From the Okanagan Wine Festivals' media release:
Penticton, British Columbia – May 8, marked the announcement of the highly anticipated 2019 British Columbia Best of Varietal Wine Awards by the Okanagan Wine Festivals Society. The competition featured 21 different varietal categories, with over 580 wines entered. Eleven respected judges narrowed the selection down to 143 finalists with one overall clear winner being declared THE BEST in each category.
“Every year the Best of Varietal Wine Awards recognizes the best wines in B.C., using a panel of esteemed judges. This year we were privileged to have a diverse group of wine experts from across the country join us and participate in the competition. These judges expressed sincere appreciation for the calibre of wines submitted, as well as for the competition’s capacity to elevate and celebrate some of the best wines in our province,” says Julian Scholefield, Board Member and Judging Chair of the Okanagan Wine Festivals Society. “It has truly been an honour watching this competition continue to grow in reputation and prestige, and to witness its ability to support the B.C. wine industry.”
“Every year the Best of Varietal Wine Awards recognizes the best wines in B.C., using a panel of esteemed judges. This year we were privileged to have a diverse group of wine experts from across the country join us and participate in the competition. These judges expressed sincere appreciation for the calibre of wines submitted, as well as for the competition’s capacity to elevate and celebrate some of the best wines in our province,” says Julian Scholefield, Board Member and Judging Chair of the Okanagan Wine Festivals Society. “It has truly been an honour watching this competition continue to grow in reputation and prestige, and to witness its ability to support the B.C. wine industry.”
“Having judged this competition quite a few times. I felt it was the best "Best of Varietal' yet! Great fellow judges and great wines made our decisions easy,” said Mark Filatow, Best of Varietal judge and Executive Chef and Sommelier, Waterfront Wines.
The British Columbia Best of Varietal Wine Awards are open to all licensed British Columbia wineries that use 100 per cent fruit grown in the province. An exceptional aspect of the judging is that judges are chosen from the trade including renowned sommeliers and restaurateurs from across Western Canada, and features a unique judging process that allows each panel of judges to evaluate all of the wines in any given category enabling a direct comparison for selecting the best wines.
. This year’s judging featured the following judges:
- Audrey Surrao – RauDZ Regional Table, Kelowna
- Dennis Dwernychuk – BC Signature Liquor Store, Kelowna
- Mark Filatow – Waterfront Wines, Kelowna
- Troy Townsin – Wine Blogger & CBC Radio, Victoria
- Sandra Oldfield – Consultant, Oliver
- Adam Rosewarne – Sage Tapas, Nelson
- Kurtis Kolt – Freelance writer, Kelowna
- Brad Royale – Rocky Mountain Resorts, Calgary
- Brian Berry – Revelry Imports, Kelowna
- Katherine McEachnie – Wine Scholar, Penticton
- Jeannette LeBlanc – Freelance writer, Penticton
And here are the award winners for the 2019 British Columbia Best of Varietal Wine Awards:
LIST OF THE BEST OF WINNERS
- Best of Show: TIME Winery, 2017 Riesling
- Best Cabernet Franc: Silkscarf Winery, 2015 Cabernet Franc
- Best Cabernet Sauvignon: Moon Curser Vineyards, 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon
- Best Chardonnay: Upper Bench Estate Winery & Creamery, 2017 Chardonnay
- Best Fruit Wine: Northern Lights Winery, 2018 Seduction – Strawberry Rhubarb
- Best Gewurztraminer: Wild Goose Vineyards & Winery, 2018 Mystic River Gewurztraminer
- Best Hybrid: Monte Creek Ranch Winery, 2017 Hands Up White
- Best Icewine: Grizzli Winery, 2013 Merlot Icewine
- Best Merlot: Mission Hill Family Estate, 2016 Merlot
- Best Single Red Varieties: Hillside Winery, 2016 Reserve Malbec and Moon Curser Vineyards, 2016 Touriga Nacional
- Best Single White Varieties: Bordertown Vineyard & Estate Winery ltd., 2016 Gruner Veltliner
- Best Pinot Blanc: Wild Goose Vineyards & Winery, 2018 Mystic River Pinot Blanc
- Best Pinot Gris: Mission Hill Family Estate, 2018 Reserve Pinot Gris
- Best Pinot Noir: Arrowleaf Cellars, 2016 Archive Pinot Noir
- Best Meritage Blend: Nk’Mip, 2016 Merriym Red Meritage
- Best Rosé: CedarCreek Estate Winery, 2018 Estate Rosé
- Best Sparkling: Arrowleaf Cellars, 2017 Summerstorm
- Best Syrah: C.C. Jentsch Cellars, 2016 Syrah
- Best White Blend: Baillie-Grohman Estate Winery, 2018 Recolt Blanche
The full list of finalists is available on our website:
www.thewinefestivals.com
www.thewinefestivals.com
About The Okanagan Wine Festivals Society:
The Okanagan Wine Festivals Society is responsible for the development of the wine tourism sector in the interior of British Columbia. It is well known for producing four seasonally inspired Okanagan Wine Festivals in Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. It is also responsible for Signature Wine Events including Sensation by Valley First, the WestJet Wine Tastings, and more. It produces and runs for two annual wine judging competitions: the British Columbia Best of Varietal Wine Competition, and the province’s most prestigious and oldest wine competition, the British Columbia Lieutenant Governor’s Wine Awards.
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