, who pour up to 600 different kinds of wine to thousands of guests, this wine extravaganza features food, live music, auctions, and even a golf tournament.

#7 – McMinnville Wine & Food Classic
McMinnville, Oregon, USA – March 9-11, 2012

In the heart of Oregon wine country, McMinnville will host a 3-day wine festival that features 160 of the Oregon’s best wineries. Participants can take part in wine tasting events, or just purchase wine by the glass, bottle or even case.

#8 – Zinfandel Festival Paso Robles
Paso Robles, California, USA – March 16-18, 2012

With more than 50 Paso Robles wineries hosting events, the Zinfandel Festival Paso Robles is one of the largest of its kind. The event will feature tasting of the local Paso Robles Zinfandel and Zinfandel blends, as well as food from some of the region’s best restaurants. For the Zinfandel lover this is definitely a must attend event.

#9 – St. Croix Food and Wine Experience
St. Croix, US Virgin Islands, USA – April 17-22, 2012

Named one of the best International Food and Wine Festivals by Forbes Travel, the St. Croix Food and Wine Experience brings together local chefs, celebrity chefs, cooking show personalities and top winemakers from around the world. This wine festival sells out fast, so if you still can, you should buy your tickets now.

#10 – Banff Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival
Banff, Alberta, Canada – May 4-5, 2012

The top Banff & Lake Louise area chefs provide the cuisine to complement the wide assortment of national and international wines for you to try on at the Banff Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival. With the Rocky Mountains as your backdrop, there is no other place you should be this summer.

#11 – Taste of Amsterdam
Amsterdam, Netherlands – May 31 – June 3,2012

Featuring a wide assortment of wine tasting events, demonstrations, and food oriented events, the Taste of Amsterdam drew in over 15,000 food and wine lovers for their inaugural event. The 2012 festival is shaping up to be even more spectacular then the last.

#12 – International Pinot Noir Celebration
McMinnville, Oregon, USA – July 27-29, 2012

This 3-day event is held in the heart of Oregon’s wine country and includes such things as wine tasting events at local wineries as well as educational seminars on wine aging from some of the world’s top pinot noir makers. There will also and wine-pairing seminars provided by 50 guest chefs.

#13 – GrapeFest
Grapevine, Texas, USA – September 15-18, 2012

It may surprise you, but Texas is America’s 5th largest wine-producing state, and as the saying goes, everything is big in Texas. Their annual wine festival, the GrapeFest, brings in some 250,000 people to sample both local wines and international ones alike. Oh, and there is also a grape stomping competition.

#14 – Cornucopia
Whistler, British Columbia, Canada – November 8-11, 2012

This 4-night festival includes a Gala Grand Tasting event that features more than 75 different wineries as well as some of the greatest cuisine from the area’s most notable chefs. There are also plenty of hands-on seminars and fascinating winemaker dinners to attend.

#15 – Barbados Food & Wine and Rum Festival
Barbados, Caribbean – November 16-19, 2012

This Barbados wine festival, which also includes food and of course rum, takes place for 4 days in November. Featuring a wide variety of chef demonstrations, tasting events and interactive sessions, the Barbados Food & Wine and Rum Festival is the must attend wine event in the Caribbean this year.

#16 – Franschhoek “Magic of Bubbles” Cap Classique and Champagne Festival
Franschhoek, South Africa – November 30 – December 2, 2012

The “Magic of Bubbles” festival is all about the bubbly. From Champagne to Cap Classique, Franschhoek will be home to all things sparkling wine for three days in December.

#17 – Boston Wine Expo
Boston, Massachusetts, USA – January 26-27, 2013

Featuring over 1,800 wine tasting events from more than 300 wineries from around the world, the Boston Wine Expo is easily the largest wine festival in the continental US. There are also many educational seminars hosted by experts in wine making and pairing. If you are just hearing about this event now, unfortunately you’ve already missed the 2012 festival and will have to wait until next year, but don’t worry; you can just attend the other 16 events above. Call it training.

Author: Corey Rozon