Three Gables PEC
Wine awards uncorked across the County - July 2019
This past month, Canadian wineries have taken centre stage at not just one, but two award events. Here in the County, we’ve had the opportunity to participate and to get some great press on the world stage.
Established in 1981, the All Canadian Wine Championships held its annual competition in June. With judges from across Canada, these awards see hundreds of wineries sending their best products to be judged against their peers, across a wide range of categories.
From a County perspective, this event also partners with the PECM Hospital Foundation and the Rotary Club of Picton to present “Uncork Canada”. This is a phenomenal event where you can taste some truly outstanding wines that are hard to get in Ontario and really show the incredible quality and variety of Canadian wines being produced from coast-to-coast. If you did not attend this year, absolutely mark this on your calendar for 2020! “Uncork Canada” is one of the premiere Canadian wine tastings open to the public.
I was able to taste a number of truly excellent wines from a wide variety of wineries. Given limited time, I focused primarily on wines from BC across a number of varietals, to try to get a feel for recent vintages out west. Some of the award-winning tasting standouts for me included:
Tightrope Reisling, 2017, Tightrope Winery, Penticton, BC - Gold
Daydreamer Reisling, 2018, Daydreamer Wines, Naramata, BC - Gold
Spearhead Chardonnay Clone 95, 2017, Spearhead Winery, Kelowna, BC - Gold
Okanagan Estate Grand Reserve, Chardonnay, 2016, Jackson Triggs, Kelowna, BC - Double Gold
QwAM QwMT Syrah, 2016, NK’MIP, Osoyoos, BC - Gold
Daydreamer Reisling, 2018, Daydreamer Wines, Naramata, BC - Gold
Spearhead Chardonnay Clone 95, 2017, Spearhead Winery, Kelowna, BC - Gold
Okanagan Estate Grand Reserve, Chardonnay, 2016, Jackson Triggs, Kelowna, BC - Double Gold
QwAM QwMT Syrah, 2016, NK’MIP, Osoyoos, BC - Gold
Congratulations should also go out to our award winners right here in the County: Huff Estates, Karlo Estates, Lighthall Vineyards, Rosehall Run, Sandbanks and Waupoos Estates.
(Note: some of the BC wines listed above may be available directly from the wineries, it all depends on whether or not the winery chooses to comply with Ontario’s LCBO shipping policies. In fact, the state of our wine distribution system in Canada will make for a good article later this year. Let’s just say for now, it’s 19th century in origin and not designed with modern consumers in mind.)
Also happening in the County in June were the National Wine Awards of Canada. These wine awards are hosted in different locations around the country and, for the first time, this year’s judging took place in Wellington from June 10th to 14th. A total of 22 judges from Canada and around the world reviewed the wines. Awards for the various categories are unveiled over the course of several weeks from July 15th to August 2nd and will be available at the WineAlign website by the time you read this. The awards include not only the main grape varietals from across Canada, but also winery of the Year and Top Performing Small Winery.
Many of the judges for the competition were out and about in the County visiting local restaurants and wineries as well as blogging about their experiences here. Amongst these is award-winning wine writer Jamie Goode. Based in the UK, Jamie manages an exceptional blog and website dedicated to wine. He writes for the Sunday Express in the UK and has also written several books. I highly recommend that you check out Jamie’s website at www.wineanorak.com. The site features great articles about wine as well as his personal tastings around the world. Based on his recent visit, Jamie just published a series of County winery profiles and tasting notes that serve as an excellent guide to the quality of wines and winemaking that is taking place right here. This kind of international exposure to thousands of followers can really help to drive greater attention to the exceptional quality of Canadian wine that is being developed.
Finally, you may have noticed a couple of wine related designations at the bottom of this column. Firstly, the Canadian Wine Scholar (CWS). This designation was created by Fine Vintage Limited in conjunction with and instructed by the great Canadian wine writer and educator David Lawrason. For those of you who are interested in learning more about the depth and breadth of Canadian wine, I would highly recommend this course. Secondly, the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET). They manage a global network of schools teaching their curriculum. Their level 4 diploma program is widely considered one of the most comprehensive wine education courses globally and is a key criterion for those looking to go on to seek the Master of Wine, MW designation (held by only 382 individuals worldwide). The WSET courses provide a comprehensive benchmark for anyone who wants to learn more about wine.
In Vino Veritas!
Braydon Scully - Three Gables PEC
WSET Level 2 - Wine & Spirit Education Trust
Canadian Wine Scholar - Fine Vintage Limited
Follow me on Instagram and Twitter @threegablespec