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British Columbia Wine Awards results

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KELOWNA - The Okanagan Wine Festivals Society announced the results of the British Columbia Wine Awards, marking the official launch of the 36th annual Fall Okanagan Wine Festival.

The competition featured a record 624 wine entries from over 90 British Columbia wineries. Ten well respected wine judges worked for 4 days to determine which wines were worthy of recognition for bronze, silver, gold, and platinum medals as well as the overall best wine of 2016 named the Premier’s Award.

The oldest B.C. wine competition, the British Columbia Wine Awards is also the province’s largest. Open to all B.C. wineries that use 100% fruit grown in the province, this year’s judging was held on September 15th through 18th at the Sensory Lab at Okanagan College and featured the following judges:

  • Gurvinder Bhatia – Edmonton – Wine judge, columnist, and wine editor for Quench Magazine
  • Sid Cross – Vancouver – Wine educator and columnist, President, The International Wine & Food Society
  • DJ Kearney – Vancouver – Wine educator, wine judge, instructor, presenter
  • Sebastien Le Goff – Vancouver – Sommelier & Service Director, Cactus Club Canada
  • Ben MacPhee-Sigurdson – Winnipeg – Wine columnist & literary editor, Winnipeg Free Press
  • Brent Muller – Victoria – Manager, Vessel Liquor
  • Tim Pawsey – Vancouver – Food & Wine critic and writer, Hired Belly.com; writer - the Vancouver Courier
  • Barb Phillip – Vancouver – Master of Wine, presenter, journalist and judge
  • Rick Van Sickle – Niagara – Publisher - Wines in Niagara
  • Paul Zitarelli – Seattle, WA – Editor-in-chief, Full Pull Wines, writer, Seattle Magazine

Amongst the winners, the judges singled out from the Gold honourees, six Platinum medals determined to be the top 1% of the entries. The Platinum medals help showcase the varietals and blends that distinguish British Columbia’s wine region. This year’s platinum winners are:

  • CedarCreek Estate Winery – The Last Word, Red Meritage Blend 2013
  • Deep Roots Winery – Syrah 2014
  • Mission Hill Family Estate – Reserve Chardonnay, Chardonnay 2014
  • Red Rooster Winery – Riesling 2015
  • Road 13 Vineyards – Sparkling Chenin Blanc 2012
  • SpierHead Winery – Pinot Noir Cuvee, Pinot Noir 2014
  • Summerhill Pyramid Winery – Cipes Blanc De Blanc, Sparkling Chardonnay 2010
  • Time Estate Winery – Syrah 2013

The Premier’s Award for the Best Wine in British Columbia is selected from all Platinum medals. The Premier’s Award was introduced in 2014 as a legacy for the sitting Premier to present annually given the stature of British Columbia’s wine industry across the world. The Premiers Award for Best Wine in 2016 is awarded to SpeirHead Winery in Kelowna for its Pinot Noir Cuvee, 2014.

The full list of finalists is available on the Okanagan Wine Festivals website.

The annual British Columbia Wine Awards Reception in Kelowna is the official kickoff for the 10 day 100 plus event Fall Okanagan Wine Festival, and is followed by two nights of the “Fall WestJet Wine Tastings,” and wraps up Thanksgiving weekend with “Cropped” – Canada’s largest public tasting of BC wines and authentic farmer’s market in Penticton.

News from © iNFOnews, 2016
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