News

British Columbia Wine Awards™ Results

September 29, 2016 - The Okanagan Wine Festivals Society announced the results of the British Columbia Wine Awards™ tonight, marking the official launch of the 36thannual 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
• 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 was selected from all Platinum medals, and based on the judges’ consensus, naming the Best Wine in British Columbia. 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 was 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 at www.thewinefestivals.com
 

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.
  
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 annual Okanagan Wine Festivals in spring to celebrate the bud break and in fall to celebrate the grape harvest. Its Winter Okanagan Wine Festival is run in partnership with Sun Peaks Resort near Kamloops. It is also responsible for Signature Wine Events including Mile High Wine & Music at Silver Star and two annual wine judging competitions including the British Columbia Wine Awards™ and the British Columbia Best of Varietal Awards. www.thewinefestivals.com
 
For media inquiries, please contact:
Katia Plotnikoff, Public Relations & Marketing Coordinator Okanagan Wine Festivals Society
[email protected] / 250.861.6654
 
High Resolution photos available upon request. ​