Laura Kittmer
The Wines of British Columbia were put to the ultimate test at the fourth annual Judgment of BC on October 24, pitting 12 BC Wines against 12 acknowledged global benchmarks. We are proud to announce BC ranked first and second among the flight of Bordeaux-style red blends, standing up against wines from Bordeaux and Napa Valley. California came out on top for the flight of traditional method sparkling wines with BC placing fourth, fifth and sixth.
Hosted by the BC Wine Institute, and curated by Vancouver-based wine expert DJ Kearney, the Judgment of BC took place in Kelowna in the heart of wine country, during which 39 international and national wine judges blind tasted and ranked 12 traditional method sparkling wines and 12 Bordeaux-style red blends. Six were from BC and six were international benchmarks.
The BC wines selected for the Judgement were hand chosen through a blind tasting by a Selection Committee of Barb Philip MW, Rhys Pender MW, Dr. Janet Dorozynski, Kurtis Kolt, Michaela Morris and Jason Yamasaki, led by DJ Kearney. Ninety-nine wines were tasted to come up with the final 12 BC representatives.
Twenty-six top wine professionals from around the world and across the country had just spent four days immersed in Wine BC BootCamp. Hosted by Master of Wine Rhys Pender and the British Columbia Wine Institute, the group delved deep into BC’s wine culture learning, tasting and discussing everything BC wine during a series of Master Classes, panel discussions and regional visits. A further 13 Canadian wine critics and sommeliers descended on the Okanagan Valley to join the group for the Judgment of BC blind tasting.
Such close attention from the world’s top wine influencers on what is happening with BC wine is exciting and humbling. Top palates from the UK, USA, Asia and across Canada descended on the Okanagan Valley, all of whom were enthusiastic about the quality of the wines they tasted.
Among the international guests, Vancouver born Terry Threlfall, Wine Director at Selfridges & Company in London, England expressed his impression on BC Wine at the BC Wine Institute’s export seminar following the week’s events. He noted in his presentation, “The evolution of the BC wine industry has been extraordinary, the wines showing a real sense of place. Canada is the new and shiny thing amongst sommeliers and restauranteurs. Doing exercises like the Judgment of BC is fun but also educational. Most of us couldn’t decipher which wines were international and which were BC. Those benchmark wines were some of the most highly recognized wines in the world, showing how high the bar has been set in BC.”
British wine writer for the Yorkshire Post Christine Austin remarked, “It’s been the most fascinating exercise. BC Wine can stand up on the world stage with their own character, flavours, personality and hold their head up high against some of the best wines in the world.”
“Many regions say they can produce a variety of styles. The Okanagan Valley is unique due to its climate and geology in actually being able to produce many grapes and styles at high quality,” noted Master Sommelier James Tidwell from Texas, USA. “I look forward to the day when these wines are more recognized in the international market.”
Vancouver based wine writer, educator and international judge Michaela Morris was impressed by how well the BC sparkling wines showed. “Most of my top ranked wines in the sparkling flight turned out to be from BC which I found very impressive,” she said.
Katelyn Peil, Wine Director for the Heavy Restaurant Group in Seattle, was also enlightened by the tasting. “The wines are exciting and fresh with a purity of fruit that also offers a sense of place. It is amazing to see the caliber of wines coming from this region and the rest of the world should be paying attention.”
The BC Wine Institute hosts educational programs, seminars, blind tastings and in-region familiarization tours throughout the year attracting top wine professionals to our region and gaining worldwide recognition for the Wines of British Columbia. These initiatives allow the industry to gain insights and knowledge into how we compare internationally as a critical part of ensuring we continue to make high quality wines and celebrate the success and growth of our industry collectively.
For the Judgment of BC results and list of judges visit WineBC.com.
Laura Kittmer is the Media Relations Manager at the British Columbia Wine Institute. www.winebc.org
@WineBCdotcom