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KELOWNA – Spring is here and with it brings the Okanagan Wine Festivals Society’s Spring Wine Festival, taking place across the Okanagan from May 1 – May 12, 2019. The Spring Wine Festival will feature over 90 wine-centric events, including five signature events. This year’s festival includes some fan- favourites, like the Spring WestJet Wine Tastings featuring over 200 wines under one roof, as well as a few new additions to the event calendar, like Putting and Bubbles – a day spent practicing out on the green and learning from a pro while enjoying the best in bubbly, white, and rosé.
"The spring festival is a unique opportunity for wine lovers to experience the best of wine country as wineries celebrate new releases and prepare for the upcoming season," says Okanagan Wine Festivals Society Chair, Angela Brown. "Because it takes place before the busy summer season, wineries are looking to engage with wine lovers and connect with enthusiasts. It really is an incomparable opportunity for those interested in a more one-on-one experience with wineries and our fantastic new releases."
Included in the spring festival is The British Columbia Best of Varietal Wine Competition, which identifies the top wines in over 30 different varietal categories. It is structured differently than most other competitions in that judges will see all the wines in any given category. This allows for a direct comparison of the wines and removes the panel-to-panel differences that exist in most wine competitions. We are fortunate to find a broad range of judges, some of whom have extensive international and national experience while others are more trade based and have training and direct retail experience with consumer preferences. The competition, presented by Farm Credit Canada, ContainerWorld, and Puddifoot Glassware is open to all licensed British Columbia wineries and will include fruit wines and mead.
This year’s wine entries will face an esteemed panel of judges from across North America.
- Audrey Surrao – Kelowna, BC
- Sandra Oldfield – Penticton, BC
- Sally Campa – Summerland, BC
- Adam Rosewarne – Nelson, BC
- Kurtis Kolt – Vancouver, BC
- Mark Filatow – Kelowna, BC
- Kayla Sahara – Penticton, BC
- Brad Royale – Calgary, BC
- Brian Berry – Penticton, BC
- Katherine McEachnie – Kelowna, BC
- Geoff Barlow – Kelowna, BC
- Troy Townsend – Penticton, BC
- Jeannette LeBlanc – Penticton, BC
- Dennis Dwernychuk – Kelowna, BC
Find out more about other events happening up and down the valley by visiting www.thewinefestivals.com.