Wild Goose Vieyards Gewurztraminer
After tasting 550 wines and 26 varietals, it all came down to Wild Goose Vineyards and Winery as the Best Wine of the Year in the Okanagan.
The 14 judges at the 2017 British Columbia Best of Varietal Wine Awards chose the 2016 Mystic River Gewurztraminer as the Wine of the Year, in results announced on May 4 by the Okanagan Wine Festivals Society.
The event marks the official launch of the Spring Okanagan Wine Festival.
The Awards are open to all licensed BC wineries that use 100% fruit grown in the province.
This year the competition was divided into different price categories, those being an under/over $19 category for whites, and an under/over $25 for reds.
The judges were chosen from the trade including renowned sommeliers, restaurateurs and recognized wine media 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.
- Wine of the Year - Wild Goose Vineyards & Winery – Mystic River Gewürztraminer 2016
- Best Cabernet Franc - Bench 1775 Winery – Cabernet Franc 2013
- Best Cabernet Sauvignon - Nk’Mip Cellars Winery – Qwam Qwmt
- Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 - Best Chardonnay $19 + 50th Parallel Estate – Chardonnay 2015
- Best Chardonnay < $19 - Nk’Mip Cellars Winery – Chardonnay 2015
- Best Dessert Style Wine - Northern Lights Estate Winery – Seduction 2016
- Best Gewürztraminer - Wild Goose Vineyards & Winery – Mystic River Gewürztraminer 2016
- Best Icewine - Volcanic Hills Estate Winery – Riesling Icewine 2014
- Best Merlot - Cassini Cellars – Nobilus 2013
- Best Pinot Blanc - Kraze Legz Vineyard & Winery – Skaha Vineyard Pinot Blanc 2016
- Best Pinot Gris $19 - + Hillside Winery – Unoaked Pinot Gris 2016
- Best Pinot Gris < $19 - Arrowleaf Cellars – Pinot Gris 2016
- Best Pinot Noir $25 + - Privato Vineyard and Winery – Grandé Reserve Pinot Noir 2012
- Best Pinot Noir < $25 - Arrowleaf Cellars – Pinot Noir 2015
- Best Red Blend Other $25 + - Cassini Cellars – Quattro Collector’s Series 2012
- Best Red Blend Other < $25 - Monte Creek Ranch Winery – Hands Up Red 2015
- Best Meritage Blend $25 + - Sandhill Vineyards Estate Wines – Small Lots Two 2014
- Best Meritage Blend < $25 - Wild Goose Vineyards & Winery – Red Horizon 2014
- Best Riesling $19 + - Kitsch Wines – Riesling 2015
- Best Riesling < $19 - Arrowleaf Cellars – Riesling 2016
- Best Rosé $19 + - Tinhorn Creek Vineyards – Oldfield Reserve Rosé 2016
- Best Rosé < $19 - Arrowleaf Cellars – Rosé 2016
- Best Sauvignon Blanc - Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery – Dry Rock Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc 2016
- Best Single Red Varietal Other - $25 + - Blasted Church Vineyards – Holy Moly 2014
- Best Single Red Varietal Other < $25 - Thornhaven Estates Winery – Pinot Meunier 2014
- Best Single White Varietal Other $19 + - Wild Goose Vineyards & Winery – Morio & Friends Muscat 2016
- Best Single White Varietal Other < $19 - Inniskillin Okanagan – Chenin Blanc 2016
- Best Sparkling - Noble Ridge Vineyard and Winery – The One 2012
- Best Syrah - Black Hills Estate Winery – Syrah 2014
- Best Syrah Based Blend - CedarCreek Estate Winery – Senator’s Red 2013
- Best Viognier - Red Rooster Winery – Rare Bird Series Viognier 2016
- Best White Blend $19 + - Inniskillin Okanagan – Viognier/Gewürztraminer Discovery Series 2016
- Best White Blend < $19 Thornhaven Estates Winery – Brooklyn’s Blend 2016
The full list of winners is available at: www.thewinefestivals.com