If patio season is calling your name, you may want to add a bottle of Tormaresca Calafuria Rosé to your table this summer.
Recently, I attended the Calafuria wine event at The Gallery by Pavilion, located on the top floor of the 34 | W7 building in the heart of Mount Pleasant. With sweeping rooftop views overlooking downtown Vancouver, the venue felt like the perfect setting for a wine inspired by the Italian coast.
The evening’s theme was simple: Calafuria, rosé the Italian way.
And honestly, it delivered exactly that feeling. Warm weather, music, seafood, conversation and a glass of chilled rosé in hand.
Produced in Apulia, Calafuria is made from Negroamaro grapes and has a bright, fruit-forward profile that feels made for summer patios. The Tormaresca Calafuria offers citrusy notes of pink grapefruit, pineapple and white peach alongside floral hints of jasmine and rose. It finishes fresh with delicate savoury notes and impressive aromatic persistence.
If you’re planning your own patio evenings this season, you’ll find Calafuria available at BC Liquor Store locations and featured all summer long at Earls Kitchen + Bar restaurants.
The food at the event leaned beautifully into coastal Italian flavours. Guests moved between a stunning crudo bar featuring BC side stripe shrimp, mussels on the half shell, clams, scallop ceviche and freshly shucked oysters. There was also a pasta bar serving cavatelli alla vodka and orecchiette con rapini e salsiccia, both comforting and rich against the crispness of the rosé.
A live DJ kept the atmosphere lively while familiar industry faces, food personalities and local creatives mingled throughout the space.
One of the most memorable details of the night was a custom fragrance gifted to guests, inspired directly by Calafuria’s tasting notes and the scents of the Italian coastline. With sparkling grapefruit and bergamot, juicy lychee and a subtle sea-salt breeze, it captured the same fresh, sunlit feeling as the wine itself. It honestly felt like bottling a Mediterranean afternoon.
Another standout moment was learning about the Pantone x Calafuria collaboration, featured exclusively on Calafuria magnums. The signature Calafuria pink is inspired by the colour extracted from Negroamaro grapes during delicate skin contact. Shaped by the warmth and light of the upper Salento coastline, the hue represents more than aesthetics. It reflects terroir, craftsmanship and those golden coastal moments that inspired the wine itself.
The entire evening felt immersive without trying too hard. Great food, good music, incredible views and a wine that genuinely feels built for summer.
And with Vancouver patio season finally arriving, Calafuria may end up being one of the bottles you see everywhere for good reason.
Mary in Vancity 
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